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Staverton Station


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Hi chaps,

 

After a long slog over the past couple of days to complete locos and rolling stock, I am now turning my attention towards a layout. For a couple of weeks I have been toying with the idea of Staverton Station in Devon for my first P4 layout. I certainly haven't turned my back on Horrabridge, far from it; old OS maps have been scanned and yet more photographs ordered to help with the build, but my ideas have started to grow. The 'paper' plan now looks as if it will be 20ft by 4ft, although Rod Cameron very kindly has agreed to help with a Templot plan which will help. But it is still a huge project and too big to be a realistic first project. To start with it would fill the down stairs of the house!

 

So what I am after is a bit of advice as to the original track plan for Staverton. I understand that it looked like the diagram below, but would be interested if anyone knows any different.

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(Green represents trap point, although this might be a headshunt)

 

 

 

Thanks in advance,

 

Regards,

Nick.

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In Kingdom, A.R., (1977), The Ashburton Branch (and the Totnes Quay Line), Oxford: Oxford Publishing Company, the map gives a short headshunt. In the Signal Box Diagram (ibid) it is shown as a trap point protected by a dummy at each end. There is a fpl on the main. Measuring the map, from the toe of the (allegedly trap) point, the length of the headshunt is half the length of the siding (and from that you'd have to take the length of the point). However there is no scale. Date on the SBD is 1974. Dates of the maps - 1950s.

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Hi Nick

 

I can't think of a more picturesque station to model. Have spent lots of time on the South Devon Railway. Anyway Clarks' Historical Survey of Selected Great Western Stations Vol 3 shows a plan of the station in 1914 with signal diagram.

 

ADMIN EDIT - image removed due to copyright infringement

 

All the best

 

Andy

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Just looked at Clark referred to above, and a photo shows a clerestory coach and an open wagon occupying the 'headshunt', so it seems at one time to have been more than a trap point. The photo is undated. However the text says 'apart from a lengthening of the siding in 1928..." but the how, the why and the plan is open to question. As the lengthening could not really be behind the station, it could be surmised that the siding was extended at the headshunt end, moving the main line point towards Totnes and taking out the headshunt.

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Goods to and from the mill were taken by the branch goods from Totnes, passed Staverton, the wagons being left at Buckffastleigh, the train continuing to Ashburton. On the return journey the Staverton wagons were collected from Buckfastleigh enabling shunting at Staverton. This description taken from the 1950s, according the the Kingdom book.

 

There's also something similar in Turner, C, (1994), Operations at Ashburton. In Great Western Railway Journal No 12, Autumn 1994, Didcot: Wild Swan Publications.

 

All this should make for interesting operation.

 

[Edit] However on the down journey there was time to stop at Staverton so that goods could be barrowed across the platform.

 

[Further Edit]If such a delivery were to be made, the wagon would be marshalled next to the brake van so that the train cleared the level crossing.

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The attached photos were taken 1969/70 when the Dart Valley had possesion, but before they did any work at Staverton, therefore showing the layout in the final B R days.

 

They illustrate the start of the movement of our L M S Stove R (known to us as the "Stover" after the nearby former P O W camp situated on the road to Newton Abbott) from Buckfastleigh to Bridgnorth. Unfortunately not all of the equipment had been removed before the van was moved down the branch, hence the evening "jolly" with the ex Western National (Bristol K5G, LTA813, fleet No 994) bus to collect said goods.

 

You will notice that the siding extends all the way to the Cider store and holds several interesting vehicles. The photo was taken from the Staverton Joiners access road on which the bus is standing.

 

Photos by the late R C (Sam) Samborne.

 

H T H

 

Wally

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