Watchet railway station
| Watchet | |
|---|---|
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| Location | |
| Place | Watchet |
| Area | West Somerset |
| Coordinates | 51°10′51″N 3°19′48″W / 51.1808°N 3.3301°WCoordinates: 51°10′51″N 3°19′48″W / 51.1808°N 3.3301°W |
| Grid reference | ST071432 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | West Somerset Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Operated by | West Somerset Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| History | |
| 1862 | Opened |
| 1971 | Closed |
| 1976 | Opened in preservation |
| 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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Watchet railway station is a station on the West Somerset Railway, a heritage railway in Somerset, England. It is situated in the small harbour town of Watchet.
The station opened on 31 March 1862 when the West Somerset Railway (WSR) opened from Norton Junction (later Norton Fitzwarren), serving as the WSR's original line terminus. Watchet was chosen as the WSR line's terminus, as it had been since the Middle Ages an important regional port on the Bristol Channel. Local iron ore, timber and paper products were exported, whilst from the same time it had become an important national port for the import of French wine and salt. The commercial aim of the WSR in choosing Watchet as its terminus was hence to provide a wider and cheaper distribution route for goods from the port.
The station forecourt originally linked both station building and goods shed, hence the now unusual alignment of the station building facing towards Taunton. From the planning stage, the harbour was to be served by a network of tracks, reached by way of a steep incline down from the goods shed. The compact area available and the steep access inclines restricted maximum shunting length to six railway wagons. On the mainline access track from the northeast, there was a goods loop and sidings to allow easier shunting and composition of outbound freight trains from the harbour. An engine shed was also located here, which remained open until 1882. The harbour tracks and goods tracks remained in place until the line was closed by British Railways in 1971.
The harbour was also linked to the independent West Somerset Mineral Railway, that brought iron ore from mines in the Brendon Hills south west of the town, with the mineral railway tracks running further inland, roughly paralleled with the main line as far as Washford.
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