Launceston railway station ( kw, Lannstevan) was situated in Launceston, Cornwall,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. It was served by both the Great Western Railway (GWR) and

London and South Western Railway The London and South Western Railway (LSWR, sometimes written L&SWR) was a railway company in England from 1838 to 1922. Originating as the London and Southampton Railway, its network extended to Dorchester and Weymouth, to Salisbury, Exeter ...

(LSWR). There were actually two stations adjacent to each other, the northern station serving the line to Plymouth, which was built by the

Launceston and South Devon Railway Launceston may refer to: Places * Launceston, Cornwall, a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom ** Launceston (UK Parliament constituency), a former parliamentary constituency in Cornwall * Launceston, Tasmani ...

(later GWR), and the southern station being on the

North Cornwall Railway The North Cornwall Railway was a railway line running from Halwill in Devon to Padstow in Cornwall via Launceston, Camelford and Wadebridge, a distance of . Opened in the last decade of the nineteenth century, it was part of a drive by the Lon ...

(for the LSWR) which was operated by the

. The two stations unusually shared a "back to back" signal box from 1916, despite being operated by different railway companies. A connection between the two railways was provided in 1943. The GWR station closed to passengers in 1952, all trains then using the LSWR station. The Launceston Steam Railway now operates nearby.

History

The station was opened on 1 June 1865 by the

, a broad gauge line that connected with the

South Devon and Tavistock Railway The South Devon and Tavistock Railway linked Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon; it opened in 1859. It was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston, in Cornwall in 1865. It was a broad gauge line but from 1876 also carried t ...

to offer a service to

Plymouth Millbay railway station Plymouth Millbay railway station was the original railway terminus in Plymouth, Devon, England. It was used for passenger trains from 1849 to 1941. It was rebuilt in 1903. History The South Devon Railway Company, South Devon Railway origina ...

where connections could be made onto trains to

London Paddington station Paddington, also known as London Paddington, is a Central London railway terminus and London Underground station complex, located on Praed Street in the Paddington area. The site has been the London terminus of services provided by the Great W ...

. This line eventually became a part of the GWR. It was proposed in 1865 to extend the line to meet the

Bude Canal The Bude Canal was a canal built to serve the hilly hinterland in the Cornwall and Devon border territory in the United Kingdom, chiefly to bring lime-bearing sand for agricultural fertiliser. The Bude Canal system was one of the most unusual ...

, but the scheme failed to raise its capital. On 21 July 1886 a standard gauge line was opened from

Halwill Junction Halwill is a village in Devon, England just off the A3079 road, A3079 Okehampton to Holsworthy, Devon, Holsworthy road. About a mile away on the main road is another settlement called Halwill Junction. This name brings to mind the former signif ...

, built by the

, which gave a direct route over the LSWR to

London Waterloo station Waterloo station (), also known as London Waterloo, is a central London terminus on the National Rail network in the United Kingdom, in the Waterloo area of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is connected to a London Underground station of t ...

. The two companies kept separate stations for many years but on 22 September 1943 a connection was established between the two lines to give flexibility should the railway lines around Plymouth be damaged by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

bombing. Other connections were installed at

Lydford railway station Lydford railway station was a junction at Lydford between the Great Western Railway (GWR) and London and South Western Railway (LSWR) situated in a remote part of north-west Dartmoor in Devon, England. History The station, known then as "Lidfo ...

and at

St Budeaux St Budeaux is an area and ward in the north west of Plymouth in the English county of Devon. Original settlement The name St Budeaux comes from Saint Budoc, the Bishop of Dol (Brittany). Around 480, Budoc is said to have founded a settlemen ...

. Trains continued to use their own company's platforms but on 18 June 1951, about three years after nationalisation and the formation of British Railways, the former GWR station became "Launceston North" and the former LSWR station became "Launceston South". These names did not stay in use for long as from 30 June 1952 the passenger trains from Plymouth were routed into the LSWR platforms. The two companies had, however, used a single signal box from December 1916 when the GWR's box was closed and the LSWR's widened to take two sets of equipment, one facing each line. The former LSWR's locomotive facilities were closed in the 1940s and locomotives then made use of the adjacent GWR facilities. Trains were withdrawn from the former GWR line on 31 December 1962; however, from 8 September 1964 until 28 February 1966 the line was reopened as far as Lifton railway station for goods traffic. Trains were withdrawn from the former LSWR line on 3 October 1966.

Description

The LSWR route passed over the GWR line east of the station and the 1943 connection was situated between this lattice girder bridge and the station. The northernmost platform one was that used, until 1952, by the GWR trains to and from Plymouth. As well as the track alongside the platform, there were two sidings and the southern one was alongside a loading platform. South of this was the platform for LSWR trains towards London, and then that for LSWR trains towards Padstow. It was on this latter platform that the LSWR's offices were situated. There were goods sheds for both lines, that for the GWR north of their platform; that for the LSWR south of theirs. Engine sheds for both lines were situated at the east end of the station between the two lines.

Launceston Steam Railway

Today, the site of both original stations is covered by an industrial estate. The stone steps that used to lead up to the metal overbridge are still extant but little else. A station for the Launceston Steam Railway has been built in a cutting slightly to the west of the old station site, using the canopy formerly at Tavistock North railway station. The railway started operation in 1983.

References

External links

North Cornwall Railway
{{Cornwall, state=collapsed Disused railway stations in Cornwall Former Great Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1865 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1952 Former London and South Western Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1886 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1966 Heritage railway stations in Cornwall Beeching closures in England Launceston, Cornwall