Ashcott railway station explained

Ashcott
Status:Disused
Borough:Ashcott, Sedgemoor
Country:England
Grid Name:Grid reference
Platforms:1
Pregroup:Somerset Central Railway
Postgroup:SR and LMS
Western Region of British Railways
Years:July 1856
Events:Station opened as Ashcott and Meare
Years1:1876
Events1:Renamed Ashcott
Years2:7 March 1966
Events2:Station closed

Ashcott railway station was a station on the Highbridge branch of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. Opened by the Somerset Central Railway in 1856 as Ashcott and Meare, the name changed to Ashcott in 1876. Consisting of a short wooden platform and station building, the station was next to a road level crossing. This was operated with a 10 lever ground frame.

History

The station was opened by the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, a joint line run by a committee for the Midland Railway and the Southern Railway. The line became a joint operation of the Southern Railway and the London, Midland and Scottish Railway after the grouping of 1923. It was placed in the Western Region when the railways were nationalised in 1948. The station closed when trains were withdrawn during the Beeching Axe, taking effect on 7 March 1966.

Eclipse Peat Company

See main article: Eclipse Peat Company. west of Ashcott existed Alexander Siding, which allowed exchange between the SD&JR and the Eclipse Peat Works industrial tramway system, and hence distribution of cut peat products across the United Kingdom.[1] The Eclipse also had a level crossing on the SD&JR branch further towards Glastonbury.

On 19 August 1949,[2] a British Railways passenger train from Highbridge collided with an Eclipse narrow gauge diesel locomotive crossing on the level and left the track, ending up in the Glastonbury Canal.[3]

Further reading

References

51.1539°N -2.7892°W

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Ashcott. SDJR.net. 2012-01-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20120207022852/http://www.sdjr.net/locations/ashcott.html. 7 February 2012. dead.
  2. Book: Trevena, Arthur . Trains in Trouble . 1 . 1980 . Atlantic Books . Redruth . 0-906899-01-X . 44 .
  3. Web site: Accidents. SDJR.net. 2012-01-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20120207022901/http://www.sdjr.net/sd_accidents.html. 7 February 2012. dead.