Bude railway station
Encyclopedia
Bude railway station was the western terminus of the Bude Branch. It was opened in 1898 by the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR) to serve the coastal town of Bude
and closed in 1966 after having been proposed for closure in the Beeching Report.
which had taken nineteen years and four Acts of Parliament. The original line had been authorised as far as Holsworthy
where a station was opened on 20 January 1879. From there, the LSWR operated a "smart coach service" to Stratton
and Bude. When the railway company showed no sign of wishing to extend services westwards towards the coast, the residents of Stratton and Bude, anxious for a connection to the expanding railway network, clubbed together in 1883 to raise £1,000 towards the cost of promoting a bill for a 9.5 miles (15.3 km) extension to the railway line which would follow a route taking in the two towns as well as the small village of Bridgerule
.
The LSWR took up their offer and the Holsworthy and Bude Railway Act (c.ccii) was passed on 20 August 1883. However, apart from a ceremonial cutting of the first sod, no works were commenced on the extension and the deadline for completion of the line by October 1891 was looking unlikely to be met, resulting in the LSWR asking for an extra year to complete the works. Nevertheless, since by the end of 1891 no progress had been made, a further bill was promoted seeking the abandonment of the line; the Act, the Holsworthy and Bude Rly. Abandonment Act (c.xx), was passed on 20 May 1892. This did not deter the residents of Stratton and Bude who, in 1894, successfully lobbied the LSWR to promote a second bill. The Act was passed on 6 July 1895 and authorised a somewhat different route than that set out in the first Act.
The LSWR was, at the time, investing heavily in the construction of the North Cornwall Line
and adopted a more direct route to Bude which reduced the projected costs by some £10,000 avoiding the construction of a viaduct, but also avoiding Stratton altogether. To construct the line, the LSWR hired John Aird & Co. who were later involved in the Welsh Highland Railway
.
to tap the commercial traffic in sand which was used in construction, as well as to facilitate the distribution of coal which arrived in sloop
s from South Wales
. Although traffic was heavy in the early days, the decline set in during the interwar period with the introduction of chemical fertilisers and competition from road haulage services; freight facilities were eventually withdrawn in 1964, but in reality the station saw very little traffic in its latter years. The station did not see many changes during its 68 year life, but the track layout was modified somewhat in April/May 1939 to accommodate twelve coach trains. Longer trains comprising fifteen coaches or more were handled by dividing the train between the two platforms.
Passenger services were never very frequent to Bude, although there were several useful daily through-coaches to London, with whole trains operating during Summer weekends. In addition, there was the Atlantic Coast Express
, a through train from Waterloo at 10:35, running non-stop from Exeter St Davids to Halwill
, then calling at Holsworthy and Bude only, arriving at Bude at 15:25. Most trains conveyed through coaches to Padstow, usually marshalled in front of the Bude coaches in the down direction. The portions were divided at Halwill. The pattern of services changed after the handover of the line to the Western Region of British Railways
from 1 January 1963 when services became more local and the through-coaches to Waterloo were discontinued. The new operator was committed to dieselisation
and DMU units were introduced from September 1964, resulting in the closure of Bude's engine shed.
Bude's last direct link with London ended in Summer 1965 when the through-trains from Waterloo were diverted to Paddington and services now reversed at Exeter St. Davids. This left Bude with only a local shuttle service to and from Okehampton for the final months of its life. It was, however, the final stronghold of the Bulleid Pacifics which operated from the end of April 1962, appearing on excursion services and through-weekend trains.
The station's closure in 1966 left residents of Bude and the surrounding area with Okehampton station, some 30 miles (48.3 km) away, as their nearest connection to the railway. This increased to 69 miles (111 km) in January 1972 when Okehampton itself closed, leaving Exeter as the nearest railhead.
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR) to serve the coastal town of Bude
Bude
Bude is a small seaside resort town in North Cornwall, England, at the mouth of the River Neet . It lies just south of Flexbury, north of Widemouth Bay and west of Stratton and is located along the A3073 road off the A39. Bude is twinned with Ergué-Gabéric in Brittany, France...
and closed in 1966 after having been proposed for closure in the Beeching Report.
History
The opening of Bude station in 1898 marked the completion of the LSWR's branch line from OkehamptonOkehampton railway station
Okehampton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Okehampton in Devon, England. Heritage train services currently operate on certain weekdays, weekends and bank holidays...
which had taken nineteen years and four Acts of Parliament. The original line had been authorised as far as Holsworthy
Holsworthy, Devon
Holsworthy is a market town in the north west of Devon, England. It is situated near the county border with Cornwall, and is 9 miles from the coastal resort of Bude. It is on the intersection of the A388 and A3072 roads, and lies on the River Deer, a tributary of the Tamar...
where a station was opened on 20 January 1879. From there, the LSWR operated a "smart coach service" to Stratton
Stratton, Cornwall
Stratton is a small town situated near the coastal resort of Bude in north Cornwall, UK. It was also the name of one of ten ancient administrative shires of Cornwall - see "Hundreds of Cornwall"...
and Bude. When the railway company showed no sign of wishing to extend services westwards towards the coast, the residents of Stratton and Bude, anxious for a connection to the expanding railway network, clubbed together in 1883 to raise £1,000 towards the cost of promoting a bill for a 9.5 miles (15.3 km) extension to the railway line which would follow a route taking in the two towns as well as the small village of Bridgerule
Bridgerule
Bridgerule is a village and civil parish in Devon, England, a mile from the border with Cornwall. The parish is divided by the River Tamar, which no longer forms the border between Devon and Cornwall there. The river frequently floods the High Street....
