Bideford Railway Heritage Centre, Railway heritage centre in Bideford, England
The Bideford Railway Heritage Centre is a heritage centre in Bideford, Devon, built on the site of the town's former railway station. It features a signal box museum, diesel locomotives, a collection of railway equipment and documents, and a café.
The station opened in 1855 as part of the rail network serving North Devon and remained active for over a century before closing in 1965. Decades later, the site was given a new purpose as a place where the history of that railway line is kept alive.
The centre tells the story of rail travel in North Devon through information panels, scale models, and interactive screens housed inside a restored railway parcels van. Walking through it gives a clear sense of how the railway once connected the towns and villages of this part of England.
The site is an open railway yard, so sturdy shoes are a good idea before walking around. Visitors with children should set aside enough time to see the exhibitions and take a locomotive ride without rushing.
A television programme with presenter James May was filmed here, featuring model trains running across a very long stretch of track. The shoot brought the site to the attention of a national audience that might otherwise never have heard of Bideford.
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