St Germans railway station

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St Germans
Location
Place St Germans
Local authority Caradon, Cornwall
Coordinates 50°23′40″N 4°18′32″W / 50.39430, -4.30876Coordinates: 50°23′40″N 4°18′32″W / 50.39430, -4.30876
Operations
Station code SGM
Managed by First Great Western
Platforms in use 2
Live departures and station information from National Rail
Annual Rail Passenger Usage
2004/05 * 24,926
2005/06 * 28,228
National Rail - UK railway stations

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z  
* Annual passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at St Germans from Office of Rail Regulation statistics.
Portal:St Germans railway station
 UK Railways Portal
The local rail users group's noticeboard on the station
The local rail users group's noticeboard on the station

St Germans Station serves the village of St Germans in Cornwall, UK. The Station is operated by First Great Western and 15 km (9¼ miles) west of Plymouth.

It is situated immediately west of the large St Germans viaduct.[1]

Both platforms have step-free entrances. The platform nearest St Germans Quay is served by trains to Liskeard; trains to Plymouth use the opposite platform.

Contents

[edit] History

The station opened with the Cornwall Railway on 4 May 1859. It was described at the time as "of ornamental design ... conveniently situated close to the town, and consists of arrival, departure, and goods stations, all three being constructed of stone".[2]

A fatal accident occurred near St Germans just two days after the opening of the railway. On 6 May 1859. The engine of the 7.25 p.m. train from Plymouth was approaching St Germans when it left the rails, hit the parapet of the wooden viaduct across Grove Creek and fell 38 feet into the mud below, landing upside down. Two of the coaches also ended up in the creek. The driver, fireman, and one guard were killed. A second guard, Richard Paddon, was given a reward of five pounds for his part in keeping the remainder of the train on the viaduct and helping to rescue the survivors.[3]

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 turn privatised in the 1990s.

In 1973 a signal panel was located in the old station buildings on the platform served by trains to Penzance, although this has since closed. The other building is private accommodation but a camping coach in the old sidings can be rented for holidays.

[edit] Services

St Germans is served by about half the trains on the Cornish Main Line between Penzance and Plymouth, including a few that run through to London Paddington station. One of the local services to Penzance each Saturday starts at London Waterloo station and is operated by South West Trains.[4]

  Preceding station     National Rail     Following station  
Saltash   First Great Western   Menheniot
Saltash   South West Trains   Liskeard

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bennett, Alan (1990). The Great Western Railway in East Cornwall. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870754-11-5. 
  2. ^ West Briton and Cornwall Advertiser, Railway Special Edition, 1859
  3. ^ MacDermot, E T (1931). History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921. London: Great Western Railway. 
  4. ^ National Rail Timetable 135 (Winter 2007) (PDF). Network Rail.

[edit] Further reading

One of the two camping coaches
One of the two camping coaches

[edit] External links

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Railway stations in Cornwall and West Devon
Cornish Main Line:
St Ives Bay Line:
Maritime Line:
Atlantic Coast Line:
Looe Valley Line:
Tamar Valley Line:
Heritage Railways
Bodmin & Wenford:
Launceston:
Launceston • Hunts Crossing • Canna Park • Newmills