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The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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SOUTHERN RAILWAY (SR) The Southern Railway was formed by the amalgamation of London and South Western Railway with the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, the London, Chatham and Dover Railway, and the South Eastern Railway as a result of the Railways Act 1921. The new Company began operating on January 1st 1923. In the Plymouth area, this meant that it took over the running of the old London and South Western Railway Company's lines. In 1925 the Southern Railway held a competition amongst staff to bestow a suitable name of the 11am service from London Waterloo to the West of England. The winning name was the "Atlantic Coast Express". It was destined to become the country's most multi-portioned passenger train. The first run of the new Express took place on Monday July 19th 1926. Competition from motor buses became stronger after the end of the First World War, when many soldiers used their wartime service money to buy old lorries and convert them into passenger carrying vehicles. Then, in 1929, came the formation of the businesses like the Western National Omnibus Company, which was set up to run bus services within the Great Western Railway's area. One of the first branch lines to succumb to this competition from road vehicles was the Plymouth to Yealmpton one. This closed from July 7th 1930, along with Laira Halt on the main line. Lipson Vale Halt was used by Southern Railway trains only after the withdrawal of the Great Western's suburban service to Plympton. The Southern Railway's locomotive number 859, "Lord Hood", visited the area during Navy Week 1934. It travelled down and back via the GWR main line as the class were prohibited from the Southern's own main line and was exhibited at Devonport King's Road Station from August 7th to the 9th. The engine returned to London Waterloo on August 10th, when it hauled a portion of the Atlantic Coast Express eastwards from Exeter. A major development on the branch from Bere Alston to Callington was the closure of the old wagon lift from the quayside up to Calstock Station. It was advertised for sale on September 8th 1934. On July 3rd 1938 the Royal Naval Armament Depot at Ernesettle became connected to the Southern Railway between St Budeaux Station and Tamerton Foliot. Because of this the plans made in 1919 for a connection between the GWR and SR at St Budeaux were dusted off as this connection would facilitate the transfer of goods between the Southern and the Dockyard and the Great Western and the armament depot. It was to take the start of the Second World War to bring this into fruition. Anticipating the declaration of War that was about to come, the railways were once again brought under Government control by The Railway Control Order (Statutory Rules and Orders 1939 No. 1197). This was operational from September 1st. Wartime activity was frantic, of course, and there were many changes put into operation locally. The first, in 1940, was the addition of a munitions siding adjacent to Friary "A" Signal Box. During the Blitz on Plymouth in March and April 1941 Plymstock Signal Box was destroyed and replaced with a new one within the booking office. Also in March (on the 2nd or 21st depending on which source you read) came the link between the Southern and the Great Western at St Budeaux, talked about as far back as 1919. On November 3rd that year the branch line to Yealmpton was re-opened and although operated by the Great Western the trains ran from Plymouth Friary Station and called additionally at Lucas Terrace Halt. Turnchapel Signal Box had been destroyed when enemy aircraft set fire to an adjoining fuel depot. A new box was opened on March 8th 1942. Camel's Head Halt was closed from May 4th 1942 and dismantled because it was built of timber and was thus a fire hazard. After the end of the War, the Southern Railway introduced a new class of locomotive for passenger and freight work in the Westcountry. Weighing some 128 tons, this Pacific type had a tractive effort of 31,000lbs. It was aptly named the Westcountry Class and on the evening of Wednesday July 11th 1945 the Lord Mayor of Plymouth, Alderman H G Mason, named the third locomotive in the Class as "Plymouth". The ceremony took place at Friary Station and was watched by hundreds of schoolboys, who were eager to climb up into the driving cab afterwards. Representing the Southern Railway were the chairman, Colonel Eric Gore Brown; the general manager, Sir Eustace Missenden; and the chief mechanical engineer, Mr O V Bulleid. The locomotive was put to wore between Exeter and Ilfracombe on Friday July 13th 1945. On January 13th 1947 the Halt at Albert Road was closed and on March 2nd the signal box at Ford Station, with its siding, was also closed and dismantled. On Friday June 20th 1947 the Southern Railway introduced a Pullman Car train named the "Devon Belle". This ran from London's Waterloo Station to Ilfracombe in north Devon, with the front portion of the train going to Plymouth. The Southern Railway ceased to exist from Midnight on December 31st 1947, following which its system became the Southern Region of British Railways, under the terms set out in the Transport Act of August 6th 1947.
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