Templecombe railway station
Encyclopedia
Templecombe railway station serves the town of Templecombe
in Somerset
, England. It is situated on the London Waterloo to Exeter line
112 miles (180.2 km) from London. The main station opened in 1860 but a smaller station on the lower line opened in 1862. It was closed in 1966 but was reopened in 1983 following local community pressure. It is currently operated by South West Trains
.
(S&YR) opened the second part of its line on 7 May 1860, extending eastwards from Gillingham
through Templecombe to . The S&YR never operated any trains, instead they were provided by the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR). On 3 February 1862, the Dorset Central Railway opened its own Templecombe Lower station as the terminus of a line which connected with the Somerset Central Railway's line from ; on 31 August 1863 this was extended beneath the S&YR line to join up with the remainder of that Dorset company’s line to Bournemouth
. By now the two 'Central' companies had joined together as the Somerset and Dorset Railway. From November 1875 this became the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
(S&DJR), which was partly owned by the LSWR, and in January 1878 the LSWR also bought the S&YR.
The two railway lines were initially linked by a north-to-east curve; trains from the S&DJR reversed and ran along a separate line next to the single-track Templecombe to Gillingham line to reach the Upper station to allow passengers to connect with main line trains. In March 1870 this connection was closed and a new north-to-west curve was opened that brought S&DJR trains directly to a third platform
at the Upper station; this allowed the S&YR line to be doubled. A second locomotive was coupled to the back of the train to facilitate the reversals necessary to move the S&DJR trains in and out of the station. In January 1887 the Lower station was closed and replaced by Templecombe Lower Platform a little further south, but since 1867 many S&DJR trains had called only at the Upper station. The original Lower station was absorbed into the goods yard and locomotive depot
.
On 20 July 1874 the S&DJR's Bath Extension was opened, connecting it to the Midland Railway
at . This northern connection brought more traffic to Templecombe where interchange could be made with the LSWR network in Wiltshire
, Somerset, Devon
and Cornwall
. A large goods yard was needed to handle this traffic, and it was placed on the north side of the LSWR line to the west of the LSWR (or Upper) station. Goods for the Templecombe area were always handled in a separate goods yard and goods shed
on the south side of the line; the main station offices were also on this side of the line.
The LSWR became a part of the Southern Railway
in 1923 as a result of the Railways Act 1921
. In 1938 the station was modernised, a footbridge replaced the subway and the platforms were extended to cope with trains 14 coaches long. An ambulance train was stationed at Templecombe during World War II
and kept in constant readiness to move casualties from ports on the south coast to military hospitals. On 5 September it was needed to treat casualties at Templecombe station itself. Three bombs were dropped while two trains were standing in the station. Five railwaymen and eight passengers were killed, and many more were injured.
. Two years later, the former goods and locomotive facilities were rationalised. All locomotives were concentrated in the Lower yard, and goods traffic was exclusively handled in the Upper yard. 1958 saw the S&DJR line north of Templecombe transferred to the Western Region
, and in 1963 all lines west of followed. Following these changes, most trains were transferred to other routes. Goods traffic at Templecombe ceased on 5 April 1965 and the Lower Platform was closed on 3 January 1966. The S&DJR route was closed on 7 March 1966 along with the Upper station. The station buildings were demolished in 1968, but the signal box
was retained, and from April 1967, the line from Templecombe to Gillingham reverted to a single track.
The first suggestion of reopening the station came in 1975, and Somerset County Council carried out a survey of people living in and around the village to establish whether such a move would be supported by area residents. The results were encouraging, and an approach was later made to British Rail. In 1978, the council stated that £12,000 a year would be needed to subsidise the service, a figure that it could not then afford. The local community formed the Templecombe Station Working Committee (TSWC) to campaign for the reopening. On 5 September 1982, the TSWC arranged for a train to to call to test the demand for a service, and 270 passengers bought tickets. More trains were called on an experimental basis, and tickets were sold for a total of 2,273 passengers. Each time a train called the station, it had to be manned by members of the TSWC, and temporary lighting had to be provided if they called when it was dark.
It was finally agreed that the station could be reopened on a three-year trial. The cost of works was kept to just £9,200 by TSWC members carrying out much of the work themselves. Reopening came on 3 October 1983. The services proved so successful that a new waiting shelter was provided in 1988, and an extension with toilets was added two years later. A 'new' footbridge has been erected to connect the platform with the car park; it had originally been erected in 1893 at .
es controlled movements:
The No 1 Jcn box was closed in 1887 and after that the former S&DJR main line between it and No 3 Jcn became a dead-end, accessed only from No 3 Jcn and serving the S&DJR loco shed and lower yard. In 1933, the B box was closed and the frame in the A box was altered (and possibly extended) to control the S&DJR movements. In the same year the No 3 Jcn box was closed and its functions transferred to the No 2 Jcn box, in which the lever-frame was extended.
