Introduction

Edington Junction station was situated on the single-line branch of the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway (S&DJR) from Evercreech Junction to Highbridge in the county of Somerset. It was also the junction for the S&DJR single-line branch to Cossington, Bawdrip and Bridgwater.

A 7mm scale model of Edington Junction signal-box

The station was opened in 1856 as Edington Road, a simple intermediate station on the Somerset Central Railway (SCR) from Highbridge to Glastonbury. In 1862 the SCR was extended eastwards to meet (just north of Cole) the northwards extension of the Dorset Central Railway (DCR) from Wimborne, after which the DCR and SCR amalgamated on 1-September-1862 to form the Somerset and Dorset Railway (S&DR). In 1874 the S&DR opened its 'Bath Extension' from Evercreech Junction to Bath, where it joined the 'Bath Branch' of the Midland Railway (MR). The S&DR became the S&DJR in 1875 when it was leased jointly by the MR and the London & South Western Railway (L&SWR).

In 1890 Edington Road became Edington Junction, with the opening of a branch to a terminus at Bridgwater. Although built by an independent Bridgwater Railway Company, the line was worked throughout its life as a S&DJR branch. After the Grouping of the railways of Great Britain in 1923 the S&DJR became a Joint line under the control of the London, Midland & Scottish Railway (LMS) and the Southern Railway (SR), who were the successors to the MR and L&SWR respectively. When the railways were nationalised in 1948 the Joint line came under the control of British Railways (Southern Region) (BR(SR)), but in due course control of the ex-S&DJR lines north and west of Evercreech Junction (including the Bridgwater branch) passed to British Railways (Western Region) (BR(WR)).

To avoid confusion with the separate former Great Western Railway (GWR) station in Bridgwater, the ex-S&DJR station was renamed Bridgwater North in 1949. In 1952 passenger services ceased on the Bridgwater branch, but goods traffic continued until closure of the branch in 1954. Edington Junction was renamed Edington Burtle in June 1953 and in 1956 it was reduced to being just a basic intermediate station once again, until it closed with the rest of the S&DJR on 6-March-1966.

Signalling Description

Please click here for the current RailWest notes on the signalling of Edington Junction and the Bridgwater Branch.

Bridgwater North signal-box diagram circa-1949

To be completed.....

© CJL Osment 2016
Acknowledgments to Mike Arlett and the late Dr Peter Cattermole for additional information and archive material.
Edington Junction model by the East Kent O-Gauge Group.