Bishops Lydeard railway station
| Bishops Lydeard | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
| Place | Bishops Lydeard |
| Area | Taunton Deane |
| Coordinates | 51°03′15″N 3°11′36″W / 51.05413°N 3.19342°WCoordinates: 51°03′15″N 3°11′36″W / 51.05413°N 3.19342°W |
| Grid reference | ST163290 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | West Somerset Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Operated by | West Somerset Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 1862 | Opened |
| 1971 | Closed |
| 1979 | Reopened |
| 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 | |
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Bishops Lydeard railway station is a heritage railway station in the village of Bishops Lydeard, Somerset, England. It is the southern terminus for regular trains on the West Somerset Railway.
The station was first opened on 31 March 1862 when the West Somerset Railway was opened from Norton Junction to Watchet, operated by the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER). On opening the station had just one platform on the line's west side, with goods facilities consisting of a siding to a goods shed on the west, and a passing loop plus two sidings on the northeast was served by a passing loop and two sidings. There was also a house for the station master.
The B&ER became part of the Great Western Railway in 1876, but the West Somerset Railway remained an independent company until 1922 when the Great Western absorbed it.
The second eastern platform was not added until 1906, together with a connecting foot bridge. The standard-pattern GWR medium-scale signal box was also added at the end of the platform, operated via a 25 lever stud-locking frame. On 10 June 1936 the line was doubled from here to Norton Fitzwarren, resulting in the signal box being upgraded to a 32 lever frame.
Nationalisation in 1948 saw it become a part of the Western Region of British Railways. On 1 March 1970 the signal box was closed and its frame removed, and the track from Norton Fitzwarren through Bishop’s Lydeard and as far as Williton was operated as a single track. The station was closed by BR along with the entire line 4 January 1971.
After the entire line and its trackbed were bought by Somerset County Council, the West Somerset Railway agreed to lease the line as a heritage railway, with the later possibility of operating timetabled service trains into Taunton via operating company, the WSR plc. Track remains to Norton Fitzwarren, controlled through a single token and colour light signals, to allow special trains and occasional goods trains to operate through from Network Rail to the WSR.
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