| Hampton Loade | |
|---|---|
| Shrewsbury - Worcester train entering the station in 1951 | |
| Location | |
| Place | Hampton |
| Area | Shropshire |
| Operations | |
| Managed by | Severn Valley Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Stations on heritage railways in the United Kingdom | |
| 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 | |
Hampton Loade railway station is a station on the Severn Valley Railway heritage line, close to the hamlet of Hampton on the western bank of the River Severn; Hampton Loade itself is on the eastern bank, and may be reached by the Hampton Loade Ferry across the river.
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Hampton Loade station was first opened in 1862. After opening, the station possessed only one siding on the eastern side, the passing-loop and second platform being added in 1883. Trade at Hampton Loade was usually quiet, with most business being from fishermen.
Although closed by British Rail during the implementation of the Beeching Axe in 1963, plans for its closure had already been made before Beeching's report was published. Following closure all signalling equipment was removed from Hampton Loade, and the signal box was almost completely demolished.
From 1970 to 1974, Hampton Loade was the southern terminus of the SVR, just 4½ miles from Bridgnorth. Although at the time the SVR was said to go from "somewhere" to "nowhere" the terminus was a quaint and peaceful place to end services.
When preservationists first arrived at Hampton Loade from Bridgnorth, signalling was reinstated as a priority during the early days. A legacy of Hampton Loade's former guise as the SVR's southern terminus is the now rarely used down starting signal at the north end of the loop. The platforms at Hampton Loade can only accommodate four coaches at one time, as the SVR's trains are now regularly longer than this plans have been mooted to extend them.
At present, Mr.S. Dockerty is station master (appointed in 1999), he is assisted by Mr. L. Whittaker and Mr. C. Watson (both appointed in 2010). There are three Station Foremen: Mr B. Fairclough, Mr D. Shorto & Mr S. Hall, all appointed during 2010. Mr F. Hughes is the Chief Booking Clerk.
During the railway's B timetable the Severn Valley Limited dining service does not stop at the station in either direction.
Resident in the station's siding is ex-GWR Churchward third coach 2426 built in 1910. Presently being used for staff accommodation, the long term aim is to restore it to its original condition. It is the oldest carriage on the line and in continually deteriorating condition. There are possible plans for this to be replaced by Hawksworth sleeping car No. 9084 in the future, although this has come into question as that carriage is now in use at Kidderminster.
Also resident in the station siding opposite the up platform is British Railways built no. 3467; a 'fruit D' goods van designed by the GWR and built at Swindon in 1955. It is owned by the Hampton Loade Station Fund Committee and is in use as the station fund shop, known on the SVR as a 'treasure trove' for railwayana and books. It is currently painted in GWR freight grey and lettered with the words 'return to Helston'. It later had a number of W3467W and was preserved in 1973.[1]
Hampton Loade signal box controls three points, two distant signals, three starter signals, three home signals, and a set of catch points with related "Dummy" signal. Two of the points are located at either end of the station, controlling the exits to the loop, the third set of points controls the entrance to the siding, and are protected by the "Dummy" signal and its catch points. There are starter signals on the end of the down and up platforms, as well as a extra starter signal on the Brignorth end of the up platform which permits down trains starting at Hampton Loade to be despatched from the up platform. The home signals are located just before the loop entrance points that they protect, in the up direction a bracket carries two homes controlling entrance to the loop and main line, in the down direction a single home controls entry to the main line. In both directions working distant signals protect the homes.
The station is also the home of the 32mm Paddock Garden railway, which celebrated its 21st Anniversary in 2009.
Hampton Loade remains the home of Barry Railway coach 163 undergoing restoration for well over a decade. An 1895 6-wheel, 5 compartment first and second class composite built at Ashburys in Manchester, it was scrapped at Swindon on Saturday 24 November 1928, (at that time the Great Western Railway would write off its account assets on Saturdays). The body went to the Clent Hills near Birmingham becoming a holiday home, where it remained until 1992. Re-wheeled onto a 4 wheel ex-Southern Railway Van C underframe on 16 August 2003 some 75 years after being scrapped, it has been in the final stages of restoration back to its opulent Barry Railway condition for several years. Standing on an isolated section of track it is not presently considered to be resident on the SVR proper.
The station has been used as the filming location for many films and TV programmes, including The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain, Mad Dogs, a 1970s serial and The ChuckleVision episode Oh Brother.
| Preceding station | Heritage railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eardington Halt (Closed) | Severn Valley Railway | Country Park Halt | ||
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