PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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PLYMOUTH STATION (MILLBAY)
Plymouth Station, situated at Milllbay, was originally the terminus of the South Devon Railway and later the Great Western Railway and trains bound for Cornwall had to reverse here.
Arrivals and departures at Plymouth
Station, August 1852..........
In May 1874 the local press said: 'There is no greater libel on Plymouth than Plymouth Station as it at present stands. It is, however, reassuring to know that a speedy improvement is in contemplation. Before that takes place, for the sake of the Town, it is fervently to be hoped that the traveller will arrive when it is dark, or that he will be too tired to look around before he is whirled off.' [1]
The main office of the Great Western Railway was at Millbay Station so that was where all the local top brass were based. Mr Thomas Welch was the Station Master; Mr Charles Edward Compton was the Superintendent in charge of the Passenger Department; Mr William Henry Avery was the Manager of the Goods Department; andMr P J Margary was the Divisional Engineer. None of them lived on the premises: Mr Welch lived at number 15 Windsor Place, Citadel Road; Mr Compton was at number 5 Saint James's Terrace, also in Citadel Road; Mr Avery lived at 31 Durnford Street, East Stonehouse; while Mr Margary resided at number 6 Wingfield Villas, Molesworth Road, Stoke, in Devonport. [2a] Sunday July 2nd 1899 was a busy day at Millbay Station. The Station was closed to traffic, which was diverted to North Road Plymouth Station. From 3am on the Sunday morning, some 230 workmen, drawn from all over the Great Western Railway between Saint German's and Newton Abbot, were engaged in replacing the permanent way, relaying the track in the yard and linking up the signals and points to the new signal box. The old arrival lines had been removed and a new arrivals platform constructed. The work was supervised by the District Engineer, Mr T H Gibbons, and his assistant, Mr Elms. The Station was re-opened for traffic on the Monday morning, July 3rd 1899, although there was still much work for the contractors to do. During the day one of the signalmen, a Mr Whiteway, of Teignmouth, was injured when a signal arm fell on to and severely crushed his foot. [2b] In 1901 a double-dialled drum clock was installed at a cost of £31 and in 1904 the Harwell Street Signal Box was erected to control the lines in the engine shed and carriage sidings. The booking office facilities were improved in 1906 at a cost of some £410. A footbridge between the arrival and departure platforms was erected in 1907, the cost of which was £183. In 1908 the Great Western Railway took over the 50 local delivery horses and their stables near Millbay Station that had previously been operated by their carting agents. [3] On Wednesday March 15th 1911 the 4.47pm railmotor service from Saltash, crowded with Dockyard workers returning home, was brought to an unexpected stand on the Down main line at Millbay Signal Box. Within a moment the signal dropped to "all clear" and the train was in the process of restarting when it collided with a train of six empty carriages being propelled by a tank locomotive up the Down line from Platform 1. Both trains met with a loud crash, splintering panels and smashing windows, that attracted immediate attention from the staff thereabouts. There were no serious injuries, one or two sailors requiring attention to minor abrasions on the face and head. The locomotive at the front of the rail motor and the first two carriages of the reversing empty train sustained the most damage. The line from Cornwall Junction was immediately closed to traffic and GWR road motors were acquired to transfer passengers to North Road Station. Normal working was resumed just before 9pm. [4] From April 11th 1916 the Harwell Street Signal Box was reduced in status to a ground frame. During 1922 over £3,000 was spent on improving the goods office accommodation.
Read statistics relating to ticket sales at Millbay Station............ During the wartime bombing in April 1941 the goods shed adjacent to the Station was destroyed. As a result Millbay Station was closed to passengers from Wednesday April 23rd 1941 and the platform lines were used solely for loading goods traffic. Empty stock was still stabled in the sidings near the Station, however, but trains that were terminating at Plymouth now finished their journey at North Road Plymouth Station. Incidentally, it was during one of these raids that the GWR lost 32 of their delivery horses when the stables in Station Road were destroyed by fire. [3] Amongst Great Western Railway employees at Plymouth who were given awards for gallantry and meritorious service during the Second World War were Mr J G Thomas, a stableman, and Mr T Penwill, a temporary carter. Both worked in the Goods Department and were awarded the British Empire Medal. It is probable that they were involved in the above-mentioned incident. [5] A sad event that no member of the public turned out to witness was the closure of the old Great Western Railway's stables under the arches in Station Road. On Saturday September 8th 1951 a 12-years-old gelding by the name of "Punch" was the last of the then 5 remaining horses to go out on a delivery round. They were replaced the following week by motor vehicles. The foreman stableman for the last 18 years had been a Mr Warne, who became a goods checker at Millbay Station. [3] Between Saturday October 24th and Monday October 26th 1953 Plymouth's Millbay Station had a visit from the British Transport Commission's travelling exhibition of Royal Train rolling stock and relics. The special train was headed by the preserved Caledonian Railway 4-2-2 locomotive number 123, although the engine had been brought to Plymouth out of steam. The oldest of the Royal Train carriages on show was one built for Queen Adelaide in 1842. [7] In October 1958 what had previously been the Up and Down Goods lines were re-designated the Up and Down Main lines through to Millbay Docks. [6] By Tuesday September 29th 1959 Millbay Station's four platforms had been removed and eight sidings laid in their place. Trains of empty stock were formed here before proceeding up the incline to North Road to start their services. This function slowly replaced goods traffic. [6] During 1959 the former carriage sidings and shed at Harwell Street were converted into the Belmont Street Diesel Depot for the maintenance of diesel multiple units. Plymouth Millbay Station was closed to goods traffic from Monday June 20th 1966. Three years later, on Monday October 6th 1969, the carriage sidings were closed and the traffic diverted to Laira. All the track except the Up and Down lines to the Millbay Docks were removed by Sunday December 14th 1969, when Millbay Signal Box was also closed. [6] Finally on Wednesday June 30th 1971 those two lines were closed to traffic, although apparently not actually taken out of use until September 26th 1971. [6] Principal Source:
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