View source for Yeovil Junction railway station

{{Short description|Railway station in Somerset, England}}
{{For|the station on the Bristol to Weymouth line|Yeovil Pen Mill railway station}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2016}}
{{Use British English|date=December 2016}}
{{Infobox station
| name               = Yeovil Junction
| symbol_location    = gb
| symbol             = rail
| image              = 2010 at Yeovil Junction - footbridge.jpg
| borough            = [[Yeovil]], [[Somerset]]
| country            = England
| coordinates        = {{coord|50.9247|-2.6132|type:railwaystation_region:GB_scale:10000|display=inline,title}}
| grid_name          = [[Ordnance Survey National Grid|Grid reference]]
| grid_position      = {{gbmapscaled|ST570141|25|ST570141}}
| manager            = [[South Western Railway]]
| platforms          = 2
| code               = YVJ
| classification     = [[United Kingdom railway station categories|DfT category]] D
| original           = [[Salisbury and Yeovil Railway]]
| pregroup           = [[London and South Western Railway]]
| postgroup          = [[Southern Railway (Great Britain)|Southern Railway]]
| years              = 1 June 1860
| events             = Yeovil Junction opened
| years1             = 13 June 1864
| events1            = Clifton Maybank opened
| years2             = 1908
| events2            = Station rebuilt
| years3             = 7 June 1937
| events3            = Clifton Maybank closed
| mpassengers        = <!--{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2017/18 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.224 million}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2018/19 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.210 million}}-->
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2019/20 |passengers={{decrease}} 0.189 million |interchange={{pad|2em}} 4,664}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2020/21 |passengers={{decrease}} 36,972 |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{decrease}} 1,106}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2021/22 |passengers={{increase}} 0.131 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 3,081}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2022/23 |passengers={{increase}} 0.170 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 8,140}}
{{Rail pass box |pass_year=2023/24 |passengers={{increase}} 0.191 million |interchange={{pad|1em}}{{increase}} 9,611}}
| footnotes          = Passenger statistics from the [[Office of Rail and Road]]
}}
'''Yeovil Junction''' is the busier, but less central, of two railway stations serving the town of [[Yeovil]] in [[Somerset]], England; the other is {{rws|Yeovil Pen Mill}}. The station is sited {{convert|2|miles}} outside the town, in the village of [[Stoford, Somerset|Stoford]]; although Yeovil is in Somerset, the station was in [[Dorset]] until 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1991/286/made|title=The Dorset and Somerset (County Boundaries) Order 1991|website=Legialation.gov.uk|access-date=15 November 2021}}</ref> It is located {{convert|122|mi|48|chain|km}} down the line from {{stn|London Waterloo}}.

It was opened by the [[London and South Western Railway]] in 1860, on its London to Exeter line now known as the [[West of England Main Line]]. Today, it is managed by [[South Western Railway]] and is also the home of the [[Yeovil Railway Centre]].

==History==
[[File:Yeovil railways.png|thumb|left|Railways around Yeovil]]
The [[Salisbury and Yeovil Railway]] (S&YR) opened the final part of its line from {{stnlnk|Sherborne}} on 1 June 1860. Near [[Bradford Abbas]] it crossed over the [[Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway|Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth line]] of the [[Great Western Railway]] (GWR) on a bridge, then ran alongside it and the [[Yeovil Branch Line]] of the [[Bristol and Exeter Railway]] (B&ER) to reach that company’s terminus at {{stnlnk|Hendford}}, on the west side of Yeovil. Just a few weeks later, on 19 July, the [[London and South Western Railway]] (LSWR) opened its Yeovil and Exeter line. This left the S&YR at Bradford Abbas Junction and crossed over the GWR line to its own station at Yeovil Junction, and then continued on towards [[Exeter Central railway station|Exeter Queen Street]]. The station was a junction because another line led back to join the S&YR at River Junction, so trains could run from Exeter direct to Hendford (the terminus was moved to a joint B&ER/LSWR [[Yeovil Town railway station]] from 1 June 1861). The original eastwards connection from River Junction to Bradford Abbas was closed in 1870, after which most main line trains only called at Yeovil Junction where passengers could change onto a connecting train for the short journey to Yeovil Town. The LSWR operated all trains over the S&YR and bought the smaller company in 1878.<ref name=Yeovil150>{{cite book |last= Jackson |first= B.L. |title= Yeovil, 150 Years of Railways |year= 2003 |publisher= Oakwood Press |location= Usk |isbn= 0-85361-612-4}}</ref>

