Whimple railway station
Whimple  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Seen from the east in 2016 | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Whimple, East Devon England | ||||
| Coordinates | 50°46′05″N 3°21′14″W / 50.768°N 3.354°W | ||||
| Grid reference | SY045973 | ||||
| Manager | South Western Railway | ||||
| Platforms | 1 | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | WHM[1] | ||||
| Classification | DfT category F2 | ||||
| History | |||||
Original company | London and South Western Railway | ||||
| Post-grouping | Southern Railway | ||||
| Key dates | |||||
| 1860 | Opened | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2020/21 |  13,136 | ||||
| 2021/22 |  36,474 | ||||
| 2022/23 | 39,808 | ||||
| 2023/24 | 53,064 | ||||
| 2024/25 | 51,140 | ||||
| |||||
| |||||
Whimple railway station serves the village of Whimple in east Devon, England. It is operated by South Western Railway which provides services on the West of England Main Line. It is 163 miles 2 chains (262.4 km) down the line from London Waterloo, and is sited between Cranbrook and Feniton.[2]
History
The station was opened by the LSWR on 19 July 1860,[3] along with its Exeter Extension from Yeovil Junction to Exeter Queen Street. The station was situated to the east of the village and designed by the architect Sir William Tite. The main building was situated on the up platform and was two-storeys high to provide the station master with accommodation. The goods shed was nearby at the east end of the station, and a signal box was built opposite on the other platform in 1875. In 1892 Henry Whiteway established a cider factory on the north side of the station. This generated much of the goods traffic at the station; in the 1930s it was estimated that the factory was responsible for 30,000 tons of traffic each year.[4]
On 11 June 1967 all passenger trains were diverted to the down platform. The track through the northern platform was retained to serve Whiteway’s factory, but the signal box was closed and the train crew operated the points.[5] Public goods traffic was withdrawn on 4 December 1967 but Whiteways continued to handle rail traffic. The station became unstaffed on 5 October 1970.[4]
In 1992, the original London bound platform was extended across the disused formation of the London bound track to meet the running line and was brought back into use. The other platform and the footbridge were then demolished.[4]
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidmouth Junction | London and South Western Railway Salisbury to Exeter |
Broad Clyst | ||
Facilities
The single platform has a simple metal and glass waiting shelter, as well as a ticket machine, a help point and bike racks.[4]
Passenger volume
| 2004–05 | 2005–06 | 2006–07 | 2007–08 | 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 | 2014–15 | 2015–16 | 2016–17 | 2017–18 | 2018–19 | 2019–20 | 2020–21 | 2021–22 | 2022–23 | 2023–24 | 2024–25 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entries and exits | 34,779 | 40,516 | 46,958 | 53,697 | 56,286 | 59,354 | 60,540 | 68,392 | 65,942 | 68,482 | 68,896 | 68,448 | 61,854 | 59,538 | 55,532 | 49,766 | 13,136 | 36,474 | 39,808 | 53,064 | 51,140 |
The statistics cover twelve month periods that start in April.
Services
All services at Whimple are operated by South Western Railway.
The typical off-peak service in trains per hour is one train every two hours between Exeter St Davids and London Waterloo via Salisbury, increasing to hourly at peak times.[7]
Due to the short platform at this station, passengers wishing to alight need to be in the front 3 coaches of the train as the platform can only take 3-car trains.[8]
| Preceding station | National Rail |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feniton or Honiton | South Western Railway |
Cranbrook | ||
See also
References
- ↑ "Railway Codes". railwaycodes.org.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
- ↑ Brailsford, Martyn, ed. (2024). Railway Track Diagrams; 5: Southern & TfL (5th ed.). Frome: TRACKmaps. p. 36. ISBN 978 1999627171.
- ↑ Quick 2023, p. 483.
- 1 2 3 4 Oakley, Mike (2007). Devon Railway Stations. Wimbourne: The Dovecote Press. ISBN 978-1-904349-55-6.
- ↑ Phillips, Derek; Pryer, George (1997). The Salisbury to Exeter Line. Sparkford: Oxford Publishing Company. ISBN 0-86093-525-6.
- ↑ "Estimates of station usage | ORR Data Portal". dataportal.orr.gov.uk. Retrieved 11 June 2026.
- ↑ Table 160 National Rail timetable, May 2022
- ↑ Jacobs, Gerald (2005). Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western. Bradford-on-Avon: Trackmaps. ISBN 0-9549866-1-X.
Bibliography
- Quick, Michael (2023). Railway Passenger Stations in Great Britain: A Chronology (PDF) (5th ed.). London: Railway and Canal Historical Society.
External links
- Train times and station information for Whimple railway station from National Rail