Exeter St Thomas railway station

Infobox UK station
name = Exeter St Thomas

---

locale = Exeter
borough = Exeter, Devon
latitude = 50.71713
longitude = -3.53858
code = EXT
manager = First Great Western
platforms = 2
original = South Devon Railway
pregroup = Great Western Railway
postgroup = Great Western Railway
years = Opened
events = 1846
lowusage0203 = 45,681
lowusage0405 = 64,295
lowusage0506 = 76,964
lowusage0607 = 80,199

Exeter St Thomas railway station is a suburban railway station in Exeter. The station is elevated on a low viaduct with entrances on Cowick Street. [cite book| last = Oakley| first = Mike| title = Devon Railway Stations| publisher = The Dovecote Press| date = 2007| location = Wimbourne| id = ISBN 1-904349-55-6] The station is unstaffed with the former station building now used for offices and a Chinese restaurant. It is mainly served by local trains operated by First Great Western.

History

The station was opened on 30 May 1846 by the South Devon Railway. [cite book| last = MacDermot| first = E T| title = History of the Great Western Railway, volume II 1863-1921| publisher = Great Western Railway| date = 1931| location = London] The company had joint use of the Bristol and Exeter Railway station at St Davids but St Thomas was its own station. Although built on a convert|501|yd|m stone viaduct, the railway was nearer to the city centre and the quays on the Exeter Canal. Until 1862 tickets were only sold between St Thomas and stations west of Exeter, not to St Davids and the north! [cite journal | last = Kay | first = Peter | title = The First St Thomas | journal = British Railway Journal | issue = 45 | pages = 244–254 | publisher = Wild Swan Publications | date = 1993 | id = ISSN 0265-4105 ]

The railway was worked by atmospheric trains from 13 September 1847 until 9 September 1848. Unique in all the South Devon Railway stations, there was no engine house, so the driver had to hold the train on its brakes against the pressure in the pipes while it was stopped here. [cite book| last = Kay| first = Peter| title = Exeter - Newton Abbot: A Railway History| publisher = Platform 5 Publishing| date = 1991| location = Sheffield| id = ISBN 1-8725-2442-7]

The original station featured just a single track with a convert|175|ft|m platform on the city side of the line. A small booking office was built at road level at the north end of the station and steps led up to the platform. The viaduct was widened at this point by five feet to accommodate the platform.

In 1847 some improvements were completed including a larger office, a train shed over the platform, and an extension to bring the platform to a length of 260 feet.

In 1851 George Hennet was given permission to build a coal depot at St Thomas from where he could distribute coal, brought by train from his quay at Teignmouth. This was built on the city side of the line, north of the station. Hennet died in 1857 and the depot was eventually taken over by Robert Ward. It was closed in 1884 but Ward continued to use the land as premises until circa 1930. The site is now occupied by the Great Western Railway Staff Association staff club.

In 1861 the viaduct was widened on the west side (away from the city), and a second track brought into use which necessitated a second platform be built. Elegant new two-storey buildings were built on the city side of the viaduct, and a new train shed built across both platforms.

The train shed was demolished in the 1960s and the station is now unstaffed, the 1861 building now being used as a Chinese restaurant.

ervices

Most trains are operated by First Great Western on the Riviera Line from Paignton which then generally continue to Exmouth along the Avocet Line. There are also a very limited number of South West Trains services from London Waterloo station. [cite web |title = National Rail Timetable 135 (Winter 2007)|publisher= Network Rail|url = http://www.networkrail.co.uk/browse%20documents/eNRT/Dec07/timetables/Table135.pdf|format=PDF]

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References

Further reading

*cite book| last = Beck| first = Keith| coauthor = Copsey, John| title = The Great Western in South Devon| publisher = Wild Swan Publication| date = 1990| location = Didcot| id = ISBN 0-906867-90-8
*cite book| last = Cooke| first = RA| title = Track Layout Diagrams of the GWR and BR WR, Section 14: South Devon| publisher = RA Cooke| date = 1984| location = Harwell