North Devon Focus - All aboard for Bideford Station & Railway Carriage Visitors Centre


Explore the Coast and "Country" Side of Bideford Bay
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Home Page Tarka Trail Bideford North Devon AONB	BLAME IT ON MR BEECHING!
	The railway from Barnstaple to Bideford was opened in 1855 but was sadly closed to regular passengers in October 1965 as part of the notorious "Beeching Act". The line from Barnstaple-Torrington-Meeth was re-opened for freight traffic until 1982. The old railway lines were lifted in 1985 and the whole of line was purchased by Devon County Council and converted into the now popular Tarka Trail Footpath & Cycleway. Don't leave Bideford without visiting the Bideford Station Railway Museum & Visitors Centre which is situated East the Water across the old Long Bridge. Go straight on under the railway bridge and the station is the first turning to the right just past the Royal Hotel. The Bideford & Instow Railway Group was set up in 1988 and have worked hard since that date to restore Bideford Station, rebuilding the Signal Box here and relaying the track on this part of the Tarka Line. They also restored the Instow Signal Box, which dates from 1872, and was the first Signal Box in the UK to be "listed" as a building of architectural interest. It is now the only all-equipped Box of its type in the whole of the Southwest. The signal box is owned by Devon County Council, but the Railway Group have managed it since 1988. The Bideford Railway Museum was opened in 1994. The group's aim to return passenger train rides along the re-laid section of track at Bideford came to fruition in 2004 when, after over three years of constant effort by the Bideford Railway Company (BRC), they received the agreement of Her Majesty's Inspector of Railways that the track was of suitable standard. With great fanfare the first passenger service from Bideford Station commenced on 15 August 2004 with return brake van rides to Nutaberry Hill Bridge. The service was time-tabled from 10.15am to 5.00pm and carried 551 passengers in total on the day. The "NEW Atlantic Coast Express" was unveiled by Peter Christie (Mayor of Bideford) accompanied by the Lady Mayor. The average journey time over the 0.8km length of track was seven minutes with 47 time-tabled journeys rostered by five Bideford Railway locomotive drivers and three guards. Special souvenir Edmondson tickets, date-stamped 15 August 2004, were issued to all passengers. The Bideford Railway Museum and the Instow Signal Box are open to the public throughout the year. The group's long term goal is to one day re-lay the line back to Barnstaple alongside the Tarka Trail. Having enjoyed a trip on the Exeter-Newton Abbot line, one of Devon's Great Scenic Railways which runs along the sea wall, with spectacular views of the River Exe estuary, English Channel coastline and red cliffs, I do hope the BIRG are successful. We would like to thank the Bideford & Instow Railway Group for their help with the editorial on this page.








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