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 via . It is currently operated by Great Western Railway (GWR).
History
The Plymouth, Devonport and South Western Junction Railway opened the station on 2 June 1890 with its main line from to Devonport, which gave the London and South Western Railway a route into Plymouth that was independent of the Great Western Railway.
The station was originally called 'Beer Ferris' after the local Beer family who owned several nearby villages. However, in 1897, the railway company 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' from 18 November 1897. The original spelling can be seen today 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. A camping coach was also positioned here by the Southern Region from 1954 to 1959, and two coaches from 1960 to 1964.
Goods traffic was withdrawn from 8 October 1962. Through services beyond towards Tavistock and Exeter were withdrawn on 6 May 1968 and Bere Ferrers was reduced to a single platform on 27 October 1968 which is sufficient for the remaining services to and from .
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.
Description The main building was on the down platform and incorporated a house for the station master and remains as a private house. There was also a small goods shed on this side at the Plymouth end of the station which has also been converted into a house. The goods yard is now a railway heritage centre and includes the signal box that was formerly at .
Services Bere Ferrers is served by GWR trains on the Tamar Valley Line from to . Connections with main line services can be made at Plymouth. 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).
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. 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.
See also Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR
References
Further reading
Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership (2006), Tamar Valley Line Rail Ale Trail
External links The Tamar Belle, a visitor centre based in the old station building.