Place Whimple Station code WHM DfT category F2 Opened 1871 | Grid reference SY045973 Managed by South West Trains 2011/12 68,392 Number of platforms 1 | |
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Address Whimple, Exeter EX5 2QH, United Kingdom Original company London and South Western Railway Similar Honiton railway station, Pinhoe railway station, Cranbrook (Devon) railway st, Feniton railway station, Tisbury railway station | ||
Whimple railway station 2014
Whimple railway station serves the village of Whimple in East Devon, Devon, England. It was opened by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1860 but is now operated by South West Trains which provides services on the London Waterloo to Exeter route.
Contents
History
The station was opened by the LSWR on 19 July 1860, along with its Exeter Extension from Yeovil Junction to Exeter Queen Street. The station was situated to the east of the village and designed by the architect Sir William Tite. The main building was situated on the up platform and was two-storeys high to provide the station master with accommodation. The goods shed was nearby at the east end of the station, and a signal box was built opposite on the other platform in 1875. In 1892 Henry Whiteway established a cider factory on the north side of the station. This generated much of the goods traffic at the station; in the 1930s it was estimated that the factory was responsible for 30,000 tons of traffic each year.
On 11 June 1967 all passenger trains were diverted to the down platform. The track through the northern platform was retained to serve Whiteway’s factory, but the signal box was closed and the train crew operated the points. Public goods traffic was withdrawn on 4 December 1967 but Whiteways continued to handle rail traffic. The station became unstaffed on 5 October 1970.
The Whiteways factory closed in 1989 and this allowed a redevelopment of the site. The goods shed was demolished in 1991 and houses were then built instead. The following year the original London bound platform was extended across the disused formation of the London bound track to meet the running line and was brought back into use. The other platform and the footbridge were then demolished.
Description
The single platform has a simple metal and glass waiting shelter. It is on the north side of the line so trains to Exeter travel to the right and those to London to the left.
Services
South West Trains operate at least a service every two hours between London Waterloo and Exeter St Davids