Station Name: PUNCHESTON

[Source: Nick Catford]

Date opened: 11.4.1895
Location:

100yd east of an unnamed minor road

Company on opening: North Pembrokeshire & Fishguard Railway
Date closed to passengers: 2.10.1937
Date closed completely: 25.10.1937
Company on closing: Great Western Railway
Present state: The platform is still shown on current OS and what appears to be the overgrown platform is visible at the site in winter.
County: Pembrokeshire
OS Grid Ref: SN017305
Date of visit: 12 February 2017


Notes: Puncheston station was a mile east of the village it served. It comprised a single 200ft platform with a small timber building. There was a small goods yard on the up side to the west of the station. The yard handled only a limited range of goods and parcels and did not handle livestock.

A 4-lever signal box was erected at the east end of the station, but this worked only home and distant signals for each direction, the siding points being worked by a 2-lever ground frame locked by the train staff.

When the GWR took over in 1898 one of the first economies carried out was to close the signal box leaving just the ground frame to control access to the siding.



The station closed 8 January 1917 to allow the rails to be lifted and transported to France as part of the war effort. After WW1 the North Pembrokeshire branch opened in stages with the line between Rosebush and Puncheston being opened on 14 November 1921. As Puncheston was now a temporary terminus a run round loop was laid to accommodate the single daily goods service. When the line reopened to Letterston from 9 July 1923 the loop was removed.

Although its station was almost a mile north-east of the Puncheston, the railway actually passed within 300yd of the village; in September 1928 a halt was opened at this far more convenient point, but was named Castlebythe after a hamlet one mile to the east, while Puncheston station retained its name. This confusing arrangement persisted until the closure of the line to passengers in 1937.

Puncheston closed to goods traffic on 16 May 1949 but the siding remained open to handle truck loads for W Evans. This use is still listed in the 1956 Railway Clearing House Handbook

Ticket from Michael Stewart (except 1817 Godfrey Croughton). Route map drawn by Alan Young

Click here for a brief history of the North Pembrokeshire branch

Sources:

See stations on the North Pembrokeshire Branch: Fishguard & Goodwick, Jordanston Halt, Letterston, Beulah Halt, Martell Bridge Halt, Castlebythe Halt, New Inn Bridge Halt, Rosebush, Maenclochog, Llanycefn & Baeg Fair


Puncheston station looking north-east in August 1959; six years after the track was lifted.
Photo by Michael Hale


1907 1:2,500 OS map shows the basic facilities at Puncheston throughout its existence. Apart from the closure and demolition of the signal box the layout remained unaltered.
The plate on a local post box still stated the location as 'Puncheston Station' in July 1974 more than 40 years after it had closed to passengers.
Photo by John Mann

The location plate on a local post box still stated the location as 'Puncheston Station' in July 1974 more than 40 years after the station closed to passengers.
Photo by John Mann
Looking south east at Puncheston station in February 2017. What appears to be a platform edge can be seen centre right.
Photo by Richard Martin

The site of Puncheston goods yard seen from just north of the railway bridge looking
east in February 2017.
Photo by Richard Martin
Looking south at the site of Puncheston goods yard in February 2017.
Photo by Richard Martin

The bridge over the line in February 2017. The cutting has been filled in and the only evidence of a bridge is a small hump in the road.
Photo by Richard Martin


 

 

 

[Source: Nick Catford]

Last updated: Monday, 22-May-2017 11:49:42 CEST
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