Bideford railway station

Bideford
Bideford railway station.
Location
Place	Bideford
Area	Devon
Operations
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Platforms	2
History
2 November 1855	Opened
2 October 1965	Closed to regular passengers
1982	closed completely
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

The first Bideford railway station was opened on 2 November 1855 as the terminus of the Bideford Extension Railway from Barnstaple. This was taken over by the London and South Western Railway about ten years later.

This station was resited in 1872 when the line was extended to Torrington.

Regular passenger trains from Barnstaple were withdrawn on Sat. 2 October 1965 although special trains occasionally used the station until the line was closed in 1982. After closure a railway preservation society was formed to reopen the station and part of the line. They laid over 200 yards of track in the station and collected some rolling stock and a small diesel locomotive. From 2004-6 a train service was operated but they were then forced to close temporarily due to vandalism and a threat to build houses on the trackbed. By 2010 the site and the rolling stock were being prepared for service again. See Bideford Railway Heritage Centre.

The station in 1964

The station buildings are now owned by Devon County Council and are currently being used as offices for the North Devon Coast & Countryside Service.

Recently, the station was included on the ATOC Connecting Communities report, that recommends closed lines and stations that should have a railway station. The report proposes the reopening of the Barnstaple - Bideford railway line.

External links

• Bideford station on navigable 1946 O. S. map