Coombe railway station
Encyclopedia
Coombe Junction Halt railway station serves the villages of Coombe
and Lamellion
near Liskeard
, Cornwall
, United Kingdom
. It is situated on the Looe Valley Line
and operated by First Great Western
. All trains on this line have to reverse at Coombe Junction, but only a very few continue the short distance into the platform to allow passengers to alight or join the train.
It is one of the only two stations in the current National Rail Timetable (December 2009, table 140) officially to have the suffix "halt" (the other being St.Keyne Wishing Well Halt on the same line). The term "halt" was finally removed from British Rail timetables and station signs and other official documents by 1974: the return of the term came only for these two stations in 2008. Coombe Junction was never termed "halt" until 2008.
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The Liskeard and Looe Railway was opened on 27 December 1860 to carry goods traffic; passenger trains running from 11 September 1879. The railway in those days connected with the Liskeard and Caradon Railway
at Moorswater
and there was no station at Coombe but a platform was provided here from 1896 and trains would call to set down passengers going to Liskeard railway station
if they notified the guard, as the steep road from Coombe to the station was considerably shorter than the route from Moorswater through Liskeard
.
The extension line from Coombe Junction up to Liskeard railway station
opened for goods traffic on 25 February 1901. Passenger trains started to use this line on 15 May 1901 when Moorswater was closed to passengers. All trains called at what was now Coombe Junction station while the locomotive ran around to the south end of the train to continue the journey. The original track layout included a loop south of the station to allow two trains to pass, but from 1928 this was combined with the platform road and after this trains could only pass after the first had run round and shunted onto the through line, when the second could be allowed into the platform.
was situated on the west side of the line near the junction, but since 1981 the points have been worked by the guard of the train using two ground frames on the east side of the line, No. 1 Ground Frame at the junction south of the station, and No. 2 Ground Frame just north of the platform.
The branch is divided into three distinct "token blocks".
The train driver is only permitted to enter a section when in possession of the correct staff or token. There is a gap between the three sections at Coombe, but as the two ground frames and the station are visible from each other, this section is regarded as being within the "station limits" of the ground frame. In other words all movements around the No.1 Ground Frame through to Coombe station are made under the authority of the guard's hand signals (who is acting as a signalman as far as the line's operation is concerned).
The Moorswater section has a fixed 'stop board' protecting the station. Similarly, the Looe section has a 'stop board' before the points at Coombe Junction. There is no 'stop board' on the Liskeard section because the points must be locked in position to allow access to the ground frame's station limits otherwise the Looe branch staff cannot be removed from the ground frame. The stop boards are fixed signals and a train may not be driven past without authority from the guard operating the ground frame.
The Liskeard to Coombe Junction Token is rarely surrendered at Liskeard until the end of the day, unless a goods train is scheduled to run through while the train is there. At Coombe Junction it used to be surrendered to the train's guard who placed it in the token machine at the No. 1 Ground Frame and then used the Coombe to Looe Staff to unlock the points, allowing the train to proceed back through the junction onto this section. However, in practice, the guard usually retains the token for the journey to Looe (in his capacity as signalman) except on the rare occasion when another train needs to run to Moorswater while the passeneger train travels to Looe and back. The points are then returned to normal, allowing a goods train to traverse the branch if required, and the Staff is given to the driver as authority to drive to Looe and return.
A goods train will similarly use a Liskeard to Coombe Token, surrendering it to the guard who, on this movement will insert it into the Coombe token machine. Then guard will then collect the Coombe to Moorswater Staff which is kept in the token machine hut, which gives authority to enter the section to Moorswater. The points at the Number 1 Ground Frame are not changed for this move, but a set of trap points, by the Coombe No. 2 Ground Frame, must be opened and then closed again once the train has passed over. Since the driver of a goods train has to pull a considerable distace beyond the No.2 ground frame he must physically touch the staff before proceeding out of Coombe station. However, the guard has to retain possession of it in order to operate the trap points allowing access to the branch. Thus the Moorswater branch is actually operated by a variation of the staff and ticket system, the guard's verbal instruction to proceed taking the place of the ticket, once the driver has touched the staff. Once the points have been reset, the guard can give the staff to the driver.
to Coombe House at the south.
