Place Maiden Newton Station code MDN DfT category F1 Opened 1857 | Grid reference SY599979 Managed by Great Western Railway 2011/12 19,652 Number of platforms 2 Original company Great Western Railway | |
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Address Dorset AONB, Maiden Newton, Dorchester DT2 0AF, United Kingdom Similar Dorchester West railway st, Yeovil Pen Mill railway station, Weymouth railway station, Castle Cary railway st, Upwey (Dorset) railway st | ||
Maiden Newton railway station is a railway station serving the village of Maiden Newton in Dorset, England. The station is located on the Heart of Wessex line between Castle Cary and Weymouth.
Contents
History
Opened on 20 January 1857 by the Great Western Railway with the section of their route from Yeovil Pen Mill to Weymouth. This completed the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line from Chippenham, the first part of which had opened in 1848.
The station consisted of two platforms with a flint station building and goods shed at the south end. A signal box was added later. From 1857 to 1975 the station was the junction for the Bridport Railway and an extra bay platform was added at the north end of the station for these trains. This can still be seen at the west end of the station and this end of the trackbed is a footpath and cycleway.
Description
Although the signal box was closed during a rationalisation scheme, the station retains two platforms as it is a passing place on the single line between Dorchester and Yeovil. The entrance is on the northbound platform, the side closest to the village. Access to the southbound platform is normally by the footbridge but there is a level crossing at the south end of the station for passengers who are unable to use the bridge. The station building survives but is no longer used by the railway.
The electric key token instrument for the block section to Yeovil are now operated by the train crew under the supervision of the signal operator based at Yeovil Pen Mill. The block section to Dorchester West is operated under the 'tokenless single line' principle with track circuiting.
Services
Great Western Railway operate services from Great Malvern, Worcester Shrub Hill, Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth. South West Trains operated a limited service between London Waterloo and Weymouth via Yeovil Pen Mill on summer Saturdays in 2016.