Portsmouth Arms railway station

Portsmouth Arms
National Rail
General information
LocationBurrington, North Devon
England
Coordinates50°57′25″N 3°57′03″W / 50.95697°N 3.95086°W / 50.95697; -3.95086
Grid referenceSS630193
Managed byGreat Western Railway
Platforms1
Other information
Station codePMA
ClassificationDfT category F2
History
Original companyNorth Devon Railway
Pre-groupingLondon and South Western Railway
Post-groupingSouthern Railway
Key dates
Opened1855
Passengers
2019/20Increase 502
2020/21Decrease 146
2021/22Increase 768
2022/23Increase 798
2023/24Increase 802
Notes
Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Portsmouth Arms railway station is a small wayside station in Devon. It is in the parish of Burrington but remote from any village so is named after the nearby 'Portsmouth Arms' pub. It is on the Tarka Line to Barnstaple, 29 miles 8 chains (46.8 km) from Exeter Central at milepost 200.5 from London Waterloo.[1]

History

The 4th Earl of Portsmouth built the turnpike between Exeter and Barnstaple and was later a supporter of proposals for a railway along the same route. A pub was built in the Taw valley and named in his honour.[2] It was at this spot that the North Devon Railway opened a station in September 1855,[3] more than a year after it started running trains through the site. It had a small passing loop and a single long siding at the south end for goods traffic. The passenger facilities were in a building on the northbound platform while the southbound platform had a waiting shelter and a goods store. A house for the station master was added later and a signal box was opened on 1 October 1873.[2]

The goods yard was closed on 3 July 1961 and the siding removed in 1963. The signal box remained in use until 3 April 1966.[2] In 2006 Formosa, a Pullman car built in 1921, was placed behind the platform to be restored.[4][5]

Description

The station has a single platform on the west side of the line, adjacent to the A377 road. The old station house is now in private use but there is a waiting shelter on the platform.[3] There is a bike rack but no car parking.[6]

Services

All services at Portsmouth Arms are operated by Great Western Railway. Only a limited number of trains (four or five each way Sundays and less on other days) between Barnstaple and Exeter Central call at Portsmouth Arms and this is only on request to the conductor or by signalling the driver as it approaches.[6]

Preceding station National Rail National Rail Following station
Kings Nympton   Great Western Railway
Tarka Line 		  Umberleigh

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.[7]

References

  1. ^ Jacobs, Gerald (2005). Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western. Bradford on Avon: Trackmaps. p. 10. ISBN 0-9549866-1-X.
  2. ^ a b c Nicholas, John (1992). The North Devon Line. Sparkford: Oxford Publishing Company. pp. 59–63. ISBN 0-86093-461-6.
  3. ^ a b Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 978-1-904-34955-6.
  4. ^ Craske, Peter (2013). Tarka Line Walks. Crimson Books. pp. 98–105. ISBN 978-1-78059-182-7.
  5. ^ "Pullman SECR 136 Formosa Pullman Kitchen First built 1921". The Railway Heritage Register Carriage Survey Project. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  6. ^ a b "Train Times (D2)" (PDF). Great Western Railway. Retrieved 6 January 2022.
  7. ^ "Tarka Line". Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. Retrieved 3 December 2021.