.
The LSWR took up their offer and the Holsworthy and Bude Railway Act (c.ccii) was passed on 20 August 1883. However, apart from a ceremonial cutting of the first sod, no works were commenced on the extension and the deadline for completion of the line by October 1891 was looking unlikely to be met, resulting in the LSWR asking for an extra year to complete the works. Nevertheless, since by the end of 1891 no progress had been made, a further bill was promoted seeking the abandonment of the line; the Act, the Holsworthy and Bude Rly. Abandonment Act (c.xx), was passed on 20 May 1892. This did not deter the residents of Stratton and Bude who, in 1894, successfully lobbied the LSWR to promote a second bill. The Act was passed on 6 July 1895 and authorised a somewhat different route than that set out in the first Act.
The LSWR was, at the time, investing heavily in the construction of the North Cornwall Line
North Cornwall Railway
The North Cornwall Railway was a railway line running from Halwill in Devon to Padstow in Cornwall via Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge, a distance of 49 miles 67 chains. Opened in the last decade of the nineteenth century, it was part of a drive by the London and South Western Railway to...
and adopted a more direct route to Bude which reduced the projected costs by some £10,000 avoiding the construction of a viaduct, but also avoiding Stratton altogether. To construct the line, the LSWR hired John Aird & Co. who were later involved in the Welsh Highland Railway
Welsh Highland Railway
The Welsh Highland Railway is a long restored narrow gauge heritage railway in North Wales, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway...
.
The Station
Bude station was deliberately sited on the outskirts of the town in order to please the residents of Stratton whose, at the time, larger town had been bypassed by the railway company. It was solidly constructed of local stone, with a refreshment room and a large bay-windowed house for the Stationmaster. From the station, a short branch was laid to the canal basinBude Canal
The Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Devon and Cornwall border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser. The Bude Canal system was one of the most unusual in Britain....
to tap the commercial traffic in sand which was used in construction, as well as to facilitate the distribution of coal which arrived in sloop
Sloop
A sloop is a sail boat with a fore-and-aft rig and a single mast farther forward than the mast of a cutter....
s from South Wales
South Wales
South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
. Although traffic was heavy in the early days, the decline set in during the interwar period with the introduction of chemical fertilisers and competition from road haulage services; freight facilities were eventually withdrawn in 1964, but in reality the station saw very little traffic in its latter years. The station did not see many changes during its 68 year life, but the track layout was modified somewhat in April/May 1939 to accommodate twelve coach trains. Longer trains comprising fifteen coaches or more were handled by dividing the train between the two platforms.
Passenger services were never very frequent to Bude, although there were several useful daily through-coaches to London, with whole trains operating during Summer weekends. In addition, there was the Atlantic Coast Express
Atlantic Coast Express
The Atlantic Coast Express was an express passenger train in England between Waterloo station, London and seaside resorts in the south-west...
, a through train from Waterloo at 10:35, running non-stop from Exeter St Davids to Halwill
Halwill Junction railway station
Halwill Junction Railway Station was a railway station near the villages of Halwill and Beaworthy in Devon. It opened in 1879 and formed an important junction between the now-closed Bude Branch and North Cornwall line...
, then calling at Holsworthy and Bude only, arriving at Bude at 15:25. Most trains conveyed through coaches to Padstow, usually marshalled in front of the Bude coaches in the down direction. The portions were divided at Halwill. The pattern of services changed after the handover of the line to the Western Region of British Railways
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
from 1 January 1963 when services became more local and the through-coaches to Waterloo were discontinued. The new operator was committed to dieselisation
Dieselisation
Dieselisation or dieselization is a term generally used for the increasingly common use of diesel fuel in vehicles, as opposed to gasoline or steam engines.-Water Transport:...
and DMU units were introduced from September 1964, resulting in the closure of Bude's engine shed.
Bude's last direct link with London ended in Summer 1965 when the through-trains from Waterloo were diverted to Paddington and services now reversed at Exeter St. Davids. This left Bude with only a local shuttle service to and from Okehampton for the final months of its life. It was, however, the final stronghold of the Bulleid Pacifics which operated from the end of April 1962, appearing on excursion services and through-weekend trains.
The station's closure in 1966 left residents of Bude and the surrounding area with Okehampton station, some 30 miles (48.3 km) away, as their nearest connection to the railway. This increased to 69 miles (111 km) in January 1972 when Okehampton itself closed, leaving Exeter as the nearest railhead.