Morchard Road railway station is located in the village of

Down St Mary Down St Mary is a small village and civil parish off the A377 in Mid Devon in the English county of Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most po ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England. It is named after the village of Morchard Bishop which lies a few miles to the north-east. It is on the

Tarka Line The Tarka Line, also known as the North Devon Line, is a local railway line in Devon, England, linking the city of Exeter with the town of Barnstaple via a number of local villages, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). The line opened in ...

to , from at milepost 187.5 from . The station and trains are operated by Great Western Railway.

History

The station was opened with the

North Devon Railway The North Devon Railway was a railway company which operated a line from Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter, to Bideford in Devon, England, later becoming part of the London and South Western Railway's system. Originally planned as a broad ga ...

on 1 August 1854. It had a passing loop but no signal box until 1 October 1873. The main building, including a house for the station master, was on the platform used by trains going north towards Barnstaple while the 12-lever wooden signal box and a stone waiting shelter were provided on the other platform. There were two sidings on the north end of the Barnstaple platform. Another siding at the south end of the platform was used when two long trains needed to pass. The goods yard was closed on 30 December 1963 and the passing loop removed when the signal box was closed on 6 March 1964. Since 12 September 1965 it has been unstaffed.

Description

The former northbound platform is now used by trains in both directions; the old southbound platform has been demolished. There is a waiting shelter for passengers but the stationmaster's house is now in private use.

Services

All services at Morchard Road are operated by Great Western Railway. There is generally one train per hour in each direction between and and all call at Morchard Road on request to the conductor or by signalling the driver as it approaches.

Community railway

The railway between Exeter and Barnstaple is designated as a

community railway Community rail in Britain is the support of railway lines and stations by local organisations, usually through community rail partnerships (CRPs) comprising railway operators, local councils, and other community organisations, and rail user group ...

and is supported by marketing provided by the

Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership is the largest Community Rail Partnership in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1991 to promote the use of, and improvements to, rural railways in Devon and Cornwall, and also to promote the places serv ...

. The line is promoted as the

References

External links

93 second video of Morchard Road railway station on YouTube
{{Devon railway stations Railway stations in Devon Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1854 Former London and South Western Railway stations Railway stations served by Great Western Railway Railway request stops in Great Britain DfT Category F1 stations