Perranwell railway station
Encyclopedia
Perranwell station is on the Maritime Line
from Truro
to Falmouth Docks
, the services are operated by First Great Western
.
The station was opened with the Cornwall Railway
Falmouth extension on 24 August 1863. It was called Perran until it was renamed Perranwell on 19 February 1864 to avoid confusion with nearby Penryn
.
The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway
on 1 July 1889. The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 which was in privatised in the 1990s.
The goods shed
still stands in the forecourt despite goods traffic ceasing on 4 January 1965. A dry drinking fountain can be seen on the platform, a reminder of more important days. The signal box here was very distinctive, being sited on girders above the track alongside the goods shed.
A short distance on either side of the station, valleys had to be crossed on lofty timber viaducts
. To the north, Carnon viaduct
crossed 96 feet above the Carnon River valley and the Redruth and Chasewater Railway
. In the other direction, trains crossed the smaller Perran Viaduct (56 feet high, 339 feet long).
In the 1980s the station had become run down with only a small aluminium shelter with polycarbonate panels offering protection for passengers. However, during the late 1990s a new brick waiting shelter was built as part of a refurbishment programme at all the "Maritime Line" stations.
run from left to right; trains towards Falmouth Docks
run from right to left.
to be doubled in frequency from 17 May 2009, however only about half the trains are now scheduled to call at Perranwell. These only stop on request, which means that people alighting need to inform the train's guard, and those joining at the station need to signal clearly to the driver.
Maritime Line
The Maritime Line is a railway line that runs in the valley of the River Fal from Truro to Falmouth on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom.-History:...
from Truro
Truro railway station
Truro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western....
to Falmouth Docks
Falmouth Docks railway station
Falmouth Docks station in Falmouth, Cornwall is the terminus of the Maritime Line to Truro, the services are operated by First Great Western.-History:...
, the services are 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....
.
History
Cornwall Railway
The Cornwall Railway was a broad gauge railway from Plymouth in Devon to Falmouth in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The section from Plymouth to Truro opened in 1859, the extension to Falmouth in 1863...
Falmouth extension on 24 August 1863. It was called Perran until it was renamed Perranwell on 19 February 1864 to avoid confusion with nearby Penryn
Penryn railway station
Penryn station is on the Maritime Line from Truro to Falmouth Docks, and serves the town of Penryn, Cornwall. The services are operated by First Great Western.-History:The station was opened by the Cornwall Railway in 1863...
.
The Cornwall Railway was amalgamated into the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
on 1 July 1889. The Great Western Railway was nationalised into British Railways from 1 January 1948 which was in privatised in the 1990s.
The 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...
still stands in the forecourt despite goods traffic ceasing on 4 January 1965. A dry drinking fountain can be seen on the platform, a reminder of more important days. The signal box here was very distinctive, being sited on girders above the track alongside the goods shed.
Cornwall Railway viaducts
The large number of Cornwall Railway viaducts were necessitated by the topography of Cornwall, United Kingdom, where hills and areas of high ground are separated by deep river valleys that generally run north or south...
. To the north, Carnon viaduct
Carnon viaduct
Carnon viaduct carries the railway from Truro to Falmouth over the valley of the Carnon River in west Cornwall, United Kingdom...
crossed 96 feet above the Carnon River valley and the Redruth and Chasewater Railway
Redruth and Chasewater Railway
The Redruth and Chasewater Railway, otherwise called the Redruth and Chacewater Railway using modern spelling, was a very early industrial railway line in Cornwall, England, UK that opened in 1825 and closed in 1915...
. In the other direction, trains crossed the smaller Perran Viaduct (56 feet high, 339 feet long).
In the 1980s the station had become run down with only a small aluminium shelter with polycarbonate panels offering protection for passengers. However, during the late 1990s a new brick waiting shelter was built as part of a refurbishment programme at all the "Maritime Line" stations.
Description
There is just one platform with level access from the car park. Trains towards TruroTruro railway station
Truro Station serves the city of Truro, Cornwall, UK. It is the situated on the Cornish Main Line and is the junction for the Maritime Line to Falmouth. The station is operated by First Great Western....
run from left to right; trains towards Falmouth Docks
Falmouth Docks railway station
Falmouth Docks station in Falmouth, Cornwall is the terminus of the Maritime Line to Truro, the services are operated by First Great Western.-History:...
run from right to left.
Services
The new loop at Penryn allowed services on the Maritime LineMaritime Line
The Maritime Line is a railway line that runs in the valley of the River Fal from Truro to Falmouth on the south coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom.-History:...
to be doubled in frequency from 17 May 2009, however only about half the trains are now scheduled to call at Perranwell. These only stop on request, which means that people alighting need to inform the train's guard, and those joining at the station need to signal clearly to the driver.
Further reading
- The Great Western Railway in Mid Cornwall, Alan Bennett, Kingfisher Railway Publications, Southampton 1988. ISBN 0-946184-53-4