Bere Ferrers railway station

Main article: Bere Ferrers rail accident

The station was the scene of a fatal railway accident on 24 September 1917. Ten soldiers from New Zealand were being transported from Plymouth to Salisbury following their arrival in Britain. At Bere Ferrers station they alighted from their troop train for a brief rest (on the wrong side of the train, between the tracks) and, being unaccustomed to British railways, were struck and killed by an oncoming express. The men are buried in a Plymouth war cemetery, and a plaque was unveiled in 2001 in their memory in the village centre. ^{[5] [6]}

Services

Bere Ferrers is served by GWR trains on the Tamar Valley Line from Gunnislake to Plymouth. Connections with main line services can be made at Plymouth. ^[7] There are nine services each way calling on weekdays, eight on Saturdays and either five or six on a Sunday (depending on the time of year).

Bere Ferrers
Former station building and signal box
General information
Location	Bere Ferrers, West Devon England
Coordinates	50°27′00″N4°10′52″W / 50.450°N 4.181°W / 50.450; -4.181
Grid reference	SX452635
Managed by	Great Western Railway
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	BFE
Classification	DfT category F2
Passengers
2020/21	4,410

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Bere Alston towards Gunnislake		Great Western Railway Tamar Valley Line		St Budeaux Victoria Road towards Plymouth

Heritage Centre

The sidings alongside the station form the Tamar Belle Heritage Centre. This includes some old carriages which are used as a restaurant and as camping coaches. ^[8] The LSWR signal box was erected here in 1989/90 but was formerly at Pinhoe railway station on the outskirts of Exeter.

Community railway

The railway from Plymouth to Gunnislake is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted under the "Tamar Valley Line" name.

The Olde Plough Inn takes part in the Tamar Valley Line rail ale trail, which is designed to promote the use of the line.^{[ may be outdated as of March 2022 ]} The line is also part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network of integrated bus and rail routes.^{[ may be outdated as of March 2022 ]}

See also

• Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR

References

1. Quick 2022, p. 77.
2. Grant 2017, p. 450.
3. McRae 1997, p. 33.
4. McRae 1998, p. 59.
5. "Memorial Unveiled for Kiwi Soldiers". BBC Devon News. 2001. Retrieved 26 November 2007.
6. "Bere Ferrers Station Accident-1917". Waymarking.com. Retrieved 31 May 2010.
7. Table 137 National Rail timetable, May 2023
8. "Welcome to the Tamar Belle". Tamar Belle. Retrieved 30 October 2019.

Bibliography

• Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain (1st ed.). Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN   978-1-78803-768-6.
• McRae, Andrew (1997). British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region). Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One). Foxline. ISBN   1-870119-48-7.
• McRae, Andrew (1998). British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s. Vol. Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two). Foxline. ISBN   1-870119-53-3.
• Quick, Michael (2022) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.04. Railway & Canal Historical Society. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 November 2022.

Further reading

• Cheesman, AJ (1967). The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway. Blandford Forum: Oakwood Press.
• Clinker, CR (1963). The Railways of Cornwall 1809 - 1963. Dawlish: David and Charles.
• Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (2006), Tamar Valley Line Rail Ale Trail

External links

• The Tamar Belle, a visitor centre based in the old station building.