Potton railway station
Potton | |
|---|---|
Bedford and Cambridge Railway London and North Western Railway | |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways (1948-1958) Eastern Region of British Railways (1958-1968) |
| Key dates | |
| November 1857 | Opened |
| January 1862 | Closed |
| 31 July 1862 | Reopened |
| 1 January 1966[1] | Closed to goods |
| 1 January 1968[2] | Closed to passengers |
Potton was a
History
Sandy and Potton Railway
Following the opening of
The Sandy and Potton Railway was worked by a small 0-4-0 well-tank engine built at a cost of £800 by George England and Co. in Hatcham. Captain Peel named the engine Shannon after HMS Shannon, a frigate which he had commanded in the Far East in the year it was built. The outlay in constructing the railway was soon recovered through the fruit and vegetable traffic carried from Peel's estate and the manure and fertiliser transported in, turning a £70 per annum profit for his estate in 1853 to one of £500 per annum in 1858. Passenger traffic commenced in November 1857 after an inspection from the Board of Trade.[5] The initial station at Potton was equipped with very basic facilities; there was no booking office or passenger waiting room. A goods shed, small staff office and locomotive shed were however provided. The station was sited in a field to the west of the Biggleswade Road.[6]
Station buildings
The Sandy and Potton Railway was acquired by the Bedford and Cambridge Railway in 1860, which intended to make the route part of a longer line to Cambridge. Track was relaid and Potton station was resited north to its current position.
Closure
Although the arrival of the railway had helped boost the town's population to around 2,000 by 1937,[10] the line found itself proposed for closure first in 1959 and then again in 1963, before eventually closing in 1968. The idea of preserving the line between Sandy and Potton was discussed at a public meeting at Sandy which resulted in the formation of the Sandy & Potton Steam Railway Society. The organisation was, however, unable to raise outright the purchase price asked for by British Railways and the scheme failed despite the support of Sandy Urban District Council. Track removal began in July 1969 and the society was eventually wound-up.[11]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy | British Railways
Varsity Line |
Gamlingay |
Post-closure
The station was purchased by George Howe, a former railwayman, who restored the yellow gault brick main passenger building as a private residence.[12]</ref> The goods shed from the first Potton station survives as a vegetable store.[13] The locomotive known as "Shannon", which was later used on the Wantage Tramway, is now a stationary exhibit at the Didcot Railway Centre.[14]
See also
References
- ^ Clinker 1978, p. 112.
- ^ Butt 1995, p. 190.
- ^ Simpson 1981, pp. 14–15.
- ^ Davies & Grant 1984, p. 117.
- ^ a b Simpson 1981, p. 15
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 2007, plate XXII.
- ^ a b Oppitz 2000, p. 145.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 2007, plates 88-89.
- ^ Simpson 1981, p. 110.
- ^ Mitchell & Smith 2007, plate XXIII.
- ^ Davies & Grant 1984, p. 121.
- ^ Simpson 2000, p. 95.
- ^ Simpson 1981, p. 112.
- ^ Oppitz 2000, p. 148.
Bibliography
- ISBN 1-85260-508-1.
- Clinker, C. R. (October 1978). Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830-1977. Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN 0-905466-19-5.
- Davies, Reginald; Grant, M. D. (1984). Forgotten Railways: Chilterns and Cotswolds. Newton Abbot, Devon: David St John Thomas. ISBN 0-946537-07-0.
- ISBN 978-1-904474-94-4.
- Oppitz, Leslie (2000). Lost Railways of the Chilterns. Lost Railways Series. Newbury, Berkshire: Countryside Books. ISBN 978-1-85306-643-6.
- Simpson, Bill (1981). Oxford to Cambridge Railway. Vol. 2. Poole, Dorset: Oxford Publishing Co. ISBN 0-86093-121-8.
- Simpson, Bill (2000). The Oxford to Cambridge Railway: Forty Years On 1960-2000. Witney, Oxford: Lamplight Publications. ISBN 1-899246-05-3.
External links
- "Disused Stations". Subterranea Britannica.
- Potton station on navigable 1946 O. S. map
- Cambridge to Bedford Train via Sandy, Dec 1967