LOOKING BACK: 50 facts about Burnham-on-Sea railway

There was much celebration in the town as Mr George Reed publicly opened the new jetty when the first steamer, Iron Duke, came along side with visitors from Cardiff in 1858. 

To celebrate on May 6 , North Sedgemoor Local History Group and The West Huntspill Model Engineering Society will be running miniature trains at West Huntspill Memorial Playing Fields on New Road from noon until 4pm. 

Here are 50 facts about the railway. 

1. The act enabling the Somerset Central Railway to construct a railway from Highbridge Wharf to Burnham and also construct the jetty was passed on 30th July 1855.
2. The line to Burnham was an extension from the Glastonbury to Highbridge railway built in 1854.
3. In 1855 there were just fields where Marine Drive, Station Approach and Pier Street now are.
4. The line in Burnham was located in fields known as ‘Croft’ and the Station buildings in an area of sand hills known locally as ‘’Sandy Pen’’.
5. The first passenger train arrived on 3rd May 1858.
6. Mr George Reed welcomed the first passenger ship to dock at the jetty and ceremoniously opened the jetty on 3rd May 1858.
7. There was a carnival atmosphere in Burnham to welcome the first train and ship.
8. 400 passengers came from Bristol on the first train.
9. Railway lines originally ran from the station down the jetty.
10. If you wished to travel to Burnham you caught a train at Highbridge but not from the station there today.
11. If you travelled to Burnham your train would cross over the main railway line of today and the main (A38) road in Highbridge and travel by the side of Newtown Road, pass where the playing fields and Apex Park are now before coming into Burnham very close to where the Marine Drive and Station Approach roads are now.
12. If you travelled by train in 1858, and looked out of your carriage window, you would see sailing ships in Highbridge Wharf, a large saw mill and three brick and tiles works on your journey to Burnham.
13. In 1958 a car crossing the railway line into the Brick & Tile Works was in collision with a train.
14. The Railway line ran very close to where the entrance to APEX Park is now.
15. The station buildings were very close to where the traffic lights are now on the junction of Abingdon Street and Station Approach road.
16. The car park by Station Approach was originally a railway coal yard where people would collect their coal to heat their homes and make hot water.
17. The line into the station and coal yard was where the footpath is now between the replacement signals and hedgerow on Station Approach.
18. Locomotives and coaches could not travel on the jetty so people coming by sea had to walk up the jetty and to the station if their onward journey was by rail.
19. Railway trucks were lowered down the jetty by a wire rope attached to a locomotive at the jetty head. They were hauled up again by reversing the locomotive towards the station.
20. Animals were taken in trucks down the jetty and transferred to a ship for transport to South Wales.
21. A dead whale was once removed from the jetty on a railway truck.
22. Locomotives, having uncoupled their coaches, travelled on rails opposite Forte’s Ice Cream Parlour to re-join their coaches and travel tender first back to Highbridge.
23. Mr Arthur Green was the Station Master in 1914 and the Station Master’s house was called Primrose Cottage.
24. The Station Master’s House was where the entrance to the RNLI building is now.
25. In 1878 ashes from the locomotives were brought to make up thoroughfares for Cottage Row, South Street and Chapel Street.
26. On Easter Monday 1914 a train was derailed on the approach to the station. Luckily there were no serious injuries.
27. In 1856 it was possible to catch the 8.50 am train at Burnham, arrive at Poole at around midday and then on to Cherbourg via a six hour sea crossing.
28. In 1868 there was a weekly excursion from Poole to Burnham for one shilling and six pence return.
29. With the event of Bank Holidays in 1871, so many people came to Burnham that a second, longer, platform was built, to be known as the Excursion Platform.
30. In 1891 a train was snowbound on the Burnham Line for 3 days and a scullery maid, unable to withstand the bitter weather, lost both legs from frostbite.
31. The excursion platform could hold a locomotive with 10 coaches.
32. During the May Bank Holiday in 1936, 200 people arrived in a special excursion on the Sunday but the number increased to a total of 1775 on the Monday when another special excursion from Ilminster brought 500 visitors.
33. Early railway advertisements referred to Burnham as Burnham Spa as there was a Spa House where people took ‘health giving’ mineral waters and baths.
34. At one time a shuttle service of eighteen trains ran each way per day, between Highbridge and Burnham.
35. In 1927 push and pull trains operated without a guard.
36. The rails from the Station joining those on the jetty were removed when the South Esplanade was constructed in the late 1920s and a buffer stop was installed near what is now the Reeds Arms.
37. Most of the building materials for constructing the South Esplanade came by rail.
38. In the late 1920’s stone and rock arriving by rail for building the South Esplanade was transferred into narrow gauge trucks and pushed on rail lines laid down onto the beach and sand dunes.
39. Up until the 1950s, children living in Bason Bridge came by train for schooling in the Technical School in Technical Street.
40. A Centenary Train travelled the line from Glastonbury, on 28th August 1954, exactly 100 years to the day of the line from Glastonbury to Highbridge Wharf being opened. The train continued into Burnham where there were much public celebrations.
41. Children riding the Centenary Train in 1954 could use their tickets for free rides on the donkeys; boat trips on the Marine Lake; free use of the amusements and the putting green on the South Esplanade.
42. The driver of the Centenary Train, Mr Bill May with Fireman Mr Ray Gibbs brought this train from Glastonbury to Burnham.
43. Saturday October 27, 1951 saw the last BR train leave Burnham at 6.45pm.
44. In 1951 over 151 tickets were sold to ride the last BR train, and among the passengers was Mr EC Stone of Pillsmouth Farm, whose aunt, Miss Keats of Brent Knoll rode on the first train in 1858.
45. People queued for tickets in the Station ticket office for the last BR ride back to Highbridge and only standing room was left.
46. The final arrangements for the last BR train (locomotive no 63925) were supervised by Station Master Mr J Edwards. Prior to Mr Edwards, Mr P R Lydford was the Station Master of both Burnham and Highbridge.
47. The last BR Train left when Mr ‘’Jock’’ Kirkbright operated the signal box lever and guard Mr R Legg waved the green flag. As the train moved out the town band played ‘Auld Lang Syne’’.
48. There was one final visit organised by the Locomotive Club Of Great Britain. Coming into Burnham on Sunday 30th September 1962 but with just enough time for the locomotive (no 3210) to enter the rails opposite Pier Street and ‘run around’; take water; and re-join its coaches for the passage back to Evercreech Junction.
49. The signal box from Burnham’s station is now at Washford Station on the West Somerset Railway Line.
50. Bill May was Senior Driver on the Somerset & Dorset when it closed.