PLYMOUTH |
The Encyclopaedia of Plymouth History |
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KEYHAM STATION
Keyham Station is
located between Devonport and St Budeaux Stations on the former
Great Western Railway main line. It is adjacent
to Saltash Road and Admiralty Street.
In May 1900, before the Station was opened, the signalman, Mr Thomas Hambly, of 37 Admiralty Street, Keyham, was injured in an accident near the new station. He was hit by the Up mail train at 8pm. He had left the Keyham Junction signal box but forgotten the staff which gave the engine driver his authority to proceed into the next section. He returned to the box to collect it but when he got outside again the train was much nearer and hit him as he crossed the track.
The site of Keyham Junction
Keyham Station Up platform Coal was unloaded at Keyham Station in 1917 to be transported by steam wagon or motor lorry to the Devonport Gas Works. Messrs Cory Brothers & Company, of the Rhondda Valley, Glamorganshire, South Wales, had the contract to supply the coal. In the 1920s Keyham Station was the terminus of a number of workmen's motor trains. In the timetable that commenced on February 16th that year, the 5.45am from Plympton terminated here at 6.14 and the 6.23am from North Road Station did likewise at 6.39. The final one in the morning was the 6.22am from Laira Halt, which terminated at Keyham at 6.47. They returned as the 6.20am to Millbay, the 6.45 to Plympton and 7.05 empty railmotor to Plympton. To prepare for the afternoon outmuster from the Royal Dockyard, the first empty railmotor arrived at Keyham at 3.33pm, the next at 4.20 and the third at 4.43. In addition the 5.03pm from Laira Halt terminated here at 5.21 followed by another empty railmotor at 5.35. These formed the 3.55 for Devonport and Millbay; the 4.30 all stations to Laira Halt; the 5.02 all stations to Millbay; the 5.25 all stations (except Mutley) to Plympton on Mondays to Fridays or the 5.40 to Millbay on Saturdays. All these services were interspersed with the regular railmotors to and from Saltash or Wearde. And Keyham was served by a goods train, which left Laira Junction at 3.45am -- yes, a.m. -- and arrived at Keyham at 4.10. As it did not leave again until 5.30 there must have been some disturbance from the noise of shunting. Although Keyham had three platform faces, the Up platform being in effect an island platform, the outer one was rarely used by passenger trains although the line was known as the Up Passenger Loop or later as the Up Back Platform line. In or shortly after 1937 this line was extended at the Devonport end to enable freight trains of up to 49 wagons to be held there. It was at Keyham Station that on the night of Tuesday April 29th 1941 GWR locomotive 4911 "Bowden Hall" was paused during an air raid with an evening London to Penzance express, when a bomb fell so close that it damaged the engine beyond repair. The locomotive and crew were at that time based at Penzance so it is assumed they took over the train, the 3.30pm from London, at North Road. At 10pm the train was brought to a stand at Keyham Station and the crew took shelter underneath the steps of the signalbox. A bomb fell a few feet away from the driver's side (right side on GWR locos) and destroyed the locomotive. The driver was apparently Mr B Yelland and the signalman was Mr Charles Austin, who lived nearby at number 22 Renown Street. "Bowden Hall" was removed to Swindon and scrapped.
This map shows how well the
Keyham and Keyham's small goods yard was the scene of an heroic display of courage during the Blitz. Mr Frederick J Harris was an Acting Parcel Porter there when he was confronted with a situation from which many men would just have retreated quietly. Being the Station for access to the Royal Dockyard, the yard and goods shed were filled with wagons of high explosives and oil. On the third night of the Blitz this highly inflammable collection was joined by a truck-load of pigs, on to which fell some incendiaries. With the roof of the truck alight, and the pigs about to be roasted alive, they were in something of a frenzy. The simple solution was to just open the truck and let the pigs out but they would then have no doubt run wild. Mr Harris remarked to others helping with the fires that: "They are in the Company's care and we must not lose them". He therefore chose the much riskier option of getting inside the truck and putting the fire out, which he did. For this display of courage, not to mention his loyalty to the Great Western Railway Company, Mr Harris was awarded the British Empire Medal. It is noted that his loyalty went even further than that: he lived right next door to North Road Station. In May 1941 a new junction was laid in to enable Southern Railway freight trains from St Budeaux to have direct access to the Dockyard. This worked in conjunction with the other new link between the Southern and Great Western Railways at St Budeaux Station. The connection was removed again in 1956. Keyham Station was closed to goods traffic from Monday July 19th 1965 although the siding to the goods shed was not taken out of use until Friday April 22nd 1966. It was reduced to an unstaffed halt from Monday May 19th 1969. The station is still open but has just waiting shelters. The goods shed was demolished a couple of years ago and the site is now covered by housing. Signalling A signal box existed in 1897 where the line from Devonport Dockyard joined the main line, which was known as Keyham Junction. On Monday June 25th 1900 Keyham Junction Signal Box and Keyham Viaduct Signal Box (at the east end of the viaduct) were closed and a new Keyham Station Signal Box opened, concurrently with the new double-track main line. It had a 33 lever frame, of which 25 were in current use. When, in around 1937, the Up Passenger Loop was extended the additional points and signals required the signal frame to be increased to 59 levers, although not all were used immediately. In May 1941 the new connection in to the Dockyard required additional levers to be brought into use and there were eventually 53 active levers and 6 spares. This changed again in 1956 when the connection was removed. A major resignalling scheme was undertaken in 1960 and in November of that year Keyham Station Signal Box became the westerly fringe box for the Plymouth Multiple Aspect Signalling system. As a result, the Up Advanced Starting signal beyond the Royal Navy Avenue road bridge was changed to a colour light and made an Intermediate Block Post working independently of the Keyham Station Signal Box. Keyham Station Signal Box was finally closed from Monday July 2nd 1973, when the area was amalgamated into the Plymouth Power Box network. The East and West Ground Frames date from then also. Locomotive restriction Keyham Station was the furthest point westward on the Great Western main line that a locomotive of the famous "King" class was permitted to work. Sources:
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