 The railway fell into financial difficulties until in the First World War the War Department requisitioned all of its equipment for use in France.Bideford's 13th-century Long Bridge was temporarily converted into a railway bridge to carry the locomotives and rolling stock onto the main line railway near Bideford Station.Bideford has a wet but mild climate; during the winter Bideford experiences a lot of frosty nights and mornings and also gets some snow.