Powerstock railway station
Powerstock was a railway station on the Bridport Railway in the west of the English county of Dorset. The station served the villages of Powerstock, and Nettlecombe, which was nearer the railway. Opened with the branch on 12 November 1857, it was called Poorstock until 1860. Consisting of a single platform and bungalow style building, it had a siding. The station was host to a GWR camp coach from 1936 to 1939.[2][3] Operated by the Great Western Railway, it was placed in the Western Region when the railways were nationalised in 1948.
| Powerstock | |
|---|---|
 Former railway station | |
| Location | |
| Place | Powerstock |
| Area | West Dorset, Dorset |
| Coordinates | 50.7557°N 2.6792°W |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Bridport Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Post-grouping | Great Western Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| History | |
| 12 November 1857 | Opened as Poorstock[1] |
| 1860 | Renamed Powerstock[1] |
| 5 May 1975 | Closed[1] |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z | |
The branch was threatened with closure in the Beeching report, but narrow roads in the area, unsuitable for buses, kept it open until 5 May 1975. The station was unstaffed in 1966.[4] In its final years train services were usually operated by single carriage Class 121 diesel railcars.
The site today
The station building can still be seen from the road. It was sold by British Railways in 1968 and was converted into a private home. The platform was still available for passenger use until 1975. After closure the trackbed and platform was sold to become part of the grounds of the house.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toller Line and station closed |
Great Western Railway Bridport Railway |
Bridport Line and station closed |
References
- Butt, R. V. J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. pp. 188, 191. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199.
- McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. p. 31. ISBN 1-870119-48-7.
- Fenton, Mike (1999). Camp Coach Holidays on the G.W.R. Wild Swan. pp. 149–151. ISBN 1-874103-53-4.
- http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/p/powerstock/index.shtml
Further reading
- J.H. Lucking. Railways of Dorset. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society 1968. ISBN(no ISBN)
- Powerstock Station - All Change, Diana P. Read, 1996, ISBN 0-9527522-0-4 (tells the history of the Bridport Branch line and in particular the history and people associated with Powerstock Station)