Yeovil Junction railway station
Encyclopedia
Yeovil Junction railway station is the busier of two railway stations serving the town of Yeovil
in England. The station is outside the town in the village of Stoford; although Yeovil is in Somerset
, the station was in Dorset
until 1995. It was opened by the London and South Western Railway
in 1860 on its London Waterloo to Exeter line
, 122.6 miles (197 km) south west of London. Today it is managed by South West Trains
, and is also the home of the Yeovil Railway Centre
.
(S&YR) opened the final part of its line from on 1 June 1860. Near Bradford Abbas
it crossed over the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line
of the Great Western Railway
(GWR) on a bridge, then ran alongside it and the Yeovil Branch Line of the Bristol and Exeter Railway
(B&ER) to reach that company’s terminus at , on the west side of Yeovil. Just a few weeks later, on 19 July, the London and South Western Railway
(LSWR) opened its Yeovil and Exeter line. This left the S&YR at Bradford Abbas Junction and crossed over the GWR line to its own station at Yeovil Junction, and then continued on towards Exeter Queen Street
. The station was a junction because another line led back to join the S&YR at River Junction, so trains could run from Exeter direct to Hendford (the terminus was moved to a joint B&ER/LSWR Yeovil Town railway station
from 1 June 1861). The original eastwards connection from River Junction to Bradford Abbas was closed in 1870, after which most main line trains only called at Yeovil Junction where passengers could change onto a connecting train for the short journey to Yeovil Town. The LSWR operated all trains over the S&YR and bought the smaller company in 1878.
The station at this time had two platforms
serving three tracks. The northern side was the track for trains to and London Waterloo; the middle track was covered by a train shed
and could be used from either platform and was for the trains to Yeovil Town; the southern track was for trains to Exeter. Goods traffic was handled on the north side of the main line, and a turntable
was placed on the south side. On 13 June 1864 a new line was opened from the GWR up to a goods station at Clifton Maybank on the south side of the LSWR station. The GWR was, until 1874, a broad gauge
line and broad and standard gauge
wagons could be brought alongside each other at Clifton Maybank to allow goods to be transhipped between them.
Work started in 1907 to enlarge the station and was completed in 1909. The new northern platform was 590 feet (179.8 m) long with a track on either side; the northern track was for the Yeovil Town trains and the southern side was for main line services to London. The 510 feet (155.4 m) southern platform also had two tracks, the northern face for westbound trains and the opposite side was a goods siding. Two through tracks also passed between the platforms for non-stop trains. A footbridge at the west end connected the two platforms and extended over the branch track to the station forecourt. A second footbridge was erected at the east end of the station but was dismantled in 1920 and moved up the line to Overton railway station
. The goods yard was also extended in 1908 and new sidings were laid near the GWR exchange siding. The cost of the work was in excess of £47,000.
The LSWR became a part of the Southern Railway
(SR) in 1923 as a result of the Railways Act 1921
. The GWR’s Clifton Maybank branch closed on 7 June 1937. Wagons would in future be exchanged at Yeovil Town, but the GWR had to build a road for Mr Paul, the owner of a private siding which had connected with their line, so that he could bring his goods to the Clifton Maybank platform instead which was still served by the SR.
A new connection was established between the two companies during World War II
to allow trains direct access between Yeovil Junction and on the Weymouth line. This was opened on 13 October 1943 and offered a new route for trains of war materials as well as a diversion route in the event of bomb damage.
On 1 January 1948 the Southern Railway was nationalised to become the Southern Region of British Railways
. January 1963 saw the all the lines in the area transferred to the Western Region
and this was soon followed by the Reshaping of British Railways
report. Yeovil Town closed to passengers on 2 October 1966, the branch service then operated to Pen Mill until it was withdrawn entirely on 4 May 1968. The main line had been rationalised on 11 June 1967 – Yeovil was now in the middle of a 15.26 miles (24.6 km) single track section between Sherborne and . This soon proved a rationalisation too far and the double track was restored between Sherborne and Yeovil Junction on 1 October 1967 but all trains had to use the eastbound mainline platform. On 26 March 1975 the former branch platform was reopened as a through line so that two trains could use the station at the same time.
