Watchet (WSMR) railway station
| Watchet (WSMR) | |
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Watchet (WSMR) railway station
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| Location | |
| Place | Watchet |
| Area | Somerset |
| Coordinates | 51°10′57″N 3°19′55″W / 51.1826°N 3.3319°WCoordinates: 51°10′57″N 3°19′55″W / 51.1826°N 3.3319°W |
| Grid reference | ST070434 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | West Somerset Mineral Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| History | |
| April 1857 | Opened for goods |
| 4 September 1865 | Opened for passengers |
| 7 November 1898 | Closed |
| 1907 | Reopened for goods |
| 1910 | Closed |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z |
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Watchet was the northern passenger terminus of the West Somerset Mineral Railway (WSMR), which was built primarily to carry iron ore from mines to Watchet harbour in Somerset, England. The line was unconnected to any other, though it passed under what is now the West Somerset Railway south of the village of Watchet.
As well as the usual goods and passenger facilities the station housed the company offices. A single track engine shed stood at Whitehall, a short distance to the south.
All station buildings on the line except Gupworthy and Watchet were built to a common design. Watchet station was larger and laid out differently, with no obvious "family resemblance" to the others.
The stone-built station opened for goods traffic in 1857. A passenger service began in September 1865, connecting Watchet with the village of Washford and the hamlets of Roadwater and Comberow. Passengers were carried up a rope-hauled incline to Brendon Hill and on to Gupworthy on a wagon, free of charge, but at their own risk.
The initial passenger service consisted of four trains a day out and back.
Like other railways built to serve one industry, such as iron ore carrying lines in Cumbria, their fortunes were at the mercy of that industry. Iron and steel making was given to boom and bust and suffered a significant downturn in the 1870s, exacerbated by imports of cheaper and better ore from abroad. The iron mines which provided the WSMR's staple traffic stuttered to complete closure between 1879 and 1883. The line did not close immediately, two mixed trains a day continued to run until 1898, when all traffic ceased.
In 1907 the Somerset Mineral Syndicate made an attempt to revive the line, reopening Colton mine and starting a new bore at Timwood. Apart from a reopening day special on 4 July 1907 no passenger service was provided. The venture collapsed in March 1910.
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Wikipedia