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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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Following the Royal Assent of the Transport Act on August 6th 1947, the four major railway companies, together with the canal system, were nationalised from January 1st 1948 under the management of the British Transport Commission (BTC). What had been the Great Western Railway became British Railways (Western Region). On the Western Region the GWR's chocolate brown was chosen as the "corporate" colour, which presumably saved them repaining all the station nameboards although they had to produce the new lozenge-shaped totems that also carried the station names. The Brown-Boveri Gas Turbine locomotive number 18000 made its first trial run into Plymouth North Road Station on February 22nd 1950. With the closure in November 1950 of the Southern Region Branch from Friary Station, the only access to Sutton Harbour was now via the Western Region line. In the November of 1951 the old 'Star' class locomotive number 4054 was in regular use hauling Western Region traffic over the main Southern line between Friary and Exeter Central. It travelled Up on the 2.35pm from Plymouth and returned on the 6.47pm from Exeter. St Budeaux West Signal Box was closed from June 22nd 1952 and the control of the access points to the Down Loop was passed to the Royal Albert Bridge Signal Box. The points were motorised as a result. At the same time the Electric Key Token system in use between the Royal Albert Bridge Signal Box and Saltash Signal Box was replaced by an Electric Train Staff. St Budeaux East Signal Box was renamed St Budeaux Ferry Road Signal Box. As from June 30th 1952 all traffic to Launceston was diverted to the former Southern Railway Station and the GWR station was closed. Keyham Station was the scene of much activity on Friday December 19th 1952 when a Naval Leave special departed from the Up Loop Platform at 10.05am for a non-stop run to Bristol Temple Meads. Sixty of the sailors continued to south Wales, 113 changed on to the London Midland Region and 151 continued their journey on the Penzance to Crewe service that followed the train to Bristol. Metrovic Gas Turbine locomotive number 18100 headed the 1.30pm train from London Paddington to Plymouth and Penzance on September 5th 1952. Before Doctor Richard Beeching wielded his famous "Axe" Plymouth had two routes to London, albeit with the Southern Region one going to Waterloo Station rather than Paddington. This meant that if there was a problem on either route, trains could be diverted. One such occasion took place on November 22nd 1953 when some goods wagons broke away from a freight train on Dainton Bank near Newton Abbot and derailed, causing the Western Region main line to be blocked. One of the trains that had to be diverted over the Southern main line was the 9-coach Up "Cornish Riviera", which was hauled by number 6319. A similar exercise is known to have taken place on December 13th 1953, when the "Cornish Riviera" was hauled by number 7316 because anything heavier was not permitted to cross Meldon Viaduct at Okehampton. Another train diverted in the same way on that day was a special train for Royal Naval personnel going on leave, which ran from the Royal Naval Barracks Platform at Keyham to Birmingham via the Southern route. This required it to use the old wartime link at St Budeaux Station. The train was recorded as being hauled by former GWR locomotive number 5339 piloted by a sister engine, number 6319. CLICK HERE to view the route of the Western Region main line in 1955.......... In January 1955 the Lee Moor Crossing Signal Box on the Launceston Branch was taken out of use. It was not a block post and had been provided purely to allow the china clay trains cross over the main line. On May 10th 1955 the London Midland Region's locomotive number 46237, which was on loan for road tests, made its first visit to Plymouth. 1956 saw the recommencement of the rebuilding of Plymouth's North Road Station. This had started under the Great Western Railway but was postponed by the Second World War. The last trains over the Princetown Branch ran on March 3rd 1956. On Sunday March 25th 1956 the Mannamead Signal Box was closed and replaced by intermediate block signals. At the time they were the only colour light signals in the Plymouth area. The Down signal was controlled from Lipson Junction Signal Box. The electric train staff system on the Launceston Branch was replaced by electric key tokens in May 1956, first between Marsh Mills and Bickleigh and then between Bickleigh and Yelverton. Members of the Plymouth Railway Circle toured the Royal Albert Bridge on May 26th 1956, including a walk across the top of the tubes. On October 3rd 1956 the demolition gang of Messrs George Cohen, Sons & Company, of London, started to remove the track and water tank at Princetown Station. The facing crossover from the Up main line to the Royal Dockyard was removed on December 23rd 1956. This was because most of the traffic was carried by the Western Region in the Down direction, which could be reversed