Bideford Railway Heritage Centre

The Bideford Railway Heritage Centre CIC (previously the Bideford and Instow Railway Group) in Devon is currently responsible for the management of Instow signal box which opens on occasional Sundays and bank holidays from Easter to October. A railway museum existed in the rebuilt signal box at the Bideford site and short passenger rides were given there until 2005 when vandalism temporarily prevented services operating. This site was mothballed in 2008 when housing development threatened to encroach on the trackbed. The site, however, remains accessible from the Tarka Trail. Former British Railways rolling stock owned by the railway includes a PMV van and a BR standard brake van. A Hibberd Planet diesel locomotive is also present.

History

The line was originally opened from Barnstaple to Fremington in 1848, and then passenger trains ran throughout from Barnstaple railway station to Bideford from 2 November 1855 as the Bideford Extension Railway. The line was further extended to Torrington in 1872 when the current Bideford railway station was opened.

Passenger services ceased on 2 October 1965 although ball clay traffic continued until 1982. The track was finally removed in 1985 after some interest by BR in reintroducing a passenger service to Bideford.

ee also

*other local railway attractions:
**Lynton and Barnstaple Railway
**Lynton and Lynmouth Cliff Railway
**Dartmoor Railway

External links

* [http://www.information-britain.co.uk/showPlace.cfm?Place_ID=11605 Entry at Information Britain]