Blunsdon railway station

Blunsdon

Hudswell Clarke saddle tank Tubby at Blunsdon
Location
Place Blunsdon
Area Swindon
Coordinates 51°36′25″N 1°50′37″W / 51.60702°N 1.84362°W / 51.60702; -1.84362Coordinates: 51°36′25″N 1°50′37″W / 51.60702°N 1.84362°W / 51.60702; -1.84362
Grid reference SU109897
Operations
Original company Swindon and Cheltenham Extension Railway
Pre-grouping Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Post-grouping Great Western Railway
Platforms 1
History
1895 opened
1924 closed
Stations on heritage railways in the United Kingdom
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
UK Railways portal

Blunsdon railway station is a heritage railway station serving the village of Blunsdon, north of Swindon in Wiltshire, England.

It was one of the last to be opened by the Midland and South Western Junction Railway in 1895 on a railway that had opened in 1883. It was little more than a single-platform halt, and milk was the main traffic. It also had a single siding, used for such traffic as fertiliser and other agricultural requirements.

It was also one of the first stations on the route to be closed. Passenger traffic ceased in 1924, though regular trains had stopped calling in 1922, leaving one solitary passenger train service stopping at Blunsdon on a Sunday. Goods traffic ceased in 1937.

The site became the headquarters of the Swindon and Cricklade Railway in the late 1970s because it offered the best road access to the trackbed between Swindon and Cricklade. By that time, almost every trace of the original station had gone, and the present structures are all new.

Blunsdon station is actually within the boundaries of Purton, and the Purton area probably produced most of its original business. Unsubstantiated tradition says the station was named Blunsdon to avoid confusion with the Great Western station already existing in Purton village. Blunsdon St Andrew village is more than two miles away.

Blunsdon station offers a variety of services including the Swindon and Cricklade railway shop, canteen/buffet, toilets and car parking space.

Route

Preceding station   Heritage railways Following station
Hayes Knoll   Swindon & Cricklade Railway   Taw Valley Halt
Disused railways
Cricklade   Midland and South Western Junction Railway
Swindon & Cheltenham Extension Railway
  Moredon Halt

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Blunsdon railway station.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, January 06, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.