Kerne Bridge railway station

Kerne Bridge railway station is a disused railway station on the Ross and Monmouth Railway constructed in the Herefordshire hamlet of Kerne Bridge which also served the village of Goodrich across the River Wye.

History


The station was opened in August 1873 and was located next to the single-span road bridge on the left bank of the river. It was closed in 1959 when the line was closed to passengers but the track remained used until 1965. After many years as an outdoor activity centre, the building is now a private house. It was located approximately 4 miles and 10 chains along the railway from Ross-on-Wye station.

Layout
The station consisted of a loop and goods siding, two platforms and a stone station building. This building was similar to the stations on the Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway as both lines were constructed by the same engineer, Edward Richards. The name-board on the platform read  ' Kerne Bridge ' for Goodrich Castle in an attempt to attract more passengers. The second platform and run-round loop was changed into a siding in 1901. The siding on the old platform had a GWR camp coach from 1935 to 1939. A camping coach was also positioned here by the Western Region in 1952 and from 1955 to 1958. Timber was one of the most important goods at the station, but the station also had facilities for coal and livestock transport. There was a staff of three in the early 20th century, but as traffic eventually declined the number of staff fell.