A permanent way depot was established in the old goods yard on the north side of the station in 1965. A small Ruston and Hornsby four-wheel diesel locomotive number DS1169 was kept here for shunting until 1972. In 2001 the area was used by the Somerset and Dorset Locomotive Company as a depot for its fleet of hire locomotives, although this use has now ceased. The turntable has been retained on the south side of the line and is often used for turning the locomotives of steam-hauled excursions. This and the Clifton Maybank site has been the home of the Yeovil Railway Centre
since 1993.
es were built in 1875. "Yeovil Junction No. 1" was on the north side of the line at the west of the station, and "Yeovil Junction No. 2" was at the opposite end. When the station was rebuilt in 1908 the No. 1 Box was replaced by a new 60-lever "Yeovil Junction East" situated between the main and branch lines; No. 2 box was extended and renamed "Yeovil Junction West". The latter was damaged in an accident on 20 August 1918 but was rebuilt. At the end of 1949 they were renamed again, the East Box becoming "Yeovil Junction A" and the West Box "Yeovil Junction B"
The 1967 rationalisation saw the closure of the B Box on 30 April but the A Box was retained to control movements on the branch to Yeovil Town and Pen Mill. A siding connection to the main line was controlled by "Yeovil Junction West Ground Frame", while "Yeovil Junction East Ground Frame" was used for a connection to the sidings on the south side of the main line. When the double track was reinstated to Sherborne the signal box frame was replaced with a Western Region one of 44 levers.
, and the remaining goods sidings are at the end of the car park. Descending from the footbridge to the platform
brings passengers to the main station offices, which are built from red bricks with red glazed abutments. A second similar building at the east end of the platform is the station buffet which still contains its original (1908) counter. Now known as "Peppers", in 2009 it appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in The Guardian
but came under new management in 2011. Tracks serve both sides of the platform and are each signalled for trains to run in either direction.
Beyond the east end of the platform is the signal box
. The tracks to London are on its right, and the single track to Yeovil Pen Mill is on its left. Although no regular passenger services have operated over this route since 1968, it is still kept for trains diverted off the London to Penzance route between and .
Opposite the main platform the old eastbound through line has been lifted but the westbound line is retained as a siding, accessible only from the east end of the station. Beyond is the old westbound platform which is no longer connected to the main station but is used by occasional visiting steam trains and by the Yeovil Railway Centre
which lies to the south. The turntable
is at the right of their railway centre. It makes use of tracks to the left which are on the site of the old GWR Clifton Maybank goods depot. At the far end is a raised earthwork that looks like it once carried another siding, but it is in fact part of the original scheme of 1864 which envisaged another link from Clifton Maybank southwards towards which was never completed.
operate hourly throughout most of the week between , , Yeovil Junction, and London Waterloo station.
There are bus services to Yeovil
and the nearby village of Barwick
.
In August 2010 the bus connection to Yeovil Pen Mill was reinstated by South West Coaches
by extending service 68. Service 74 also serves Yeovil Junction Station connecting it to Sherborne and the surrounding villages. except on Sundays and bank holidays when a service is operated by First Avon and Somerset (route 968).
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
in England. The station is outside the town in the village of Stoford; although Yeovil is 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...
, the station was in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
until 1995. It was opened 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...
in 1860 on its 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...
, 122.6 miles (197 km) south west of London. Today it is managed 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...
, and is also the home of the Yeovil Railway Centre
Yeovil Railway Centre
The Yeovil Railway Centre is a small railway museum at Yeovil Junction on the L&SWR West of England Main Line between Salisbury and Exeter.It was created in 1993 in response to British Rail's decision to remove the turntable from Yeovil Junction. Approximately ¼ mile of track along the Clifton...
.
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 final part of its line from on 1 June 1860. Near Bradford Abbas
Bradford Abbas
Bradford Abbas is a village in north west Dorset, England, three miles south east of Yeovil and five miles south west of Sherborne. The village has a population of 936...
it crossed over the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line
Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway
The Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway was a broad gauge railway that linked the Great Western Railway at Chippenham in 'Wilts' with Weymouth in Dorset, England. Branches ran to Devizes, Bradford-on-Avon and Salisbury in Wiltshire, and to Radstock in Somerset. The majority of the line survives...
of 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...
(GWR) on a bridge, then ran alongside it and the Yeovil Branch Line of the Bristol and Exeter Railway
Bristol and Exeter Railway
The Bristol & Exeter Railway was a railway company formed to connect Bristol and Exeter.The company's head office was situated outside their Bristol station...
(B&ER) to reach that company’s terminus at , on the west side of Yeovil. Just a few weeks later, on 19 July, 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) opened its Yeovil and Exeter line. This left the S&YR at Bradford Abbas Junction and crossed over the GWR line to its own station at Yeovil Junction, and then continued on towards Exeter Queen Street
Exeter Central railway station
Exeter Central railway station is the most centrally located of the railway stations in Exeter, Devon, England. It is smaller than St Davids which is on the west side of the city but it is served by trains on the London Waterloo to Exeter main line, and is also by local services to , and . From...
