The posts that I put together at the beginning of last year have been some of the most read since I started blogging – showing the enduring interest in Cyril Freezer’s original design.  Browsing RMweb, and then ambling around the Library of Scotland georeferenced maps, I came across another ‘almost’ Minories – Greenwich Park.

Here’s the track plan, with a six foot scale in ‘N’ shown on the plan.  Not quite a Minories, as no reverse curves into the platforms, but with a locomotive release road between the two main platforms.  And suitably complex point work, with two 3-way points and a scissors crossover.  Unlike Ludgate Hill, this could probably be put together from standard Peco code 55 items.

Perhaps one could add an extra siding – maybe a kickback under Burney Street for parcels or milk, but even in this form, the station would make an excellent model.  Parcels could still be delivered to one of the platforms outside the rush hour (not that Greenwich Park ever had a rush hour.)

The real thing didn’t last long – it was closed in 1919, as traffic was not as good as the LC&DR expected (seems to be a common story!)  The Disused Station site has all the details:

Greenwich Park was built on a curve with three platform faces, a side platform and an island; for much of their length the platforms were covered by awnings. There was also a central road between the platforms which allowed locomotives to be detached from incoming trains and run-round ready for departure. A water crane was sited at the London end of the island and a siding for spare engines lay behind the signal box.

The substantial brick entrance building was on the west side of Stockwell Road; it included the booking hall, a buffet, together and ladies’ rooms for both first and second-class passengers. There was a canopy at the front of the building and a two-storey stationmaster’s house alongside. At the rear of the building there was a small covered concourse giving access to the platforms.

The station was initially called Greenwich but after the amalgamation of the LCDR and SER in 1899 it was renamed Greenwich Park in 1900 to avoid with the SER’s Greenwich Station.

There are a number of photographs on the site.  Again, the plan is almost a perfect Minories, hiding in a cutting.  A flavour of the station can be seen below.  I’m surprised that no-one (as far as I know) has built this design.  It would be perfect for pre-grouping trains of any of the London companies, but would make a compact design even for SR EMU’s into the British Railways era.