Gotherington railway station is a
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a prep ...
serving the village of
Gotherington
Gotherington is a small village north of Bishops Cleeve in Gloucestershire, England. It is surrounded on the north by the villages of Woolstone and Oxenton, and to the south by Woodmancote and Bishop's Cleeve, a very large urban village. G ...
in
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean.
The county town is the city of Gl ...
, England. The station is located just to the north of the village.
It is located on the former Cheltenham to
Stratford-upon-Avon line, which was opened by the
Great Western Railway in 1906. The station opened as ''Gotherington'' on 1 June 1906; it was renamed ''Gotherington Halt'' on 1 December 1940, and was closed on 13 June 1955. It was the first station to close on this route (most of the other stations closed in 1960). The line itself remained open until 1976. The track was later lifted by 1979.
Preservation
The line was relaid by the
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway
The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWR, GWSR or Gloucs-Warks Steam Railway) is a volunteer-run heritage railway which runs along the Gloucestershire/Worcestershire border of the Cotswolds, England.
The GWSR has restored and reope ...
, during the mid-1990s reaching Gotherington in 1997. Trains recommenced the same year, and were extended to Cheltenham Racecourse in April 2003.
The station buildings are privately owned, so trains use the opposite platform. During major events the private garden is opened to passengers and the station house becomes a tea room. A short length of track in the garden allows rides on a
Wickham or
pump trolley.
Signalling
Just south of Gotherington station is a passing loop controlled by a new signal box. When the box is switched in, it breaks the very long section between Winchcombe and Cheltenham Racecourse, then short section token working is in use from Cheltenham Racecourse Station to Gotherington, and Gotherington to Winchcombe. There is also a provision for Down trains to terminate at the Gotherington, use the loop to run round the train and return to Winchcombe.
References
{{Transport in Gloucestershire
Heritage railway stations in Gloucestershire
Former Great Western Railway stations
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1906
Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1955
Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1997