Washford railway station facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Washford
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| Station on heritage railway | |
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| Location | Old Cleeve, Somerset England |
| Coordinates | 51°09′42″N 3°22′08″W / 51.1618°N 3.3690°W |
| Operated by | West Somerset Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| History | |
| Original company | Minehead Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 1874 | Opened |
| 1971 | Closed |
| 1976 | Opened in preservation |
Washford railway station is a cool place to visit on the West Somerset Railway. This railway is a special "heritage railway" in England, meaning it keeps old trains and stations running for people to enjoy. Washford station is in the small village of Washford, which is part of Old Cleeve in the county of Somerset.
Contents
History of Washford Station
Washford station first opened its doors on 16 July 1874. It was built by the Minehead Railway company.
At first, the Bristol and Exeter Railway ran the trains here. Later, in 1876, this company joined with the Great Western Railway (GWR). The Minehead Railway itself became part of the GWR in 1897.
Many years later, in 1948, the GWR became part of a bigger national railway system called British Railways.
The station's signal box, which helped control the trains, closed in 1952. Trains carrying goods stopped coming in 1964. By 1966, there were no staff working at the station.
The railway line eventually closed on 4 January 1971. But don't worry! The West Somerset Railway reopened it on 28 August 1976, bringing the station back to life.
About Washford Station
Washford is one of the highest stations on the line. It sits in a valley between the coastal cliffs and the Brendon Hills.
Getting to Washford by steam train can be exciting! Trains climbing from Blue Anchor face a very steep section. It's about 1 mile long and is the steepest part of the whole line.
The station has one platform where passengers get on and off trains. This platform is on the south side of the railway line.
On the other side of the tracks, there's a large yard. This yard used to be home to the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust. Now, the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust uses it as a workshop to fix up old railway carriages.
Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust Museum
The Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust had its museum at Washford from 1976 until 2023. This Trust collected many interesting items from the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR).
Their collection included old station signs, lamps, tools, and equipment for signalling trains. They also had tickets, photographs, and even old railway carriages and steam locomotives.
One of their special steam engines was Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST No. 1788, named "Kilmersdon." This engine was based at Washford for many years. It sometimes went to other railways to help out. "Kilmersdon" has since moved to the Mid-Hants Railway.
Next to the main stone station building, which was built in 1874, there is a smaller wooden building. This building was originally a Great Western Railway signal box. Inside, it looked just like the S&DJR signal box at Midford.
There was also a second signal box in the yard. This one was used as part of a display about railway signalling. It used to be at Burnham-on-Sea on the S&DJR.
All the items and trains from the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust have now moved to new places. The main new home for many of these items is Alresford, on the Mid-Hants Railway. There, a new museum has been set up to show off these historical railway pieces.
After the Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust moved out, the West Somerset Railway Heritage Trust took over the site in early 2024. They have a 10-year agreement to use the yard. They plan to continue restoring and caring for old railway carriages there.
Train Services at Washford
Trains run between Minehead and Bishops Lydeard. You can catch a train on weekends and some other days from March to October. During the late spring and summer, trains run every day. There are also trains on certain days during the winter.
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways |
Following station | ||
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| Blue Anchor
towards Minehead
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West Somerset Railway | Watchet
towards Bishops Lydeard
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