Morchard Road railway station

Morchard Road railway station is located in the village of Down St Mary in Devon, England. It is named after the village of Morchard Bishop which lies a few miles to the north-east.^[1] It is on the Tarka Line to Barnstaple, 16 miles 08 chains (25.9 km) from Exeter Central at milepost 187.5 from London Waterloo.^[2] The station and trains are operated by Great Western Railway.

Morchard Road
General information
Location	Down St Mary, Mid Devon England
Coordinates	50.832°N 3.776°W / 50.832; -3.776
Grid reference	SS750051
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	MRD
Classification	DfT category F1
History
Original company	North Devon Railway
Pre-grouping	London and South Western Railway
Post-grouping	Southern Railway
Key dates
Opened	1854
Passengers
2018/19	12,378
2019/20	14,642
2020/21	7,194
2021/22	16,274
2022/23	17,114
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

History

The station was opened with the North Devon Railway 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.^[3]

The goods yard was closed on 30 December 1963 and the passing loop removed when the signal box was closed on 6 March 1964.^[3] Since 12 September 1965 it has been unstaffed.^[4]

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.^[4]

Services

All services at Morchard Road are operated by Great Western Railway. There is generally one train per hour in each direction between Barnstaple and Exeter Central and all call at Morchard Road on request to the conductor or by signalling the driver as it approaches.^[5]

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Copplestone		Great Western Railway (Tarka Line)		Lapford

Community railway

The railway between Exeter and Barnstaple is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted as the Tarka Line.^[6]

References

1. Craske, Peter (2013). Tarka Line Walks. Crimson Books. pp. 58–65. ISBN 978-1-78059-182-7.
2. Jacobs, Gerald (2005). Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western. Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. p. 10. ISBN 0-9549866-1-X.
3. Nicholas, John (1992). The North Devon Line. Sparkford: Oxford Publishing Company. pp. 39–42. ISBN 0-86093-461-6.
4. Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. p. 137. ISBN 978-1-904-34955-6.
5. "Train Times (D2)" (PDF). Great Western Railway. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
6. "Tarka Line". Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. Retrieved 3 December 2021.

External links

• 93 second video of Morchard Road railway station on YouTube