PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
|
|
PLYMOUTH TO St BUDEAUX SUBURBAN SERVICE Perior to 1903 the area of St Budeaux was served by a rather inadequte tramway service provided by the Devonport & District Tramways Company. Its main route from the centre of Devonport ended at Camel's Head and passengers for St Budeaux had to walk across a rickety wooden bridge over Weston Mill Creek to catch another tram from the Weston Mill side of the Creek onward to St Budeaux Square. It was probably easier to catch a London and South Western (LSWR) train from St Budeaux Station into Devonport. However, with the coming of the North Yard Extension of the Royal Dockyard, increased housing in the area and the construction of an embankment across Weston Mill Creek, the Railway faced competition from the newly connected-up tram system. A new suburban service was called for, similar to that provided by the Great Western Railway. In February of 1906, the LSWR decided to build three so-called 'motor trains' to run between Plymouth Friary and Tavistock, each consisting of a railmotor and one trailer. The train would be capable of being controlled from either end. However, the Great Western had been operating these sort of trains since 1904 and at the March meeting of the LSWR Board Mr Drummond, their Chief Engineer, pusuaded them to cancel the previous order and instead build six 'vestibule' cars and ten 0-4-0 locomotives. Each locomotive would haul two trailers, one all Third class, the other a Brake Third. They would be linked by a gangway enabling the conductor/guard to move between the two and issue tickets to passengers who boarded at unstaffed Halts. Mysteriously, apparently, the order got changed to a 2-2-0 tank locomotive, to be given the class number 'C14'. The most notable design innovation of the carriages was that access was through Bostwick-type folding and hinged ornamental gates, giving rise to the name "Gated Stock". Officially, they were called 'vestibule cars' because inside the gates was a vestibule running transversly across the carriage, from which access was gained to saloons on either side. The first to be delivered in October 1906 were Nr 1, the 20-ton Trailer Third, built to drawing 1474, and Brake Third Nr 2, also 20-tons, built to drawing 1475. The following month the remainder were delivered, numbers 3 and 5 being the Trailers and Numbers 4 and 6 being the controlling Brake Third vehicles. And so on Wednesday September 26th 1906 the new service was inaugurated but between Devonport and St Budeaux only. There were eighteen trains in each direction on weekdays and eight on Sundays. The first car left Devonport and 6.18am, returning from St Budeaux at 6.40am. The last car left Devonport at 10.30pm and St Budeaux at 11.10pm. On Sundays the service would start at 9.08am from Devonport and 9.27am from St Budeaux and continue until the last train left Devonport at 10.08pm and St Budeaux at 10.25pm. The fare from Devonport to Camel's Head was one penny and to Weston Mill and St Budeaux, tuppence. All trains called at Ford Station. Curiously, although it has been claimed that Albert Road Halt, in the gap betwen Devonport and Ford Tunnels, was opened on October 1st 1906 and those at Camel's Head and Weston Mill on November 1st, the wording in the announcment in the Western Daily Mercury on Wednesday September 26th 1906, suggests that the Halts were opened that day. It would appear that the service was extended to Friary Station from Monday October 1st 1906, at a single fare of 4½d. By 1918, two sets were working between Plymouth and Tavistock and one set between Plymouth Friary Station and Turnchapel. The C14s lasted until 1929, when they were replaced by the 'O2' 0-4-4- tank locomotives. It would seem that the longest surviving set of these unusual carriages, set number 361, consisted of a Brake Composite Nr 6548 of the 'H13' diagram, and Trailer Third Nr 741 of the 'H12' diagram. Although they did not work in the Plymouth for their whole lives, they were certainly on the Callington Branch in August 1947 and were still included in the Working Instructions for the Branch in the summer of 1955. They were apparently withdrawn in March 1956. Weston Mill Halt was the first to close, on September 14th 1921. Camel's Head kept goint until May 4th 1942 when it was closed a a potential fire hazard, the platforms being constructed of wood. Albert Road closed on January 13th 1947. RETURN TO Plymouth Railways, London & South Western Railway
|