The station at this time had two [[Railway platform|platforms]] serving three tracks. The northern side was the track for trains to {{stnlnk|Salisbury}} and [[London Waterloo station|London Waterloo]]; the middle track was covered by a [[train shed]] and could be used from either platform and was for the trains to Yeovil Town; the southern track was for trains to Exeter. Goods traffic was handled on the north side of the main line, and a [[Turntable (railroad)|turntable]] was placed on the south side. On 13 June 1864 a new line was opened from the GWR up to a goods station at [[Clifton Maybank]] adjacent to the LSWR station. The GWR was, until 1874, a {{RailGauge|7ft}} [[broad gauge]] line and broad and [[standard gauge]] wagons could be brought alongside each other at Clifton Maybank to allow goods to be [[transhipment|transhipped]] between them.<ref name=Yeovil150/>

[[File:Yeoviljunction.jpg|thumb|left|Yeovil Junction following reconstruction in 1908 with the station master’s house in the background. The wagons are in the Clifton Maybank sidings.]]

Work started in 1907 to enlarge the station and was completed in 1909. The new northern platform was {{convert|590|ft|m}} long with a track on either side; the northern track was for the Yeovil Town trains and the southern side was for main line services to London. The {{convert|510|ft|m|adj=on}} southern platform also had two tracks, the northern face for westbound trains and the opposite side was  a goods siding. Two through tracks also passed between the platforms for non-stop trains. A footbridge at the west end connected the two platforms and extended over the branch track to the station forecourt. A second footbridge was erected at the east end of the station but was dismantled in 1920 and moved up the line to [[Overton railway station]]. The goods yard was also extended in 1908 and new sidings were laid near the GWR exchange siding. The cost of the work was in excess of £47,000.<ref name=Yeovil150/>

The LSWR became a part of the [[Southern Railway (Great Britain)|Southern Railway]] (SR) in 1923 as a result of the [[Railways Act 1921]]. The GWR’s Clifton Maybank branch closed on 7 June 1937. Wagons would in future be exchanged at Yeovil Town, but the GWR had to build a road for Mr Paul, the owner of a private siding which had connected with their line, so that he could bring his goods to the Clifton Maybank platform instead which was still served by the SR.<ref name=Yeovil150/>

A new connection was established between the two companies during [[World War II]] to allow trains direct access between Yeovil Junction and {{stnlnk|Yeovil Pen Mill}} on the Weymouth line. This was opened on 13 October 1943 and offered a new route for trains of war materials as well as a diversion route in the event of bomb damage.<ref name=Yeovil150/>

[[File:Yeovil Junction transfer shed DS1174.jpg|thumb|right|The old goods transfer shed which is now part of the Yeovil Railway Centre in July 2010]]

On 1 January 1948 the Southern Railway was [[nationalisation|nationalised]] to become the [[Southern Region of British Railways]]. January 1963 saw all the lines in the area transferred to the [[Western Region of British Railways|Western Region]] and this was soon followed by the ''[[Beeching Axe|Reshaping of British Railways]]'' report. Yeovil Town closed to passengers on 2 October 1966, the branch service then operated to Pen Mill until it was withdrawn entirely on 4 May 1968. The main line had been rationalised on 11 June 1967<ref name=Salisbury>{{cite book |last1= Phillips |first1= Derek |last2= Pryer|first2= George |title= The Salisbury to Exeter Line |year= 1997 |publisher= Oxford Publishing Company |location= Sparkford |isbn= 0-86093-525-6 }}</ref>&nbsp;– Yeovil was now in the middle of a {{convert|15.26|mi|km}} single track section between Sherborne and {{stnlnk|Chard Junction}}.<ref name=RTD>{{cite book| last = Jacobs| first = Gerald| title = Railway Track Diagrams Book 3: Western| publisher = Trackmaps| year = 2005| location = Bradford-on-Avon| isbn = 0-9549866-1-X}}</ref> This soon proved a rationalisation too far and the double track was restored between Sherborne and Yeovil Junction on 1 October 1967 but all trains had to use the eastbound main line platform.<ref name=Salisbury/> On 26 March 1975 the former branch platform was reopened as a through line so that two trains could use the station at the same time.<ref name=Oakley>{{cite book| last = Oakley| first = Mike| title = Somerset Railway Stations| publisher = Redcliffe Press| year = 2006| location = Bristol| isbn = 1-904537-54-5}}</ref> A limited passenger service to Yeovil Pen Mill was reinstated in 2015 since when this has gradually increased in frequency.

