THE REBUILDING OF PLYMOUTH "NORTH ROAD" RAILWAY STATION

A HISTORY OF PLYMOUTH STATION AND ENVIRONS

Early History

The present Exeter to Plymouth main line, in the form of the South Devon Railway, reached a temporary station at Laira Green on 5^th May 1848 and was extended to Plymouth Millbay the following year, this being completed in March 1849 and opened to passenger traffic on the 2^nd April 1849. When Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge was completed and opened at Saltash on the 2^nd May 1859, through running to and from Cornwall was possible. Millbay station at this stage was simply known as ‘Plymouth’ until 1^st May 1877.

On the 22^nd June 1859 the branch line to Tavistock was opened and was extended to Launceston six years later. It was over this route that London and South Western Railway (L.S.W.R.) services first reached Plymouth on 17^th May 1876 via Exeter and Okehampton. Train services from London on the Great Western route terminated at Devonport Kings Road. This station, on the site of today’s Plymouth College of Further Education was also opened on the 17^th May 1876 under the title of Devonport & Stonehouse. The Cornwall Loop Viaduct, west of the present Plymouth station and carrying today’s main line, was constructed to facilitate this and also opened on the 17^th May 1876 along with North Road Junction (where the Millbay line turned off and headed south) and West Junction. This meant that the London & South Western Railway trains could come through Plymouth and enter Cornwall avoiding Millbay station. The Cornwall Railway services running to and from Cornwall and Millbay included Stonehouse Pool Viaduct at the eastern end of Victoria Park. This was a beautiful Brunel timber ‘fan’ viaduct until this was replaced by a steel structure on brickwork columns during 1908. This in turn was dismantled in November 1965 leaving only the columns standing. These are now supporting Richard Deacon’s steel red sculpture named “Moor”.

Plymouth Station is Born

Plymouth North Road was opened to passengers on the 28^th March 1877. The station was constructed in timber for speed purposes. It was built for the need to increase the number of services the L.S.W.R. could have and form a more direct route via Devonport Kings Road which thereafter was no longer a terminus. Instead, the trains terminated at North Road until 1891 where it was extended to Plymouth Friary which was opened to passengers on 1^st July 1891. Plymouth North Road was enlarged during 1908 to create four through platforms with six platform faces, one bay platform and one dock. After World War One, the station had two separate part wooden train sheds leaving the through line uncovered. Rebuilding started in 1938 when the government subsidised railway improvement schemes to generate employment in some areas including Plymouth. Included in this project was the widening of Saltash Bridge which is west of the station (it since has been decorated with painted ivy leaves with a footbridge built next to it) to provide more tracks. During this time, considerable track and signaling alterations took place and an entirely new platform was provided with buildings on the north side of the station which is at present platforms 7 and 8. Outbreak of World War Two meant that all further development was shelved and a new subway was left unfinished.

During the war itself the station surprisingly escaped with nothing more serious than a few shattered windowpanes. However, war damage brought the end of passenger services from Millbay on 23^rd April 1941.

Post War Plymouth Station

Rebuilding commenced in 1956 as part of a post-war £1.8 million scheme developing new offices, resignalling and the creation of a new diesel depot at Laira. As far as the buildings were concerned, the parcels depot at the west end of the station was transferred to the east end of the station forecourt. May 1958 brought about the demolishing of the older buildings on the down side to create new and improved offices.

Another development at this point was the dropping of the ‘North Road’ station title on the 15^th September 1958, exactly the day on which Plymouth Friary station closed to passenger traffic. Trains were now terminating at what thereafter was simply known as ‘Plymouth’.

Reconstruction continued and in 1960, the building to the west of the subway was brought into use. This included the Stationmaster’s Office and accommodation for the British Transport Police. In July of the same year, a new modernized Ticket Office equipped with the then latest types of ticket printing machines came into operation. The new signal box was commissioned within the 26^th-28^th of November which replaced six mechanical signal boxes. A new block incorporating refreshment facilities and accommodation for the catering staff was ready in November replacing the previous accommodation on platforms 7/8. During December the Brunel Bar was opened with no access to the platform. This is now the site of the Pumpkin Café. An Enquiry Office was sited where the present day WH Smith is located. The concourse, with its rubber tile flooring, was completed in March 1962. The front of the station is dominated by the 10 storey office block of glass and concrete construction designed to be the home of the Plymouth Division. It was completed in time for MP Dr. Beeching’s visit to formally open the rebuilt station on March 26^th 1962, twenty four years after rebuilding commenced!

New Years Eve of 1962 was the day that the branch line to Tavistock and Launceston was closed to passenger traffic.

The rebuilt station comprised of 7 platform faces and a pair of small loading docks at the east end of the down side. Notice the absence of a platform 1? The pre-war plan was a down bay platform for Tavistock motor trains but the idea was dropped so a platform 1 never existed. The new loading docks and parcels depot had been built on this instead.

Major reform took place after this across the entire British Rail network with Dr. Beeching responsible for curbing many branch and main line services in the wake of the infamous Beeching report. Locally, the section from St. Budeaux via Ford to Devonport Kings Road closed completely. The main line via Okehampton as a through route was closed with effect from Monday 6^th May 1968. The entire Millbay line, including the branch into Millbay Docks finally closed on the 30^th June 1971. The Docks at the time seemed to offer little potential for any traffic anymore as most of the train servicing was being performed at Laira Depot.

With the phased introduction of High Speed Trains which coincided with timetable speed ups, the track layout at Plymouth Station was simplified during the Winter Timetable period of 1973/74 to reflect the decreasing volume of services. Platforms 2 and 3 ceased to be through platforms due to the cut in Southern Region services. After this took place, the Royal Mail had elevated the platform surface alongside Dock 2. This followed the introduction of high-security mail vans. However, although the raised platform is still there, the Royal Mail traveling Post Office trains ceased to exist in the Westcountry on 9^th January 2004 due to major reform from its only shareholder, the government performing a major Post Office reform.

So, that’s how Plymouth Station is what it is today. Since privatisation of the Railway Industry in 1996, the station has been under ownership of Railtrack and now Network Rail and has been leased out to a Great Western franchise and currently a First Great Western franchise servicing passenger traffic from Virgin Trains, South West Trains as well as its own First Great Western services.