Editing Instow (section)

==Instow Railway Station==
[[File:Instow Signal Box, Instow.jpg|left|thumb|Instow Signal Box]]
The line opened from Barnstaple to Fremington in 1848, and then passenger trains ran from Barnstaple to Bideford from 2 November 1855 after the Bideford Extension Railway reached {{rws|Torrington}} and a [[Instow railway station|station]] was built at Instow. The line was further extended to Torrington in 1872. Passenger services ceased on 2 October 1965 although ball clay traffic continued until 1982.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Thomas |first1=David St John |title=The West country |date=1981 |publisher=David & Charles |location=Newton Abbot |isbn=0-7153-8210-1 |page=97 |edition=5}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Clark |first1=Daniel |title=Devon and Cornwall's lost and abandoned railways - and how some will return to life - Some of these lost railway routes could be restored |url=https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWGLNB&t=&sort=YMD_date%3AD&fld-base-0=alltext&maxresults=20&val-base-0=track%20lifted%20meeth&docref=news/1807EDA2D6285530 |access-date=3 November 2022 |work=infoweb.newsbank.com |date=7 February 2021|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Instow has a famous [[railway]] [[signal box]], which is over 130 years old and was the UK's first Grade II [[Listed building|listed]] signal box. It used to control the signals at Instow Station and also the operation of the level crossing. You can see the wheel that operated the gates, pull the signal levers, one of which still operates a signal, and generally learn how the box worked. In 2003 the box was nationally recognised for its restoration and educational value by receiving the Carillion Rail Award at the National Railway Heritage Awards. The signal box is now managed and run by volunteers of the [[Bideford Railway Heritage Centre]] and is open to the public on occasional Sundays and Bank Holidays.<ref>{{cite web |title=Instow signalbox |url=https://www.bidefordrailway.co.uk/instow/ |website=Bidefordrailway.co.uk |access-date=3 November 2022}}</ref>