. The station was a junction because another line led back to join the S&YR at River Junction, so trains could run from Exeter direct to Hendford (the terminus was moved to a joint B&ER/LSWR Yeovil Town railway station
Yeovil Town railway station
Yeovil Town railway station was a railway station serving the town of Yeovil in Somerset, England. The station was located on the Yeovil to Taunton Line and also had shuttle services to Pen Mill and Yeovil Junction stations. The station opened on 1 June 1861, replacing an earlier Yeovil Hendford...
from 1 June 1861). The original eastwards connection from River Junction to Bradford Abbas was closed in 1870, after which most main line trains only called at Yeovil Junction where passengers could change onto a connecting train for the short journey to Yeovil Town. The LSWR operated all trains over the S&YR and bought the smaller company in 1878.
The station at this time had two platforms
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...
serving three tracks. The northern side was the track for trains to and London Waterloo; the middle track was covered by a train shed
Train shed
A train shed is an adjacent building to a railway station where the tracks and platforms are covered by a roof. It is also known as an overall roof...
and could be used from either platform and was for the trains to Yeovil Town; the southern track was for trains to Exeter. Goods traffic was handled on the north side of the main line, and a 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...
was placed on the south side. On 13 June 1864 a new line was opened from the GWR up to a goods station at Clifton Maybank on the south side of the LSWR station. The GWR was, until 1874, a broad gauge
Broad gauge
Broad-gauge railways use a track gauge greater than the standard gauge of .- List :For list see: List of broad gauges, by gauge and country- History :...
line and broad and standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
wagons could be brought alongside each other at Clifton Maybank to allow goods to be transhipped between them.
Work started in 1907 to enlarge the station and was completed in 1909. The new northern platform was 590 feet (179.8 m) long with a track on either side; the northern track was for the Yeovil Town trains and the southern side was for main line services to London. The 510 feet (155.4 m) southern platform also had two tracks, the northern face for westbound trains and the opposite side was a goods siding. Two through tracks also passed between the platforms for non-stop trains. A footbridge at the west end connected the two platforms and extended over the branch track to the station forecourt. A second footbridge was erected at the east end of the station but was dismantled in 1920 and moved up the line to Overton railway station
Overton railway station
Overton railway station serves the village of Overton in Hampshire, England. It is located in the adjacent village of Quidhampton. The station is served and operated by South West Trains.-Typical hourly off-peak service pattern:...
. The goods yard was also extended in 1908 and new sidings were laid near the GWR exchange siding. The cost of the work was in excess of £47,000.
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...
(SR) 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...
. The GWR’s Clifton Maybank branch closed on 7 June 1937. Wagons would in future be exchanged at Yeovil Town, but the GWR had to build a road for Mr Paul, the owner of a private siding which had connected with their line, so that he could bring his goods to the Clifton Maybank platform instead which was still served by the SR.
A new connection was established between the two companies 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...
to allow trains direct access between Yeovil Junction and on the Weymouth line. This was opened on 13 October 1943 and offered a new route for trains of war materials as well as a diversion route in the event of bomb damage.
On 1 January 1948 the Southern Railway was nationalised to become the Southern Region of British Railways
Southern 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...
. January 1963 saw the all the lines in the area 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 this was soon followed by the Reshaping of British Railways
Beeching Axe
The Beeching Axe or the Beeching Cuts are informal names for the British Government's attempt in the 1960s to reduce the cost of running British Railways, the nationalised railway system in the United Kingdom. The name is that of the main author of The Reshaping of British Railways, Dr Richard...
report. Yeovil Town closed to passengers on 2 October 1966, the branch service then operated to Pen Mill until it was withdrawn entirely on 4 May 1968. The main line had been rationalised on 11 June 1967 – Yeovil was now in the middle of a 15.26 miles (24.6 km) single track section between Sherborne and . This soon proved a rationalisation too far and the double track was restored between Sherborne and Yeovil Junction on 1 October 1967 but all trains had to use the eastbound mainline platform. On 26 March 1975 the former branch platform was reopened as a through line so that two trains could use the station at the same time.
A permanent way depot was established in the old goods yard on the north side of the station in 1965. A small Ruston and Hornsby four-wheel diesel locomotive number DS1169 was kept here for shunting until 1972. In 2001 the area was used by the Somerset and Dorset Locomotive Company as a depot for its fleet of hire locomotives, although this use has now ceased. The turntable has been retained on the south side of the line and is often used for turning the locomotives of steam-hauled excursions. This and the Clifton Maybank site has been the home of the Yeovil Railway Centre
Yeovil Railway Centre
The Yeovil Railway Centre is a small railway museum at Yeovil Junction on the L&SWR West of England Main Line between Salisbury and Exeter.It was created in 1993 in response to British Rail's decision to remove the turntable from Yeovil Junction. Approximately ¼ mile of track along the Clifton...
since 1993.