A new 60-lever signal box was provided a few years later at the Upper station as part of the station modernisation, opening on 15 May 1938. It was situated at the west end of the Up platform where the signalman had a good view of the goods yards and the junction between the S&DJR platform and the main lines. When the station was closed it was retained, and since 1967 has controlled the end-on junction between the single track to Gillingham, and the double track to , with its lever-frame being shortened to just 16 levers. When the station reopened part of it was modified to act as a ticket office.
was opened by the Dorset Central Railway by the Lower station in 1863. This was also used by the LSWR until they opened their own shed in the Upper yard in 1867. The LSWR shed had been demolished by 1936 but locomotives were still kept here until 1950, out based from . The S&DJR shed had in the meantime been enlarged and took over responsibility for all locomotives in the area until it too closed in 1966.
The S&DJR shed had a 50 feet (15.2 m) turntable
. Its allocation was typically about 15 locomotives, with an 82G shed code in Western Region days.
manage the station and operate hourly throughout most of the week between , Templecombe, and London Waterloo station.
steam locomotive number 34098. It was built at Brighton
in 1949 but, despite its West Country name, spent most of its early years working from or . In later years it was allocated to Exmouth Junction
and would have been seen regularly on trains through its named town. It was withdrawn in June 1967.
The next locomotive to receive the name was Class 33
Bo-Bo
diesel-electric number 33112. This was named at Templecombe on 17 October 1987. The name was then transferred to Class 47
Co-Co number 47708 in June 1991. Both these locomotives worked passenger trains on the line.
When locomotive-hauled trains were replaced by Class 159
three-car diesel multiple units new Templecombe nameplates were fitted to 57875, the centre car of unit 159003, in a ceremony at the station on 3 October 1993.
Templecombe
Templecombe is a village in Somerset, England, situated on the A357 road five miles south of Wincanton, twelve miles east of Yeovil, and 30 miles west of Salisbury. The village has a population of 1,506...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England. It is situated on the London Waterloo to Exeter line
West of England Main Line
The West of England Main Line is a British railway line that runs from , Hampshire to Exeter St Davids in Devon, England. Passenger services run between London Waterloo station and Exeter...
112 miles (180.2 km) from London. The main station opened in 1860 but a smaller station on the lower line opened in 1862. It was closed in 1966 but was reopened in 1983 following local community pressure. It is currently operated by South West Trains
South West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
.
History
The Salisbury and Yeovil RailwaySalisbury and Yeovil Railway
The Salisbury and Yeovil Railway linked Salisbury , Gillingham and Yeovil in England. Opened in stages in 1859 and 1860, it formed a bridge route between the main London and South Western Railway network and its lines in Devon and Cornwall. Its trains were operated by the LSWR and it was sold to...
(S&YR) opened the second part of its line on 7 May 1860, extending eastwards from Gillingham
Gillingham (Dorset) railway station
Gillingham railway station is in Gillingham in Dorset England. It opened in 1859 on the London Waterloo to Exeter line from London, and is managed by South West Trains.-History:...
through Templecombe to . The S&YR never operated any trains, instead they were provided by the London and South Western Railway
London and South Western Railway
The London and South Western Railway was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Its network extended from London to Plymouth via Salisbury and Exeter, with branches to Ilfracombe and Padstow and via Southampton to Bournemouth and Weymouth. It also had many routes connecting towns in...
(LSWR). On 3 February 1862, the Dorset Central Railway opened its own Templecombe Lower station as the terminus of a line which connected with the Somerset Central Railway's line from ; on 31 August 1863 this was extended beneath the S&YR line to join up with the remainder of that Dorset company’s line to Bournemouth
Bournemouth West railway station
Bournemouth West railway station was a railway station in Bournemouth, Dorset, England. It closed on 4 October 1965. The station was the southern terminus of the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, as well as being the terminus for trains from London Waterloo and other local trains.-Closure:The...
. By now the two 'Central' companies had joined together as the Somerset and Dorset Railway. From November 1875 this became the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway – almost always referred to as "the S&D" – was an English railway line connecting Bath in north east Somerset and Bournemouth now in south east Dorset but then in Hampshire...
(S&DJR), which was partly owned by the LSWR, and in January 1878 the LSWR also bought the S&YR.