into the Dockyard. This did, however, inconvenience the Southern Region because their one train a day into the Dockyard now had to go from St Budeaux in to Keyham Station Up Loop, where the locomotive changed ends and pulled the wagons out on to the Down main line. Once the train was read to leave the Dockyard it could go straight to St Budeaux. On February 1st 1958 a transfer of territory saw the Southern Region west of Exeter become part of the Western Region. The Southern's locomotive depot at Friary, which had been quickly emptied of its four Bulleid Pacifics, was transferred on February 23rd and took the shed code of 83H. The future suddenly hit Plymouth on March 19th 1958 when the Western Region's diesel hydraulic locomotive number D600 "Active" made its first visit to the City. It hauled a 10-coach special train from Swindon and returned there the same day. 'Warship' class diesel hydraulic locomotive number D601 "Ark Royal" failed (railway parlance for 'broke down') while hauling the Up Cornish Riviera Express on June 14th 1958 and had to be towed back to Laira Motive Power Depot by a steam locomotive, number 6319. In June 1958 the electric train staff system between Horrabridge and Tavistock South Signal Boxes was replaced with electric key tokens. Also in that month the opening of a new line for departures from the Up side of the Tavistock Junction Marshalling Yard meant changes to Plympton Signal Box. From September 15th 1958 Plymouth North Road Station became simply Plymouth Station, following the closure of Friary Station. On October 5th 1958 the new layout at Plymouth Station and a new Down Carriage line between the Station and Cornwall Junction were brought in to use. At the end of 1958 the Laira Marshalling Yard was closed. Saturday February 28th 1959 saw the last trains call at Plympton Station, Ivybridge Station, Bittaford Platform and Wrangaton Station on the main line between Plymouth and Totnes. Only 23 passengers were on the 7.10pm from Plymouth, the last Up train, but there were around 50 people on the 7.40pm from Newton Abbot, which was the last Down train. Brent, Wrangaton, Ivybridge and Plympton Stations remained open for goods traffic. From May 4th 1959 Yelverton Signal Box was closed and the block section became Bickleigh to Horrabridge. Derailments were rare at Plymouth Station but one of the worst happened to number 6860 on August 8th 1959. The platforms at Millbay Station were removed during 1959 and additional carriage sidings laid in. The new layout came into use on September 29th 1959. Friary Junction Signal Box was closed on September 29th 1959 and a new ground frame brought in to use for controlling the connection to the Sutton Harbour Branch. The new Laira Diesel Depot came into operation in 1960 and the first diesel multiple unit (DMU) arrived in the February for staff training. Members of the Plymouth Railway Circle enjoyed a special train composed entirely of goods brake vans on February 27th 1960 by way of a farewell to the Yealmpton Branch, which closed completely on that day. The train was headed by former GWR tank locomotive number 4549. Commencing on Monday June 13th 1960 the Saltash Suburban Service was operated by diesel multiple units. The only remaining steam trains on Mondays to Fridays were the 12.40pm Plymouth to Saltash, which formed the 1.25pm Saltash to Tavistock South; this returned as the 4.30pm from Tavistock to Plymouth and continued to Doublebois Station. On Saturdays the 12.15pm from Saltash to Tavistock was worked by a steam locomotive. On November 26th 1960 the new Plymouth Panel Signal Box came into operation, resulting in the closure of Lipson Junction, North Road East, North Road West, Devonport Junction, Devonport Albert Road and Cornwall Junction Signal Boxes. Thus Laira Junction Signal Box in the east and Keyham Signal Box in the west became the fringe boxes. Also, new colour light signals were brought into use at Mount Gould Junction. This event marked the completion of the rebuilding of Plymouth Station. New interlocking levers were introduced at Royal Albert Bridge and Saltash Station Signal Boxes on July 10th 1961 and the electric key token system was withdrawn. This brought an end the exchange of tablets at the Royal Albert Bridge and on Saltash Station. The line between Plymstock Station and Turnchapel was finally closed to all traffic from Monday October 1st 1961. Plymstock Station remained open for cement traffic. The Up Refuge Siding at Plympton Station was abolished on December 16th 1962. December 28th 1962 saw the last steam working on the Saltash Suburban Service, when pannier tank loco number 6438 worked the 12.40pm from Plymouth to Saltash and 1.25pm return. The following day, December 29th 1962, loco 6400 headed the last steam railcar workings in the Plymouth area, the 7.40am Plymouth to Tavistock South and 8.45am return. As the Launceston Branch was due to close that day the remainder of the trains were strengthened with engine and carriages. The last trains on the Tavistock and Launceston Branch were scheduled to run on December 29th 1962 but because of a blizzard, which knocked out most of the services