| Bideford Railway Heritage Centre | |
|---|---|
| A replica of the original signal box at Bideford Railway Station | |
| Commercial operations | |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Preserved operations | |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Preservation history | |
The Bideford Railway Heritage Centre CIC (previously the Bideford and Instow Railway Group) in Devon, England, is responsible for the management of the Bideford station site. The Company is also responsible for Instow signal box which opens on occasional Sundays and bank holidays from Easter to October.
A railway museum exists in the rebuilt Bideford signal box and also in the green PMV railway van. Short passenger rides were given at Bideford until 2006 when vandalism temporarily prevented services operating. The site was mothballed in 2008 when housing development threatened to encroach on the trackbed. This threat has now been removed and the company is working on renovating the site and rolling stock, so that services can recommence. The site is accessible from the Tarka Trail and the museum is open when staffing allows.
Former British Railways rolling stock owned by the railway includes a PMV van and a BR standard brake van. A Hibberd Planet diesel locomotive is also present. Mark1 coach S4489, owned by Devon County Council, is at the station acting as the Tarka Tearooms for users of the Tarka Trail.
The line was opened from Barnstaple to Fremington in 1848. Passenger trains ran throughout from Barnstaple railway station to Bideford from 2 November 1855 as the Bideford Extension Railway. The line was further extended to Torrington in 1872 when the current Bideford railway station was opened.
Passenger services ceased on 2 October 1965 although ball clay traffic continued until 1982. The track was removed in 1985 after some interest by BR in reintroducing a passenger service to Bideford.