The two railway lines were initially linked by a north-to-east curve; trains from the S&DJR reversed and ran along a separate line next to the single-track Templecombe to Gillingham line to reach the Upper station to allow passengers to connect with main line trains. In March 1870 this connection was closed and a new north-to-west curve was opened that brought S&DJR trains directly to a third platform
Railway platform
A railway platform is a section of pathway, alongside rail tracks at a train station, metro station or tram stop, at which passengers may board or alight from trains or trams. Almost all stations for rail transport have some form of platforms, with larger stations having multiple platforms...
at the Upper station; this allowed the S&YR line to be doubled. A second locomotive was coupled to the back of the train to facilitate the reversals necessary to move the S&DJR trains in and out of the station. In January 1887 the Lower station was closed and replaced by Templecombe Lower Platform a little further south, but since 1867 many S&DJR trains had called only at the Upper station. The original Lower station was absorbed into the goods yard and locomotive depot
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
.
On 20 July 1874 the S&DJR's Bath Extension was opened, connecting it to the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
at . This northern connection brought more traffic to Templecombe where interchange could be made with the LSWR network in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, Somerset, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
and 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...
. A large goods yard was needed to handle this traffic, and it was placed on the north side of the LSWR line to the west of the LSWR (or Upper) station. Goods for the Templecombe area were always handled in a separate goods yard and goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
on the south side of the line; the main station offices were also on this side of the line.
The LSWR became a part of the Southern Railway
Southern Railway (Great Britain)
The Southern Railway was a British railway company established in the 1923 Grouping. It linked London with the Channel ports, South West England, South coast resorts and Kent...
in 1923 as a result of the Railways Act 1921
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
. In 1938 the station was modernised, a footbridge replaced the subway and the platforms were extended to cope with trains 14 coaches long. An ambulance train was stationed at Templecombe during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and kept in constant readiness to move casualties from ports on the south coast to military hospitals. On 5 September it was needed to treat casualties at Templecombe station itself. Three bombs were dropped while two trains were standing in the station. Five railwaymen and eight passengers were killed, and many more were injured.
Closure and reopening
In 1948, the Southern Railway was itself nationalised to become the Southern Region of British RailwaysSouthern Region of British Railways
The Southern Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992. The region covered south London, southern England and the south coast, including the busy commuter belt areas of Kent, Sussex...
. Two years later, the former goods and locomotive facilities were rationalised. All locomotives were concentrated in the Lower yard, and goods traffic was exclusively handled in the Upper yard. 1958 saw the S&DJR line north of Templecombe transferred to the Western Region
Western Region of British Railways
The Western Region was a region of British Railways from 1948. The region ceased to be an operating unit in its own right in the 1980s and was wound up at the end of 1992...
, and in 1963 all lines west of followed. Following these changes, most trains were transferred to other routes. Goods traffic at Templecombe ceased on 5 April 1965 and the Lower Platform was closed on 3 January 1966. The S&DJR route was closed on 7 March 1966 along with the Upper station. The station buildings were demolished in 1968, but the signal box
Signal 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 retained, and from April 1967, the line from Templecombe to Gillingham reverted to a single track.
The first suggestion of reopening the station came in 1975, and Somerset County Council carried out a survey of people living in and around the village to establish whether such a move would be supported by area residents. The results were encouraging, and an approach was later made to British Rail. In 1978, the council stated that £12,000 a year would be needed to subsidise the service, a figure that it could not then afford. The local community formed the Templecombe Station Working Committee (TSWC) to campaign for the reopening. On 5 September 1982, the TSWC arranged for a train to to call to test the demand for a service, and 270 passengers bought tickets. More trains were called on an experimental basis, and tickets were sold for a total of 2,273 passengers. Each time a train called the station, it had to be manned by members of the TSWC, and temporary lighting had to be provided if they called when it was dark.
It was finally agreed that the station could be reopened on a three-year trial. The cost of works was kept to just £9,200 by TSWC members carrying out much of the work themselves. Reopening came on 3 October 1983. The services proved so successful that a new waiting shelter was provided in 1988, and an extension with toilets was added two years later. A 'new' footbridge has been erected to connect the platform with the car park; it had originally been erected in 1893 at .
Signalling
Points and signals were initially controlled form the trackside, but eventually five 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...
es controlled movements:
- Templecombe A – Upper station L&SWR opened in 1875
- Templecombe B – Upper station S&DJR
- Templecombe No 3 Junction - junction between the original S&DJR main line to the north and the new 1870 spur to the Upper station
- Templecombe No 2 Junction - junction between the new spur to the Upper station and a link back down to the S&DJR main line
- Templecombe No 1 Junction – junction between the link line from No 2 Jcn and the S&DJR main line and the south.
