Shrewsbury Connection

[Krokodil]

Is anyone old enough to remember the situation before BR turned it into an open station?

 

[victormildrew]

AIUI the footbridge at the south end of the station was removed around the time that platforms 1-3 were taken out of scheduled passenger use during the Beeching era. During this period the ticket office was moved from the station entrance to the top of the staircase to platforms 4-7. There were two manned ticket barriers adjacent to the new ticket office, one leading to platforms 4 and 5 and the other to 7 and 6. IIRC, the original ticket office became the travel center / enquiry office. By the time I started using the railways (mid 1970s) the ticket barrier leading to platform 7 had been closed and access to all in use platforms was via platform 4.

Platform 3 was gradually reinstated for passenger trains from around 1980 with typically two Saturday departures to Chester using it. Access was within the main building via a passageway adjacent to the travel center. Intending passengers for the aforementioned trains therefore had to go to the upstairs ticket office and then retrace their steps almost as far as the exit to access platform 3. Note that there were no passenger elevators at the time

Then in a stroke of 'genius' in the mid 1980s when BR refurbished the station, they moved the ticket office to its present location downstairs but in doing so blocked the passageway to platform 3 despite it being well known that they were intending to bring it back into regular use. At the same time, they removed both ticket barriers and made Shrewsbury an "open station". IIRC the present automatic ticket barriers were installed in the late 1990s when it was finally realized that the lack of barriers was costing the railway a lot of revenue.

Yes i can vouch for the ticket barriers and booking office being at the top of the stairs, as a GPR it was part of my duteis as a ticket collecter.

 

[40129]

Is anyone old enough to remember the situation before BR turned it into an open station?

Yes. See my post #20 on page 1 of this thread

 

[chris_in_salop]

AIUI the footbridge at the south end of the station was removed around the time that platforms 1-3 were taken out of scheduled passenger use during the Beeching era. During this period the ticket office was moved from the station entrance to the top of the staircase to platforms 4-7. There were two manned ticket barriers adjacent to the new ticket office, one leading to platforms 4 and 5 and the other to 7 and 6. IIRC, the original ticket office became the travel center / enquiry office. By the time I started using the railways (mid 1970s) the ticket barrier leading to platform 7 had been closed and access to all in use platforms was via platform 4.

I'm curious about how this all worked! I'm imagining railings at the top of the stairs, preventing direct access from the stairs to the platforms (unlike today), so forcing passengers into the ticket office. Then a sort of Berlin Wall running between Platforms 4&5 and 6&7. Was it like this, or is my imagination running away with me?

 

[Krokodil]

Yes. See my post #20 on page 1 of this thread

I should have been clearer, I meant before the closure of platforms 1/2/3

 

[40129]

I'm curious about how this all worked! I'm imagining railings at the top of the stairs, preventing direct access from the stairs to the platforms (unlike today), so forcing passengers into the ticket office. Then a sort of Berlin Wall running between Platforms 4&5 and 6&7. Was it like this, or is my imagination running away with me?

From what I remember the ticket barriers comprised of one man* in a booth with a narrow doorway between the booth and a floor to ceiling high fence. The doorway to platform 4 was permanently open when the station was open. I don't know how late in the evening the barrier was manned* until as I was only in my teens when the ticket office was moved back downstairs and the barriers abolished. The doorway to platform 7 was permanently closed with a floor to ceiling high gate by the time I started using trains (mid-70s). In theory, it would have been possible to push past the barrier without showing a ticked although I never saw anyone do this. The ticket office was facing you as you reached the top of the stairs and had two self service machines for platform tickets to the left hand side.

* AFAIK the ticket inspector/collector was always a man

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 28 Nov 2024 ==

I should have been clearer, I meant before the closure of platforms 1/2/3

This is going back to before I was born so what follows is based on what my parents told me.

The ticket office was located at the main entrance to the station on the site of what became the travel center / enquiry office in the late-60s. AIUI it was in the same position as the present ticket office but oriented in a manner such that direct access was available to both sets of stairs - left of ticket office for platforms 4-7 and right of ticket office for platforms 1-3. AFAIK the passageway to platforms 4-7 has always been where it is now. I don't know where the ticket barriers would have been located but I suspect they would have been at the entrances to the passageways leading to the platforms or at the bottom of the stairs. There is very little room for any kind of ticket barrier at the top of the stairs to platform 3. These have always been in the same place. The only difference today being that the internal passageway to the station entrance/exit has been blocked by the positioning of the present ticket office.

It is also worth noting that prior to the 1960s changes there was a footbridge connecting platforms 4 and 3. Also, I understand that the platforms were originally numbered from 1 thru 10 with current platform 7 being 1-2, 6 and 5 being 3 and 4, 4 being 5-6, 3 being 7-8 and disused platforms 2 and 1 being 9 and 10 respectively.

A pretty good history of the station can be found in the book "Rail Centres: Shrewsbury" published c.1984/85. Don't have full details to hand as I don't have a copy (although my parents do)

 

[robspaceman]

Here's the old footbridge at the south end of the station in the 1930s

 

[victormildrew]

Yes there were high gates either side 4 & 7 platforms both barriers were manned on specials occasions/events. the barrier was also manned during the night for the incoming York Mail and the 03.45 to Swansea and the 04.10 mail train to Aberyswyth.