First station passes the site of the first station with an empty stock movement from to The
Bristol and Exeter Railway (B&ER) was opened through Norton Fitzwarren on 1 May 1843 but the nearest station was east at . On 31 March 1862 the original
West Somerset Railway was opened to , leaving the Exeter line at Norton Junction, but still no station was provided. The first section of the
Devon and Somerset Railway to opened on 8 June 1871, making a connection into the West Somerset line just west of the junction with the Exeter line. Both the branch lines were operated by the B&ER until 1 January 1876 when it was
amalgamated with the
Great Western Railway (GWR). Part of the reasoning behind the choice of the depot, was that it was one of five within the 18 designated as a
US Army Medical Corps supplies depot. Medical supplies were allocated of under cover storage, and a further outside. The US Army also locally developed the
67th General Hospital at Musgrove Park. Both facilities under the control of the US Army Medical Corps came into operation on 1 September 1942.
Closure On 1 January 1948 the railways were
nationalised and Norton Fitzwarren became a part of the
Western Region of British Railways. Passenger traffic was withdrawn on 30 October 1961, Although this factory has since closed,
West Somerset Railway In 2004 the
West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) — the volunteer organisation that supports the WSR — purchased of land west of its railway and north of the main line at Norton Fitzwarren. This included a short length of the track bed of the dismantled
Barnstaple branch line. This track bed and a new north-west chord have eventually formed a triangle where rolling stock is turned when required. Part of the land is used for ballast reclamation, with waste material being delivered to the site by
Network Rail in conjunction with their track renewals depot at nearby
Fairwater Yard. There is also sufficient space to allow for the construction of a locomotive and rolling stock restoration depot in the future. It was first used on 1 and 2 August 2009 in association with a vintage vehicle rally on the WSR's land at Norton Fitzwarren. There is currently no public access to the site. This might change as the adjacent 'Ford Farm' site has been identified as a Potential Mixed Use Development site in the Taunton Deane Core Strategy, and an associated transport policy statement that any such development should include improved access to the adjoining West Somerset Railway station. The WSR entered into a partnership with the modern
Great Western Railway (GWR) in 2019 to operate Summer Saturday services between and on Saturdays when special events were taking place. On 3 August, services called additionally at Norton Fitzwarren for the annual Steam Fayre Vintage Rally, run by the WSRA, taking place at the station. These GWR services were the first time the new station was served by trains from the national rail network. ==Accidents==