A permanent way depot was established in the old goods yard on the north side of the station in 1965. A small [[Ruston and Hornsby]] four-wheel diesel locomotive number DS1169 was kept here for shunting until 1972. In 2001 the area was used by the Somerset and Dorset Locomotive Company as a depot for its fleet of hire locomotives, although this use has now ceased. The turntable has been retained on the south side of the line and is often used for turning the locomotives of steam-hauled excursions. This and the Clifton Maybank site has been the home of the [[Yeovil Railway Centre]] since 1993.<ref name=Yeovil150/>

{{Historical Rail Start}}
{{rail line two to one|previous1={{stnlnk|Sherborne}}|route1=[[London and South Western Railway]]<br />[[Southern Railway routes west of Salisbury|London Waterloo to Devon and Cornwall]]|next={{stnlnk |Sutton Bingham}}|previous2={{stnlnk|Yeovil Town}}|route2=[[London and South Western Railway]]<br />Yeovil Branch |col={{LSWR colour}} }}
{{s-end}}

=== Signalling ===
[[File:2011 at Yeovil Junction - signal box branch side.jpg|thumb|The signal box which closed in March 2012, photo taken in February 2011]]The first [[signal box]]es were built in 1875. "Yeovil Junction No. 1" was on the north side of the line at the west of the station, and "Yeovil Junction No. 2" was at the opposite end. When the station was rebuilt in 1908 the No. 1 Box was replaced by a new 60-lever "Yeovil Junction East" situated between the main and branch lines; No. 2 box was extended and renamed "Yeovil Junction West". The latter was damaged in an accident on 20 August 1918 but was rebuilt. At the end of 1949 they were renamed again, the East Box becoming "Yeovil Junction A" and the West Box "Yeovil Junction B".<ref name=Yeovil150/>

The 1967 rationalisation saw the closure of the B Box on 30 April but the A Box was retained to control movements on the branch to Yeovil Town and Pen Mill. A siding connection to the main line was controlled by "Yeovil Junction West Ground Frame", while "Yeovil Junction East Ground Frame" was used for a connection to the sidings on the south side of the main line. When the double track was reinstated to Sherborne the signal box frame was replaced with a Western Region one of 44 levers.<ref name=Yeovil150/>

The remaining box was closed in March 2012, when the line between Salisbury and Exmouth Junction was re-signalled.<ref>[http://www.yeovilrailway.freeservers.com/120312.html "Salisbury to Exeter re-signalling scheme"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160902154429/http://www.yeovilrailway.freeservers.com/120312.html |date=2 September 2016 }}''Yeovil Railway Centre''; Retrieved 29 September 2016</ref>  Signalling here is now supervised from Basingstoke Area Signalling Centre.

===Accidents and incidents===
There have been a number of accidents at Yeovil Junction over the years, although most were minor with few injuries.<ref name=Yeovil150/>
* 20 September 1860&nbsp;– the rear coach of a Yeovil Junction to Hendford train derailed on the points leading onto the branch.
* October 1860&nbsp;– a goods train going towards Hendford collided with a passenger train coming the other way.
* 12 June 1886&nbsp;– a collision between a goods train and a passenger train to Yeovil Town due to confusing signals.
* 13 July 1887&nbsp;– a locomotive collided with the coaches to which it was going to couple, knocking them almost {{convert|40|yd|m}} along the track and injuring nine passengers.
* 26 July 1887&nbsp;– an empty passenger carriage derailed while it was being added to a London train.
* 4 July 1914&nbsp;– a coupling of an eastbound goods train broke. The rear part collided with the front {{convert|200|yd|m}} from Yeovil Junction, knocking the wooden upper storey off the West [[signal box]].
* 20 August 1918&nbsp;– a collision between locomotives occurred due to the signalman not following rules.