Passenger trains have to reverse at Coombe Junction but most do so without entering the station. The line continuing beyond the platform is only used for infrequent freight trains to the cement terminal at Moorswater
, which lies just beyond the Moorswater Viaduct which can be seen carrying the Cornish Main Line
across the valley.
line and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
. The line is promoted under the "Looe Valley Line
" name.
Coombe, Liskeard
Coombe is a settlement in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated one mile southwest of Liskeard.Coombe Junction Halt is a station and railway junction on the Looe Valley Line railway which runs from Liskeard station to Looe station....
and Lamellion
Lamellion
Lamellion is a hamlet in Cornwall, England, UK. It is half a mile southwest of Liskeard and nearer to the town is Lamellion Hospital. The hospital building was the work of John Foulston, 1839, and was built as a workhouse....
near Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. It is situated on the Looe Valley Line
Looe Valley Line
The Looe Valley Line is an community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course...
and operated by First Great Western
First Great Western
First Great Western is the operating name of First Greater Western Ltd, a British train operating company owned by FirstGroup that serves Greater London, the South East, South West and West Midlands regions of England, and South Wales....
. All trains on this line have to reverse at Coombe Junction, but only a very few continue the short distance into the platform to allow passengers to alight or join the train.
It is one of the only two stations in the current National Rail Timetable (December 2009, table 140) officially to have the suffix "halt" (the other being St.Keyne Wishing Well Halt on the same line). The term "halt" was finally removed from British Rail timetables and station signs and other official documents by 1974: the return of the term came only for these two stations in 2008. Coombe Junction was never termed "halt" until 2008.
History
Liskeard and Caradon Railway
The Liskeard and Caradon Railway was a mineral railway in Cornwall, in the United Kingdom, which opened in 1844 and closed in 1917. Its neighbour, the Liskeard and Looe Railway, opened in 1860 and is still operating as the Looe Valley Line.-History:...
at Moorswater
Moorswater railway station
Moorswater railway station was the centre of operations for the Liskeard and Caradon Railway and the Liskeard and Looe Railway. The two railways made an end on junction here...
and there was no station at Coombe but a platform was provided here from 1896 and trains would call to set down passengers going to Liskeard railway station
Liskeard railway station
Liskeard station serves the town of Liskeard in Cornwall, England. The station is west of Plymouth on the Cornish Main Line and it is the junction for the Looe Valley Line.-History:-Cornwall Railway:...
if they notified the guard, as the steep road from Coombe to the station was considerably shorter than the route from Moorswater through Liskeard
Liskeard
Liskeard is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in south east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom.Liskeard is situated approximately 20 miles west of Plymouth, west of the River Tamar and the border with Devon, and 12 miles east of Bodmin...
.
The extension line from Coombe Junction up to Liskeard railway station
Liskeard railway station
Liskeard station serves the town of Liskeard in Cornwall, England. The station is west of Plymouth on the Cornish Main Line and it is the junction for the Looe Valley Line.-History:-Cornwall Railway:...
opened for goods traffic on 25 February 1901. Passenger trains started to use this line on 15 May 1901 when Moorswater was closed to passengers. All trains called at what was now Coombe Junction station while the locomotive ran around to the south end of the train to continue the journey. The original track layout included a loop south of the station to allow two trains to pass, but from 1928 this was combined with the platform road and after this trains could only pass after the first had run round and shunted onto the through line, when the second could be allowed into the platform.
Signalling
A signal boxSignal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
was situated on the west side of the line near the junction, but since 1981 the points have been worked by the guard of the train using two ground frames on the east side of the line, No. 1 Ground Frame at the junction south of the station, and No. 2 Ground Frame just north of the platform.
The branch is divided into three distinct "token blocks".
- The section from Liskeard to Coombe is operated under the authority of a Tyers No. 9 Electric Token System. This consists of a pair of electrically interlocked machines, one at Liskeard signal box and the other located by the Coombe No. 1 Ground Frame. The pair of machines only allow one token to be removed from either machine at any one time. However, the system has been modified to allow the token to be removed from and returned to the machine at Liskeard, something that normally requires the breaking of a seal and explanatory entry in the train register.
