Bodmin General
Station on heritage railway
General information
LocationBodmin, Cornwall
England
Coordinates50°27′58″N 4°43′00″W / 50.46611°N 4.71676°W / 50.46611; -4.71676
Grid referenceSX072664
Operated byBodmin and Wenford Railway
Platforms2
History
Previous namesBodmin
Original companyGreat Western Railway
Key dates
1887Opened
1967Closed to passengers
1983Line closed
1986Reopened for heritage trains
2020Second platform opened

Bodmin General railway station, located in Bodmin, Cornwall, United Kingdom, was the terminus of the Great Western Railway's Bodmin branch line, and is now the principal railway station of the heritage Bodmin & Wenford Railway.

History

Bodmin General in 1964

The Great Western Railway opened a terminus in Bodmin on 27 May 1887,[1] the line diverging from the Cornish Main Line at Bodmin Road. On 3 September 1888 a new line was opened to join with the Bodmin and Wadebridge line at Boscarne Junction. Bodmin General remained a terminus, so trains running through had to reverse here and retrace their journey for a few yards before bearing right just beyond the station.

The single-sided platform had two adjacent lines, the nearer being used as a run-round and the further being furnished with a goods shed beyond which another curving siding served a cattle dock. At the end of the platform was the signal box and beyond this were two sidings, one housing an engine shed; the junction being on the running line immediately beyond this. A short refuge siding was added to the Bodmin Road line in June 1928, and further on a connection into Fulford Trumps siding was added in April 1973.

The station was originally named Bodmin and, after nationalisation, became Bodmin General on 26 September 1949,[1] in order to distinguish it from other stations in the area[2] (Bodmin North and Bodmin Road).

The engine shed closed in April 1962, and passenger services ceased on 30 January 1967.[3] Freight services were withdrawn from Bodmin General on 1 May 1967 and the signal box closed later that year. The line officially closed on 3 October 1983 following the demise of freight traffic from Wenford.

Stationmasters

  • William Henry Smale 1887[4] - 1898[5] (afterwards station master at Torre)
  • Thomas Henry Hunt 1899[6] - 1908 (formerly station master at Chipping Norton)
  • W.A. Glasson 1908 - 1910[7]
  • Percy Joseph Molyneaux 1911[8] - 1918 (formerly station master at Penryn)
  • W.C. Wenmoth 1918 - 1935[9]
  • Edward Leslie Morris ca. 1939
  • Cecil Aubrey Stephens 1947 - 1965[10] (formerly station master at Horrabridge)

Bodmin & Wenford Railway

The Bodmin & Wenford Railway, a heritage railway, uses Bodmin General as its principal station. Services run to both Bodmin Parkway and to Boscarne Junction; the junction between these two lines is just outside the station which is a terminus. In February 2020, a second platform was opened.[11][12]

An engine shed and workshops is situated adjacent to the station. The workshops are open for inspection when trains are running.

Services

Preceding station Heritage Railways  Heritage railways Following station
Boscarne Junction   Bodmin and Wenford Railway   Colesloggett Halt
  Historical railways  
St Lawrence Platform   Great Western Railway
LSWR running powers		   Bodmin Road

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bodmin General railway station.
  1. 1 2 Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 38. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
  2. ↑ Slater, J.N., ed. (July 1974). "Notes and News: Western's last "General"". The Railway Magazine. London: IPC Transport Press Ltd. 120 (879): 361. ISSN 0033-8923.
  3. ↑ North Cornwall line closed The Railway Magazin issue 791 March 1967 page 168
  4. ↑ "Newton". Western Times. England. 13 May 1887. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  5. ↑ "1835-1910 Clerks Vol.5". Great Western Railway: 537. 1835. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  6. ↑ "Presentation to the late Stationmaster". Oxfordshire Weekly News. England. 1 March 1899. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  7. ↑ "Mr. W.A. Glasson". Western Morning News. England. 16 January 1930. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. ↑ "Penryn". Lake's Falmouth Packet and Cornwall Advertiser. England. 3 February 1911. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  9. ↑ "Popular Chief". Western Morning News. England. 5 November 1935. Retrieved 10 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  10. ↑ "Bodmin's Last Station-Master Retires". Cornish Guardian. England. 11 February 1965. Retrieved 5 July 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ Bodmin defies winter rain to complete construction of its new platform 2 Heritage Railway issue 266 April 2020 page 15
  12. ↑ Second Platform Project Bodmin & Wenford Railway
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