Devon and Somerset Railway
| Devon and Somerset Railway | |
|---|---|
_Station_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1762818.jpg)
Barnstaple station in 1964
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| Overview | |
| Status | Closed |
| Locale | Devon and Somerset |
| Termini | Norton Fitzwarren Barnstaple |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1871 |
| Closed | 1966 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 43 miles (69 km) |
| Number of tracks | 1 |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) |
| Old gauge | 7 ft (2,134 mm) until 1881 |
The Devon and Somerset Railway (D&SR) was a cross-country line that connected Barnstaple in Devon, England to the network of the Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) near Taunton. It was opened in stages between 1871 and 1873 and closed in 1966. It served a mostly rural area although it carried some through services from east of Taunton to the seaside resort of Ilfracombe.
The Act of Parliament that authorised the D&SR received assent on 29 July 1864. Eugenius Birch was appointed as Engineer, but he was replaced by Richard Hassard in 1870. The first 7¼ mile (12 km) section of the line was opened on 8 June 1871, from Watchet Junction (later Norton Fitzwarren) to Wiveliscombe on the edge of Exmoor. The remaining 35¾ miles (58 km) to Barnstaple opened on 1 November 1873. The line used its own station at Barnstaple (later to be named Victoria Road), some distance from the rival station at Barnstaple Quay
The line was built as 7 ft (2,134 mm) broad gauge and operated by the B&ER. The last broad gauge train ran on 14 May 1881, after which the line was converted to 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge and reopened on 18 May.
In 1884 the Tiverton and North Devon Railway opened from a junction on the D&SR to Tiverton. The Tiverton services started from Dulverton and ran over the D&SR as far as Morebath Junction where they diverged southwards, and that line was later extended to Exeter.
In 1890 the GWR appointed a Mrs Towns as signalwoman at Morebath Junction. She is the only recorded example of a signalwoman on any railway in Britain in the 19th century. In October 1913 the Railway Magazine reported that she was "very proud" of her job after 23 years service and hoped to continue indefinitely.
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