- The section from Looe to Coombe is operated under the authority of a wooden staff which is also has a key attached that unlocks the ground frame that changes the points by the No.1 Ground Frame that allows access to the Looe branch.
- The section from Moorswater to Coombe is operated under the authority of a different wooden staff which also has a key attached that unlocks the ground frame controlling the trap points by the No.2 Ground Frame.
The Moorswater section has a fixed 'stop board' protecting the station. Similarly, the Looe section has a 'stop board' before the points at Coombe Junction. There is no 'stop board' on the Liskeard section because the points must be locked in position to allow access to the ground frame's station limits otherwise the Looe branch staff cannot be removed from the ground frame. The stop boards are fixed signals and a train may not be driven past without authority from the guard operating the ground frame.
The Liskeard to Coombe Junction Token is rarely surrendered at Liskeard until the end of the day, unless a goods train is scheduled to run through while the train is there. At Coombe Junction it used to be surrendered to the train's guard who placed it in the token machine at the No. 1 Ground Frame and then used the Coombe to Looe Staff to unlock the points, allowing the train to proceed back through the junction onto this section. However, in practice, the guard usually retains the token for the journey to Looe (in his capacity as signalman) except on the rare occasion when another train needs to run to Moorswater while the passeneger train travels to Looe and back. The points are then returned to normal, allowing a goods train to traverse the branch if required, and the Staff is given to the driver as authority to drive to Looe and return.
A goods train will similarly use a Liskeard to Coombe Token, surrendering it to the guard who, on this movement will insert it into the Coombe token machine. Then guard will then collect the Coombe to Moorswater Staff which is kept in the token machine hut, which gives authority to enter the section to Moorswater. The points at the Number 1 Ground Frame are not changed for this move, but a set of trap points, by the Coombe No. 2 Ground Frame, must be opened and then closed again once the train has passed over. Since the driver of a goods train has to pull a considerable distace beyond the No.2 ground frame he must physically touch the staff before proceeding out of Coombe station. However, the guard has to retain possession of it in order to operate the trap points allowing access to the branch. Thus the Moorswater branch is actually operated by a variation of the staff and ticket system, the guard's verbal instruction to proceed taking the place of the ticket, once the driver has touched the staff. Once the points have been reset, the guard can give the staff to the driver.
Description
There is just a single platform – on the right of arriving trains – which can be accessed from the road at Lamellion, at the north end, or from a footpath running alongside the track from the level crossingLevel crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
to Coombe House at the south.
Passenger trains have to reverse at Coombe Junction but most do so without entering the station. The line continuing beyond the platform is only used for infrequent freight trains to the cement terminal at Moorswater
Moorswater railway station
Moorswater railway station was the centre of operations for the Liskeard and Caradon Railway and the Liskeard and Looe Railway. The two railways made an end on junction here...
, which lies just beyond the Moorswater Viaduct which can be seen carrying the Cornish Main Line
Cornish Main Line
The Cornish Main Line is a railway line in the United Kingdom, which forms the backbone for rail services in Cornwall, as well as providing a direct line to London.- History :...
across the valley.
Services
Coombe is served by just two trains a day in each direction Monday-Saturday. There is no Sunday service. Coombe station serves the smallest amount of annual passengers (42 in the year 2009-10) the National Rail network.Community rail
The railway between Liskeard and Looe is designated as a community railCommunity rail
In the United Kingdom, a community rail line is a local railway which is specially supported by local organisations. This support is usually through a Community Rail Partnerships – comprising both the railway operator, local councils and other community organisations – or sometimes by...
line and is supported by marketing provided by the Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership
The Devon and Cornwall Rail Partnership is the largest Community Rail Partnership in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1991 to promote the use of, and improvements to, rural railways in Devon and Cornwall, and also to promote the places served in order to improve the local economy.The...
. The line is promoted under the "Looe Valley Line
Looe Valley Line
The Looe Valley Line is an community railway from Liskeard to Looe in Cornwall, United Kingdom, that follows the valley of the East Looe River for much of its course...
" name.