Accidents
There have been a number of accidents at Yeovil Junction over the years, although most were minor with few injuries.- 20 September 1860 – the rear coach of a Yeovil Junction to Hendford train derailed on the points leading onto the branch.
- October 1860 – a goods train going towards Hendford collided with a passenger train coming the other way.
- 12 June 1886 – a collision between a goods train and a passenger train to Yeovil Town due to confusing signals.
- 13 July 1887 – a locomotive collided with the coaches to which it was going to couple, knocking them almost 40 yards (36.6 m) along the track and injuring nine passengers.
- 26 July 1887 – an empty passenger carriage derailed while it was being added to a London train.
- 4 July 1914 – a coupling of an eastbound goods train broke. The rear part collided with the front 200 yards (182.9 m) from Yeovil Junction, knocking the wooden upper storey off the West signal boxSignal boxOn 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...
. - 20 August 1918 – a collision between locomotives occurred due to the signalman not following rules.
Signalling
The first 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 were built in 1875. "Yeovil Junction No. 1" was on the north side of the line at the west of the station, and "Yeovil Junction No. 2" was at the opposite end. When the station was rebuilt in 1908 the No. 1 Box was replaced by a new 60-lever "Yeovil Junction East" situated between the main and branch lines; No. 2 box was extended and renamed "Yeovil Junction West". The latter was damaged in an accident on 20 August 1918 but was rebuilt. At the end of 1949 they were renamed again, the East Box becoming "Yeovil Junction A" and the West Box "Yeovil Junction B"
The 1967 rationalisation saw the closure of the B Box on 30 April but the A Box was retained to control movements on the branch to Yeovil Town and Pen Mill. A siding connection to the main line was controlled by "Yeovil Junction West Ground Frame", while "Yeovil Junction East Ground Frame" was used for a connection to the sidings on the south side of the main line. When the double track was reinstated to Sherborne the signal box frame was replaced with a Western Region one of 44 levers.
Description
The entrance to the station is across the footbridge from the car park on the north side of the line. The garage in the middle of the car park is the station’s original goods shedGoods 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...
, and the remaining goods sidings are at the end of the car park. Descending from the footbridge to the 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...
brings passengers to the main station offices, which are built from red bricks with red glazed abutments. A second similar building at the east end of the platform is the station buffet which still contains its original (1908) counter. Now known as "Peppers", in 2009 it appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
but came under new management in 2011. Tracks serve both sides of the platform and are each signalled for trains to run in either direction.
Beyond the east end of the platform is 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...
. The tracks to London are on its right, and the single track to Yeovil Pen Mill is on its left. Although no regular passenger services have operated over this route since 1968, it is still kept for trains diverted off the London to Penzance route between and .
Opposite the main platform the old eastbound through line has been lifted but the westbound line is retained as a siding, accessible only from the east end of the station. Beyond is the old westbound platform which is no longer connected to the main station but is used by occasional visiting steam trains and by the Yeovil Railway Centre
Yeovil Railway Centre
The Yeovil Railway Centre is a small railway museum at Yeovil Junction on the L&SWR West of England Main Line between Salisbury and Exeter.It was created in 1993 in response to British Rail's decision to remove the turntable from Yeovil Junction. Approximately ¼ mile of track along the Clifton...
which lies to the south. The 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...
is at the right of their railway centre. It makes use of tracks to the left which are on the site of the old GWR Clifton Maybank goods depot. At the far end is a raised earthwork that looks like it once carried another siding, but it is in fact part of the original scheme of 1864 which envisaged another link from Clifton Maybank southwards towards which was never completed.
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...
operate hourly throughout most of the week between , , Yeovil Junction, and London Waterloo station.
There are bus services to Yeovil
Yeovil
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in south Somerset, England. The parish had a population of 27,949 at the 2001 census, although the wider urban area had a population of 42,140...
and the nearby village of Barwick
Barwick, Somerset
Barwick is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated south of Yeovil in the South Somerset district and on the border with Dorset. The parish, which includes the village of Stoford has a population of 1,289.-History:...
.
In August 2010 the bus connection to Yeovil Pen Mill was reinstated by South West Coaches
South West Coaches
South West Coaches is a privately owned company that operate a number of bus services around Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, in South West England. It operates local town services in Yeovil under contract to the County Council, ex-Sureline routes in the Dorchester, Weymouth and Isle of Portland...
by extending service 68. Service 74 also serves Yeovil Junction Station connecting it to Sherborne and the surrounding villages. except on Sundays and bank holidays when a service is operated by First Avon and Somerset (route 968).
See also
- Southern Railway routes west of SalisburySouthern Railway routes west of SalisburyThis article describes the history and operation of the railway routes west of Salisbury that ultimately became part of the Southern Railway in the United Kingdom...