Woody Bay railway station facts for kids

An early view of Woody Bay station

The platform viewed in 1996, the signal box is being restored

Detail of the station building, 1996. The trackbed was, at the time, not owned by the railway.

Woody Bay was a train station on the old Lynton and Barnstaple Railway. This was a special type of railway called a "narrow gauge" line. This means its tracks were closer together than regular train tracks. The line ran through Exmoor in North Devon, connecting the towns of Barnstaple and Lynton.

The station was about 2 kilometers (a little over a mile) inland from the actual Woody Bay. It first opened on March 7, 1898, and was originally called Wooda Bay. Its name changed to Woody Bay in 1901. The station closed on September 29, 1935, along with the rest of the line. From 1923 until it closed, the railway was part of the Southern Railway.

Why Woody Bay Station Was Built

Woody Bay station was built because people expected a new holiday resort to grow near Woody Bay. A pier was even built in the bay for visitors. However, not many other buildings were constructed. Sadly, strong storms destroyed the pier before it could properly open.

The plans for the resort stopped when the person organizing it ran out of money in 1900. There were ideas to build a short branch line from the station down to the bay, but this never happened.

Bringing the Station Back to Life

The Lynton and Barnstaple Railway Company bought the station in 1995. They started working to restore it, making it look like it used to. In 2003, it opened as a Visitors' Centre, where people could learn about the old railway.

In 2004, a short train service began. Trains would go a few hundred yards out and then come back. This was called an "out and back" service. Later, in 2006, a temporary station opened at Killington Lane. This allowed a regular "point to point" service to start, meaning trains could travel between Woody Bay and Killington Lane.

The Carriage Shed

A building called a carriage shed has been built near the station. It's located in a cutting, which is a dug-out area. This shed was put up in 2003 and is a temporary building. This means it can be moved if the railway line expands in the future.

Woody Bay station is located at these coordinates:

Images for kids

• 

  Detail of the station building in 1996. At that time, the railway did not own the track area.