Copplestone railway station

Copplestone railway station is on the Tarka Line serving the village of Copplestone in Devon, England. It is on the Tarka Line to Barnstaple, 14 mi from Exeter Central at milepost 185.75 from London Waterloo. The station and trains are operated by Great Western Railway.

History
The station was opened by the North Devon Railway on 1 August 1854. The railway was single track. A passing loop was provided at Copplestone but there was initially only one platform. A second platform was added and in 1873 a ten-lever signal box was built at the northern end of the new platform where there was a view of the goods yard on the other side of the line. Ten years later the line from Copplestone to Yeoford was doubled, the second track being ready for use on 4 November 1883.

The goods yard closed on 6 September 1965. The double track was taken out of use on 17 October 1971 and the signal box closed.

1861 accident
On 16 July 1861 the 06:30 train from Bideford was waiting at the platform when the 07:45 train from Exeter St Davids was routed onto the same line. Thirteen passengers and a guard on the second train were injured in the collision. The signalman was imprisoned for a month after admitting causing the accident during a lapse of concentration. The points and signals were not interlocked at that time, but a second platform was added and in 1873 a ten-lever signal box was built at the northern end of the new platform where there was a view of the goods yard on the other side of the line. Ten years later the line from Copplestone to Yeoford was doubled, the second track being ready for use on 4 November 1883.

Description
The station is on the northern edge of Copplestone. and has just one platform which is on the west side of the line. There is a modern waiting shelter. The former station master's house is fenced off from the platform and is in residential use. Additional housing has been built along the station approach road. The remains of the second platform can still be seen but there is no track on that side of the station.

Services
All services at Copplestone are operated by Great Western Railway. There is generally one train per hour in each direction between Barnstaple and Exeter Central but a very small number of services continue to or from other routes in East Devon on weekdays.

Community railway
The railway between Exeter and Barnstaple is designated as a community railway and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership. The line is promoted as the Tarka Line.