The No 1 Jcn box was closed in 1887 and after that the former S&DJR main line between it and No 3 Jcn became a dead-end, accessed only from No 3 Jcn and serving the S&DJR loco shed and lower yard. In 1933, the B box was closed and the frame in the A box was altered (and possibly extended) to control the S&DJR movements. In the same year the No 3 Jcn box was closed and its functions transferred to the No 2 Jcn box, in which the lever-frame was extended.
A new 60-lever signal box was provided a few years later at the Upper station as part of the station modernisation, opening on 15 May 1938. It was situated at the west end of the Up platform where the signalman had a good view of the goods yards and the junction between the S&DJR platform and the main lines. When the station was closed it was retained, and since 1967 has controlled the end-on junction between the single track to Gillingham, and the double track to , with its lever-frame being shortened to just 16 levers. When the station reopened part of it was modified to act as a ticket office.
Locomotive sheds
The first locomotive shedMotive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
was opened by the Dorset Central Railway by the Lower station in 1863. This was also used by the LSWR until they opened their own shed in the Upper yard in 1867. The LSWR shed had been demolished by 1936 but locomotives were still kept here until 1950, out based from . The S&DJR shed had in the meantime been enlarged and took over responsibility for all locomotives in the area until it too closed in 1966.
The S&DJR shed had a 50 feet (15.2 m) turntable
Turntable (railroad)
A railway turntable is a device for turning railroad rolling stock. When steam locomotives were still in wide use, many railroads needed a way to turn the locomotives around for return trips as their controls were often not configured for extended periods of running in reverse and in many...
. Its allocation was typically about 15 locomotives, with an 82G shed code in Western Region days.
Description
The station has one platform, on the north side of the line. The waiting room is situated on this, with the 1938-built signal box and ticket office further west. A footbridge connects with the car park on the site of the former westbound platform. The unused side of the platform is where the S&DJR trains to Bath and Bournemouth used to reverse after connecting with trains on the Exeter to London line. The area once occupied by the large Upper Yard beyond the signal box is now overgrown by trees.Services
South West TrainsSouth West Trains
South West Trains is a British train operating company providing, under franchise, passenger rail services, mostly out of Waterloo station, to the southwest of London in the suburbs and in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, Dorset, Devon, Somerset, Berkshire, and Wiltshire and on the Isle of Wight...
manage the station and operate hourly throughout most of the week between , Templecombe, and London Waterloo station.
Locomotives named Templecombe
The first locomotive to carry the Templecombe name was a West Country Class 4-6-24-6-2
4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...
steam locomotive number 34098. It was built at Brighton
Brighton railway works
Brighton railway works was one of the earliest railway-owned locomotive repair works, founded in 1840 by the London and Brighton Railway in Brighton, England, and thus pre-dating the more famous railway works at Crewe, Doncaster and Swindon...
in 1949 but, despite its West Country name, spent most of its early years working from or . In later years it was allocated to Exmouth Junction
Exmouth Junction
Exmouth Junction is the railway junction where the Exmouth branch line diverges from the London Waterloo to Exeter main line in Exeter, Devon, England. It was for many years the location for one of the largest engine sheds in the former London and South Western Railway...
and would have been seen regularly on trains through its named town. It was withdrawn in June 1967.
The next locomotive to receive the name was Class 33
British Rail Class 33
The British Rail Class 33 also known as the BRCW Type 3 or Crompton is a class of Bo-Bo diesel-electric locomotives ordered in 1957 and built for the Southern Region of British Railways between 1960 and 1962....
Bo-Bo
Bo-Bo
A Bo-Bo or Bo′Bo′ is a locomotive with two independent four-wheeled bogies with all axles powered by individual traction motors...
diesel-electric number 33112. This was named at Templecombe on 17 October 1987. The name was then transferred to Class 47
British Rail Class 47
The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
Co-Co number 47708 in June 1991. Both these locomotives worked passenger trains on the line.
When locomotive-hauled trains were replaced by Class 159
British Rail Class 159
The British Rail Class 159 is a class of diesel multiple unit of the Sprinter family, built in 1989 - 1992 by BREL at the Derby Carriage and Wagon Works as Class 158...
three-car diesel multiple units new Templecombe nameplates were fitted to 57875, the centre car of unit 159003, in a ceremony at the station on 3 October 1993.