Bishops Lydeard railway station

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Bishops Lydeard station, platform 2. Many of the visitors facilities are here, including the ticket office and shop. The locomotive is British Railways 4MT 2-6-4T tank no. 80136, built in 1958

Looking north from Bishops Lydeard to the road crossing above the line, which serves as the footbridge between the two platforms. This is the start of the route for normal services on the line.

Bishops Lydeard railway station is a railway station on the West Somerset Railway, a heritage railway in Somerset, United Kingdom, and serves as the normal southern terminus for the operations of the railway. The station is situated in the village of Bishops Lydeard.

[edit] History

The station was first opened in 1862 when the line from Norton Fitzwarren to Watchet was opened. Until the West Somerset Railway was closed under the Beeching Axe, it was a typical village station part way along a branch line. However, as the southern terminus for most operations of the line, it has had to be transformed into a busy terminus station.

[edit] Facilities

The station has two platforms. Platform 2 is the longer platform and contains most of the visitors facilities, including the ticket office and shop. The station is the headquarters of the West Somerset Railway Association, and the "Quantock Belle" dining car train is also based here. A loco-servicing depot is situated at the Taunton end of the Station. The old goods shed is restored as a museum/visitor centre. In the museum, there are many artefacts, dating back to the 1800s. In addition, the museum includes locomotive 4561 and a large model railway layout.

Preceding station	Heritage railways			Following station
Terminus		West Somerset Railway (normal operations)		Crowcombe Heathfield
(Norton Fitzwarren)		West Somerset Railway (special operations only)		Crowcombe Heathfield