==Location==
The entrance to the station is across the footbridge from the car park on the north side of the line. The garage in the middle of the car park is the station’s original [[goods shed]], and the remaining goods sidings are at the end of the car park. Descending from the footbridge to the [[Railway platform|platform]] brings passengers to the main station offices, which are built from red bricks with red glazed abutments. A second similar building at the east end of the platform is the station buffet which still contains its original (1908) counter.<ref name="Oakley" /> Now known as "Peppers", in 2009 it appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in ''[[The Guardian]]''<ref>{{cite web | last = Wills | first = Dixe | title = Ten of the best railway cafes | publisher = Guardian | date = 2009-05-12 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2009/may/12/railway-station-cafes-uk-food | access-date = 2009-06-30 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090515093143/http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2009/may/12/railway-station-cafes-uk-food | archive-date = 15 May 2009 | url-status = live }}</ref> but came under new management in 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/farming/Council-really-rates-hygienic-food-premises/article-3203907-detail/article.html | title=Council really rates hygienic food premises | publisher=This is Somerset | access-date=17 February 2011 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

== Platform layout ==
Tracks serve both sides of the platform and are each signalled for trains to run in either direction.<ref name="RTD" />

Beyond the east end of the platform was the signal box, now demolished. The tracks to London are on its right, and the single track to Yeovil Pen Mill is on its left. No regular passenger services operated over this route from 1968 until December 2015 when a limited service was introduced between London Waterloo and Yeovil Pen Mill via Yeovil Junction.

Opposite the main platform the old eastbound through line has been lifted but the westbound line is retained as a siding, accessible only from the east end of the station.  Beyond is the old westbound platform which is no longer connected to the main station but is used by occasional visiting steam trains and by the [[Yeovil Railway Centre]] which lies to the south. The [[Turntable (railroad)|turntable]] is at the right of their railway centre.<ref name="RTD" /> It makes use of tracks to the left which are on the site of the old GWR Clifton Maybank goods depot. At the far end is a raised earthwork that looks like it once carried another siding, but it is in fact part of the original scheme of 1864 which envisaged another link from Clifton Maybank southwards towards {{stnlnk|Weymouth}} which was never completed.<ref name="Yeovil150" />

==Services==
[[File:Yeovil Junction - SWR 159003 Waterloo to Pen Mill service.JPG |thumb|left|A SWR {{brc|159}} with a service from {{stn|London Waterloo}} to {{stnlnk|Yeovil Pen Mill}} in March 2019]]
[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]] operate services at least once per hour during the daytime to [[London Waterloo]] and {{stnlnk|Exeter St Davids}}. A limited service operates to {{stnlnk|Yeovil Pen Mill}}, some of which then continue to London Waterloo via {{stnlnk|Westbury}}.

{{rail start}}
{{rail line one to two|next1={{stnlnk|Crewkerne}} |next2={{stnlnk|Yeovil Pen Mill}} |previous={{stnlnk|Sherborne}}|route1=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br /><small>[[West of England Main Line]]</small>|route2=[[South Western Railway (train operating company)|South Western Railway]]<br /><small>[[Heart of Wessex Line]]</small>|col={{SWR colour}} }}
{{s-end}}
{{Clear}}

There are bus services to [[Yeovil]] and the nearby village of [[Barwick, Somerset|Barwick]], these are provided by South West Coaches service 68.<ref>{{cite web | title =South West Coaches |url=https://www.southwestcoaches.co.uk/uploads/pdfs/timetables/68%20SERVICE%20-%2018.03.19%20-%20Public.pdf |access-date=20 April 2021|publisher=South West Coaches}}</ref>
Connection by bus to [[Yeovil Pen Mill]] is accessible via a change at Yeovil Bus Station (using South West Coaches Services 68 & 70). This runs roughly 0700 to 1810 Monday to Saturday (except Public Holidays).

==See also==
{{Commons category|Yeovil Junction railway station}}
* [[Southern Railway routes west of Salisbury]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Somerset railway stations}}
{{SWT Stations|Salisbury=y|Suburban None=y|IL None=y}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Yeovil]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Somerset]]
[[Category:Former London and South Western Railway stations]]
[[Category:Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1860]]
[[Category:Railway stations served by South Western Railway]]
[[Category:Rail junctions in England]]
[[Category:DfT Category D stations]]