Gara Bridge railway station

Gara Bridge
Remains of the station (1995)
General information
Location	Curtisknowle, South Hams England
Grid reference	SX730534
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Great Western Railway
Pre-grouping	Great Western Railway
Post-grouping	Great Western Railway Western Region of British Railways
Key dates
19 December 1893	Station opened
16 September 1963	Station closed
Location

v t e Kingsbridge Branch
Legend
Brent (  Plymouth  –  Totnes  ) Avonwick Gara Bridge Loddiswell Kingsbridge Proposed extension to Salcombe (not constructed)

Gara Bridge railway station was a stop on the Kingsbridge branch line of the Great Western Railway.

History

Gara Bridge station opened on 19 December 1893, when the Great Western Railway (GWR) opened the Kingsbridge branch line. ^[1] The line was authorised for building in 1882 by the Kingsbridge and Salcombe Railway, which was acquired subsequently by the GWR in 1888. ^[2]

The stone-built station was the only one on the line to have a passing loop. ^{[3] [4]} It was host to a GWR camp coach from 1934 to 1939; ^{[4] [5]} a camping coach was also positioned here by the Western Region in 1956 and 1957, then two coaches from 1958 to 1962. ^[6]

Despite a great deal of local opposition, the station was closed for passengers and goods on 16 September 1963. ^[1]

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Avonwick		Great Western Railway Kingsbridge branch line		Loddiswell

The site today

The station building is now a private dwelling.

References

1. Quick 2022, p. 201.
2. Grant 2017, p. 293.
3. "Gara Bridge station on OS Six-inch map Devon CXXVI.10 (Diptford; Loddiswell; Moreleigh; North Huish; Woodleigh)". National Library of Scotland. 1906. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
4. Fenton 1999, p. 123.
5. McRae 1997, p. 31.
6. McRae 1998, pp. 82-83 & 95.

Bibliography

• Fenton, Mike (1999), Camp Coach Holidays on the G.W.R, Wild Swan, ISBN   1-874103-53-4
• 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.

External links

• Gara Bridge on Disused Stations
• Station on 1947 OS Map

50°21′59″N3°47′15″W / 50.3665°N 3.7875°W / 50.3665; -3.7875