Sidmouth railway station

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Sidmouth railway station was a fully operational single platform station located in Sidmouth, Devon until its closure in 1967. The station is presently a privately owned property and is located at the top of Alexandria Road, Sidmouth.

It is still clearly a railway building, as can be seen from the photograph of the front of the building. Round the back there is still some platform and canopy, in use by a builders' merchant.

[edit] History

The station opened on 6th July 1874, built and operated by the Sidmouth Railway Company to satisfy the needs of visitors to the resort. Initially there were seven trains per day, but this increased to 24 in the 1930s. Passenger numbers remained viable well into the 1950s, but rail service rationalisation in the 1960s significatly reduced the frequency of train services. The consequent reduction in passenger numbers led inevitably to closure of the branch line; passenger services ceased on 6th March 1967 and freight services continued up to the line closure on 8th May 1967. The railway track was lifted shortly after this.

[edit] References

• Nick Catford (2005). Station Name: SIDMOUTH. Disused Stations Site Record. Retrieved on 2006-11-26. - (website includes many photographs)