Sherborne railway station
Encyclopedia
Sherborne railway station serves the town of Sherborne
in Dorset
, England. It is situated on the London Waterloo to Exeter line
, 118 miles (189.9 km) from London. Opened in 1860, it is currently operated by South West Trains
.
(S&YR) on 7 May 1860, when the company extended its line from Gillingham
to Sherborne. A level crossing
across the line was at the east end of the platforms
, and the goods yard with a goods shed
at the west end; this and the main buildings were on the north side of the line to be nearer the town. Another siding on the other side of the line served the town’s gas works which had been established in 1836. A signal box
was erected on the east side of the level crossing and to the south of the line in 1875.
The S&YR never operated any trains, instead they were provided by the London and South Western Railway
, which bought out the S&YR in 1878. In 1923 this became part of the Southern Railway
, which in turn was nationalised in 1948 to become the Southern Region of British Railways
.
In 1960 the signal box was replaced by a new one on the opposite side of the line, but after this a decline set in. From 1963 the line was transferred to the Western Region
, and in that year the Reshaping of British Railways
report was published. The smaller stations were soon closed, and most trains beyond were diverted to other routes. The gas works had stopped receiving coal in 1957 and all goods traffic was stopped from 18 April 1966. On 7 May 1967 the 21 miles (33.8 km) to was reduced to single track, but this proved a mistake and the double track was restored as far as on 1 October. The signal box was closed on 4 January 1970 when the level crossing was converted to lifting barriers, the controls for these now being in a conrol panel at the end of the eastbound platform.
The station buffet appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in The Guardian
in 2009.
The station also has a cafe, serving a breakfast and brunch meal. They are open from 6AM till 7PM, every day of the week except Bank Holidays and other seasonal holidays. Though not displaying the sale of cigarettes, they do sell them under the counter , with a choice of two brands: Mayfair and Lambert & Butler.
operate hourly throughout most of the week between , Sherborne, and London Waterloo station. Services are timetabled to pass at Sherborne but the double track provides some flexibility should one of them be running late.
Sherborne
Sherborne is a market town in northwest Dorset, England. It is sited on the River Yeo, on the edge of the Blackmore Vale, east of Yeovil. The A30 road, which connects London to Penzance, runs through the town. The population of the town is 9,350 . 27.1% of the population is aged 65 or...
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...
, 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...
, 118 miles (189.9 km) from London. Opened in 1860, 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 station was opened by 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) on 7 May 1860, when the company extended its line 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:...
to Sherborne. A level crossing
Level 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...
across the line was at the east end of the 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...
, and the goods yard with a 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...
at the west end; this and the main buildings were on the north side of the line to be nearer the town. Another siding on the other side of the line served the town’s gas works which had been established in 1836. A 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 erected on the east side of the level crossing and to the south of the line in 1875.
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...
, which bought out the S&YR in 1878. In 1923 this became 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...
, which in turn was nationalised in 1948 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...
.
In 1960 the signal box was replaced by a new one on the opposite side of the line, but after this a decline set in. From 1963 the line was 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 that year 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 was published. The smaller stations were soon closed, and most trains beyond were diverted to other routes. The gas works had stopped receiving coal in 1957 and all goods traffic was stopped from 18 April 1966. On 7 May 1967 the 21 miles (33.8 km) to was reduced to single track, but this proved a mistake and the double track was restored as far as on 1 October. The signal box was closed on 4 January 1970 when the level crossing was converted to lifting barriers, the controls for these now being in a conrol panel at the end of the eastbound platform.
Description
The entrance and offices are on the northern platform which is served by trains going towards London. A large canopy covers much of the other platform. This is normally reached by crossing a footbridge, but people who find this difficult to use can cross the track under the supervision of the signaller who operates the level crossing. The old signal box still stands on the other side of this, and at the other end of the station can be seen the old goods shed.The station buffet 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...
in 2009.
The station also has a cafe, serving a breakfast and brunch meal. They are open from 6AM till 7PM, every day of the week except Bank Holidays and other seasonal holidays. Though not displaying the sale of cigarettes, they do sell them under the counter , with a choice of two brands: Mayfair and Lambert & Butler.
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 , Sherborne, and London Waterloo station. Services are timetabled to pass at Sherborne but the double track provides some flexibility should one of them be running late.
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...