Bere Ferrers railway station

{{Infobox station

| name = Bere Ferrers

| symbol_location = gb

| symbol = rail

| image = bereferrersbldg.jpg

| caption = Former station building and signal box

| borough = Bere Ferrers, West Devon

| country = England

| coordinates = {{coord|50.450|-4.181|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}

| grid_name = Grid reference

| grid_position = {{gbmapscaled|SX452635|25|SX452635}}

| manager = Great Western Railway

| platforms = 1

| code = BFE

| classification = DfT category F2

| mpassengers =

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 15,026}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 4,410}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 10,786}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 11,258}}

{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 13,026}}

| footnotes = Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

}}

Bere Ferrers station on the Tamar Valley Line is situated near the village of Bere Ferrers in Devon, England. The station is on the former Southern main line between Exeter and {{Stnlnk|Plymouth}} via {{Stnlnk|Okehampton}}. It is currently operated by Great Western Railway (GWR).

History

File:Bere Ferrers railway station 1974444 22c9877c.jpg

The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway opened the station on 2 June 1890 with its main line from {{stnlnk|Lydford}} to Devonport, which gave the London and South Western Railway a route into Plymouth that was independent of the Great Western Railway.{{sfn|Quick|2022|p=77}}{{sfn|Grant|2017|p=450}}

The station was originally called Beer Ferris after the local Beer family who owned several nearby villages. However, in 1897, the railway authorities of the time decided that this name promoted an unrefined image of the village due to the association with beer, and therefore changed the name to Bere Ferrers. The original spelling can still be seen on the sign on the signal box in the heritage centre.

The station was host to a Southern Railway camping coach from 1936 to 1939.{{sfn|McRae|1997|p=33}} A camping coach was also positioned here by the Southern Region from 1954 to 1959, and two coaches from 1960 to 1964.{{sfn|McRae|1998|p=59}}

Through services beyond Bere Alston were withdrawn on 6 May 1968 and the line was reduced to a single track on 7 September 1970.

= Accidents and incidents =

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.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/news/092001/26/kiwis.shtml|title=Memorial Unveiled for Kiwi Soldiers|access-date=2007-11-26|publisher=BBC Devon News|year=2001}}{{cite web|title=Bere Ferrers Station Accident-1917|url=http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM3X7X|publisher=Waymarking.com|access-date=31 May 2010}}

Services

Bere Ferrers is served by GWR trains on the Tamar Valley Line from {{stnlnk|Gunnislake}} to {{stnlnk|Plymouth}}. Connections with main line services can be made at Plymouth.{{NRtimes|May 2023|137}} 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).

{{adjacent stations|noclear=y

|system1=National Rail

|line1=Great Western Railway|type1=Tamar Valley Line|left1=Bere Alston|right1=St Budeaux Victoria Road

}}

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.{{cite web |title=Welcome to the Tamar Belle |url=http://www.tamarbelle.co.uk/index.php |website=Tamar Belle |access-date=2019-10-30}} 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.{{Current event inline|date=March 2022}} The line is also part of the Dartmoor Sunday Rover network of integrated bus and rail routes.{{Current event inline|date=March 2022}}

References

Bibliography

{{Grant-RailCo}}
{{cite book|last=McRae|first=Andrew|title=British Railway Camping Coach Holidays: The 1930s & British Railways (London Midland Region)|volume=Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part One)|publisher=Foxline|year=1997|isbn=1-870119-48-7}}
{{cite book|last=McRae|first=Andrew|title=British Railways Camping Coach Holidays: A Tour of Britain in the 1950s and 1960s |volume=Scenes from the Past: 30 (Part Two) |publisher=Foxline |year=1998 |isbn=1-870119-53-3}}
{{Quick-stations-5}}