Bridgetown

Bridgetown, south Co.Wexford, is a small village that was served until recently by trains operated to and from Waterford and Rosslare Harbour. The line was opened as late as August 1906 by the Great Southern & Western Railway. Bridgetown Station once had an island platform, footbridge, small goods yard and corrugated iron station building, typical of the type to be found on the line. Today only the island platform remains. Passenger services over the south Wexford line ceased in September 2010, although the track remains in situ.
This was Bridgetown in September 1977 with 141 Class locos Nos.B156+170, carrying both the old and new CIE liveries of the time, working a special over the south Wexford line. In this view is the island platform, station building, footbridge and signal cabin, now all gone. ©Barry Carse Bridgetown Station from the footbridge, showing the up side of the station with the sidings serving the sugar beet loading bank. 001 Class loco No.040 is seen shunting in the early 1970s during the beet season. On the left is the corrugated iron station building, removed in the early 2000s. ©Barry Carse 071 Class loco No.081 pays a vist to Bridgetown Station while working on a Railway Preservation Society of Ireland special over the south Wexford line from Rosslare to Waterford. By this time all of the original station buildings at Bridgetown had been demolished. Another special on the south Wexford line sees a 2800 Class railcar set with No.2818 leading, working an Irish Railway Record Society trip from Rosslare to Waterford shortly before passenger services ceased over the line in September 2010.
Bridgetown Station, as viewed from the up side of the station, showing the trackbed of the former line and adjacent goods sidings. The platform now only has a small shelter. A metal sheeted shelter is the only station building to be found at Bridgetown today, with the original GSWR structures now long since removed. In the background was the up side of the station, where a footbridge linked the island platform to the station forecourt. The timetable of the Rosslare Harbour to Waterford service trains, pinned to a lamp post on the former island platform at Bridge Station. In the background was the beet loading bank. In April 2011, with passenger services having ceased the previous September, 071 Class loco No.081 approaches Bridgetown Station with Irish Rail's annual weed spraying train, working from Rosslare to Waterford and Limerick.
Loco No.081 and its weed spraying train is seen at the west end of Bridgetown, between the station and Bridgetown level crossing, where the crew manually operated the crossing gates. The road bridge seen to the left is the R736 road to Wellingtonbridge. Bridgetown level crossing, located just west of the station. The village is located on either side of the line, through which the R736 runs. The gate keeper can be seen operating the ground frame for locking the gates and signals.