Fledborough railway station
Former railway station in Nottinghamshire, England
53°13′53″N 0°48′22″W / 53.2313°N 0.8060°W / 53.2313; -0.8060
British Railways
Fledborough railway station is a former railway station south west of Fledborough, Nottinghamshire, England. It was located on the Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway on the part of the line leading towards Lincoln, this part of the line has been lifted and the station buildings are demolished.
Context
Fledborough Railway Station contained 2 platforms, with platform 1 carrying the main building and platform 2 a shelter. Platform 2 also contained a stairway linking to a path toward the main road. Changing between the two platforms would have been done through the use of a wooden pedestrian crossing situated on the western side of the station. Fledborough also featured facilities for goods transport, including a goods platform which was far shorter in size compared to the passenger platforms and mainly saw use from mail trains, there was also a goods shed slightly further east of the station with 2 sidings, one leading into the goods dock of Fledborough Station and the other stopping slightly east of the station. The station was opened by the LD&ECR in 1896 and closed by British Railways in 1955. The station and the stationmaster's house were built in the company's standard style.[2]
The station building contained various facilities that passengers travelling could use, these included separated waiting rooms for male and female passengers, toilets, a station masters office where travellers would purchase tickets and a porters room. There were proposals drafted in the 1950s to convert the station building into accommodation for British Transport Commission staff however these plans never came to fruition and the station was left abandoned for many years after.
From Tuxford the line fell gently past Marnham, where High Marnham Power Station was built in 1960. The junction to the power station was about 500 yards west of Fledborough Station, which was, in turn, just before the line crossed the River Trent by means of the Fledborough Viaduct.[3]
Signal Box
Fledborough railway station also contained a signalbox slightly further east, adjacent to the goods shed, this signalbox saw a relatively short life compared to others along the line, as was closed and demolished when High Marnham power stations signalbox was opened, and subsequently control of this section of the line was transferred to High Marnham signal box.
Former services
There never was a Sunday service at Fledborough.
In 1922 three trains per day plied between Chesterfield Market Place and Lincoln with a market day extra on Fridays between Shirebrook North and Lincoln. All these trains called at Fledborough.[4]
From 1951 trains stopped running through to Chesterfield, turning back at Shirebrook North instead. Otherwise the same pattern continued until the last train on 17 September 1955.
Trains continued to pass, including Summer excursions[5] which continued until 1964, but the picture was of progressive decline. A derailment east of Fledborough Viaduct on 21 February 1980[6][7] led to the immediate closure of the line from High Marnham Power Station through Fledborough to Pyewipe Junction. These tracks were subsequently lifted.
Modern times
Today the trackbed towards Ollerton is a test track. While eastwards from the site of Fledborough Station to near Pyewipe Junction the trackbed forms an off-road part of National Cycle Route 64.[8][9]
What remains of the station today is merely the platforms, these being increasingly overgrown as time passes on. A recreation of the original "Fledborough" station sign sits on the westbound platform, with some of what remains of the original fencing strewn along both platforms. The original steps to the stationmasters house have been completely covered by foliage.
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dukeries Junction Line and station closed | Great Central Railway Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway | Clifton-on-Trent Line and station closed |
References
- ^ Butt 1995, p. 97.
- ^ Fledborough station Picture the Past
- ^ Cupit & Taylor 1984, p. 21.
- ^ Bradshaw 1985, p. 718.
- ^ Walker 1991, Inside front cover.
- ^ Ludlam 2013, p. 144.
- ^ Booth 2013, p. 57.
- ^ Route NR64 Harby to Lincoln Sustrans
- ^ Fledborough to Lincoln by Bike Cycle-route
Sources
- Booth, Chris (2013). The Lancashire, Derbyshire and East Coast Railway A pictorial view of the "Dukeries Route" and branches. Vol. Two: Langwith Junction to Lincoln, the Mansfield Railway and Mid Nott's Joint Line. Blurb. ISBN 978-1-78155-660-3. 06884827.
- Bradshaw, George (1985) [July 1922]. Bradshaw's General Railway and Steam Navigation guide for Great Britain and Ireland: A reprint of the July 1922 issue. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-8708-5. OCLC 12500436.
- Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
- Cupit, J.; Taylor, W. (1984) [1966]. The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway. Oakwood Library of Railway History (2nd ed.). Headington: Oakwood Press. ISBN 978-0-85361-302-2. OL19.
- Ludlam, A.J. (March 2013). Kennedy, Rex (ed.). "The Lancashire, Derbyshire & East Coast Railway". Steam Days. 283. Bournemouth: Redgauntlet 1993 Publications. ISSN 0269-0020.
- Walker, Colin (1991). Eastern Region Steam Twilight, Part 2, North of Grantham. Llangollen: Pendyke Publications. ISBN 978-0-904318-14-2.
Further reading
- Dow, George (1965). Great Central, Volume Three: Fay Sets the Pace, 1900–1922. Shepperton: Ian Allan. ISBN 978-0-7110-0263-0. OCLC 500447049.
External links
- Fledborough Station on a navigable 1947 OS map npe Maps
- Fledborough and High Marham Power Station Signalboxes
