Clevedon branch line

The Clevedon branch line was a branch railway line that ran from Yatton railway station on the Bristol to Taunton Line to Clevedon in North Somerset, England, with no intermediate stops.

It was opened on 28 July 1847 by the Bristol and Exeter Railway, which become part of the Great Western Railway in 1876. Initially it was built as broad gauge but was converted to standard gauge in 1879. Due to the increased traffic, fifteen trips a day in the summer, on the line the mainline section near Yatton was quadrupled in 1921.

The branch line stayed open until the Beeching Axe, first losing goods traffic on 10 June 1963. At this point, Clevedon station was severely cut back, losing its goods yard and reducing to a single track in 1964. The station was unstaffed from this time as well and referred to in timetables as "Clevedon Halt". Passenger services ceased on 3 October 1966 and the track was lifted soon after.

Mostly the branch was operated as a shuttle from Yatton, although there were a few direct trains from Bristol. Particularly in its final years, the branch was operated by diesel multiple units, and sometimes by a single-car diesel railcar. Even in its declining years, the service was fairly regular: the British Railways Western Region timetable for 1964–1965 shows 24 trains in each direction, with a few...
Read More