Burnham-on-Sea railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Burnham-on-Sea
gridref = ST305488


caption =
manager = Somerset Central Railway
owner = SR and LMS
Southern Region of British Railways
locale = Burnham-on-Sea
borough = Sedgemoor
platforms = 1
years = 3 May 1858
events = Opened (Burnham)
years1 = 12 July 1920
events1 = Renamed (Burnham-on-Sea)
years2 = 29 October 1951
events2 = Closed to passenger traffic
years3 = 8 September 1962
events3 = Closed to excursion traffic
years4 = 20 May 1963
events4 = Closed to goods traffic

Burnham-on-Sea railway station at Burnham-on-Sea was the terminus of the Burnham branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. Opened as Burnham by the Somerset Central Railway on 3 May 1858, it was renamed in 1920.

The station, situated behind Abingdon Road, was a terminus although a through platform allowed services to travel on to a 900ft pier on the river. For a few years the railway operated steamers across the Bristol Channel to Wales. [ [http://www.sdrt.org/news/news2007/burnham.htm Burnham] ] Railway operations onto the pier ceased in 1888 although the pier continued in use for vessels until the 1950s. Perhaps the strangest use of the railway along the pier was by lifeboat, which was pushed on rails from the old lifeboat house (behind the current Somerfield store) and onto the "main line", across the esplanade, and down the pier where the lifeboat could be launched if the tide was rightcite journal | last = Smith | first = John | title = Storms close 'last' section of S&D in regular use | journal = Heritage Railway | issue = 96 | pages = pp26–27 | publisher =Mortons Media Group | location = Horncastle | date = 2007-03-15 - 11 April 2007 | issn = 1466-3560]

Burnham-on-Sea closed when passenger services were curtailed at Highbridge on the 28 October 1951. Excursion traffic continued until 1962, and the goods depot remained open until 1958. The former GWR station is now known as Highbridge and Burnham.

The Site Today

The site is now occupied by a playschool, the new RNLI station and a Somerfield supermarket and new road which has helped to ease the traffic flow into the town. [ [http://www.nevard.com/sdjr/burnham.htm Burnham] ]

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Further reading

*cite book|author=R.V.J.Butt, |title= The Directory of Railway Stations |publisher=Patrick Stephens Ltd |year=1995 ISBN 1 85260 508 1

References

External links

*http://www.sdjr.net/locations/burnham.html
*http://www.burnham-on-sea.com/burnham-railway-station.shtml