Earl Fitzwilliam's private railway station

Earl Fitzwilliam (private)
Earl Fitzwilliam (private)
General information
Location	Elsecar, Barnsley; England
Coordinates	53°29′39″N 1°25′10″W / 53.49417°N 1.41950°W
Grid reference	SK386998
Other information
Status	Disused
Key dates
Opened	1870
Closed	?

Earl Fitzwilliam's private railway station is a former private railway station in South Yorkshire, England, situated at the upper end of the Elsecar branch of the South Yorkshire Railway.

The station was opened in 1870, after the line passed to the

St. Leger race meeting at Doncaster. The Earl's parties were conveyed by coach from Wentworth Woodhouse

to the station to join these trains which were known, and shown in railway publications as "E.F.W. Specials". Works records of Elsecar show that these trains ran until 'the early years of the 20th century'. The M.S.& L.R. issued a 'Royal Standard' to the station to be flown when royalty was included in the party.

The station was also host to other trains not connected to the St. Leger race meeting or usage by Earl Fitzwilliam. These were the seaside excursions operated for the pleasure of the villagers which were a regular feature of the summers before the

First World War. Because of the length of journey and the suitability of the junction, meeting the main line in that direction, Cleethorpes

was a popular destination.

The building was of two storeys, the upper storey containing a waiting/drawing room where the Earl entertained his guests prior to departure. Still standing, the station is included within the site of the

Elsecar Steam Railway. The remainder of the line, from Cortonwood to Elsecar Junction near Brampton

, was closed after the closure of Cortonwood colliery in 1985, and the track lifted.

Sources

"Earl Fitzwilliam's Private Railway Station" by D.L.Franks. "Forward", The journal of the Great Central Railway Society.

ISSN 0141-4488