on that day, the last train actually left the Branch on December 31st 1962. The part of the Branch between Tavistock and Lifton was kept open for milk traffic. Plymstock Signal Box was closed from May 1st 1963. The layout had been remodelled to allow hand-operated points to be used. Wrangaton and Saltash Stations were closed for goods traffic from September 9th 1963. Cattewater Junction Signal Box was closed from October 1st 1963 and a few days later, on October 7th, Plymstock Station was closed to goods traffic. The curve from Cornwall Junction to Devonport Junction, originally built by the Cornwall Railway, was closed to traffic from January 16th 1964. On May 3rd 1964 the Plymouth Railway Circle and the Railway Correspondence & Travel Society ran a special train named "The Cornubian" from Exeter St David's Station to Penzance to celebrate the end of steam traction in Devon and Cornwall. From Plymouth Station the train was headed by former Southern Region 'Westcountry' class Pacific number 34002 "Salisbury". This was the first time a Westcountry class locomotive had ever crossed the Royal Albert Bridge. A few days later, on May 9th 1964, Messrs Ian Allan Ltd ran their "Great Western Limited" special train from London to Plymouth, headed by former GWR 'Hall' class number 7029 "Clun Castle". Plympton Station was closed to goods traffic from June 1st 1964, thus bringing the complete closure of the Station. All remaining sidings and two ground frames were removed from September 6th 1964. On June 15th 1964 the signal box at Tavistock South was reduced to the status of a ground frame. With the closure of the Southern Region line between Devonport Junction and St Budeaux on September 7th 1964, all trains on the former Southern main line to Okehampton and Exeter now ran on Western metals via Keyham between Plymouth and St Budeaux Stations. This was now the only section of line within Plymouth that still had scheduled trains hauled by steam (SEE British Railways Southern Region webpage). Also on that date the section of the Launceston Branch between Lydford and Lifton was reopened for freight traffic. The line from Tavistock South Station to Lydford Station was closed entirely from September 25th 1964. The last steam locomotive under British Railways ownership to cross the Royal Albert Bridge from Cornwall was 0-6-0 tank number 1369. This was on February 20th 1965 when the locomotive was on its way from Wadebridge to Totnes, where it was to be preserved by the Great Western Society. Marsh Mills Signal Box closed on April 4th 1965, when the remaining points were converted to hand operation. Ivybridge Station was finally closed to goods traffic from November 29th 1965. The goods shed at Keyham Station was taken out of use from February 24th 1966. On February 28th 1966 the remainder of the Launceston Branch, between Tavistock South and Launceston, was closed and with it Lifton Station. All milk traffic now went by road tankers. With the lack of goods traffic it was no longer necessary to have a Down Goods line between Plympton and Tavistock Junction so this was closed from April 17th 1966. Trains departing from Plymouth Station had continued to be made up at the old Millbay Station but this was finally closed from June 20th 1966. Plympton Signal Box closed from June 25th 1967. British Rail At the start of 1969 British Railways was re-branded as British Rail. With virtually no rail traffic coming from Millbay Docks, the Plymouth Mill Bay Level Crossing Signal Box was reduced in status to a ground frame. Plymouth Mill Bay Signal Box closed from December 14th 1969. The siding from Devonport (Albert Road) East Ground Frame to Devonport Goods Engineers Siding was taken out of use from September 20th 1970. On September 26th 1971 the line from Plymouth Station to Millbay Station was finally closed to all traffic, along with the Plymouth Mill Bay Level Crossing Ground Frame. The ways now clear for the demolition of the road bridge over Union Street. In May 1972 the Saltash Suburban Service started in 1904 finally came to an end. It was killed off by the opening of the Tamar Road Bridge. Over 7,000 people visited an Open Day at Laira Motive Power Depot on Saturday September 23rd 1972 to view former Great Western Railway locomotive "King George V". With the demise of coal traffic being brought by sea to Bayly's Wharf at Sutton Harbour, the section of the Sutton Harbour Branch between the Sutton Road Level Crossing and the Wharf was closed from December 18th 1972. The section from Turner's and Pearse's Sidings to North Quay was closed from January 1st 1973. On January 4th 1973 the Tavistock Junction Marshalling Yard was closed and the work transferred to the yard at Friary Station. Tavistock Junction, Laira Junction and Mount Gould Signal Boxes were amalgamated into the Plymouth Panel Signal Box from November 10th 1973. Its coverage became even wider on December 17th 1973 when the Hemerdon Sidings Signal Box was closed. The remainder of the Sutton Harbour Branch was closed on December 31st 1973. DEVELOPMENTS SINCE 1974 ARE NOT COVERED BY PLYMOUTH DATA.
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