Rugby Central railway station
Rugby Central | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Rugby England | |||||
Coordinates | 52°22′02″N 1°14′50″W / 52.3673°N 1.2471°W | ||||
Grid reference | SP513746 | ||||
Platforms | 2 | ||||
Other information | |||||
Status | Disused | ||||
History | |||||
Original company | Great Central Railway | ||||
Pre-grouping | Great Central Railway | ||||
Post-grouping | London and North Eastern Railway London Midland Region of British Railways | ||||
Key dates | |||||
15 March 1899 | Opened | ||||
5 May 1969 | Closed | ||||
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Rugby Central was a railway station serving Rugby in Warwickshire on the former Great Central Main Line, which opened in 1899 and closed in 1969. The station was on Hillmorton Road, roughly half a mile east of the town centre.
The Great Central competed with the West Coast Main Line for traffic to London, which has served the town since the 1830s at Rugby Midland station; since the closure of Rugby Central, Midland station has reverted to its original name of Rugby.
History
The station was opened on 15 March 1899.
The station was run by the
Rugby Central was roughly midway along the Great Central Main Line (GCML) and was a stopping point for express services, as well as a changeover point for local services. Until the early 1960s, the station was served by about six London – Manchester expresses daily, and was the terminus for local services from Aylesbury or Woodford Halse to the south, and Leicester Central or Nottingham Victoria from the north.[2][3] The line was then downgraded, with express services being removed, leaving only the local services and an infrequent semi-fast service to London.
Most of the GCML was closed on 5 September
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A local train waits to stop at Rugby Central in September 1966, shortly before the line was closed as a through route.
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The last train to call at Rugby Central on Saturday 3 May 1969.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/Railways_of_Rugby_1950.png/220px-Railways_of_Rugby_1950.png)
Station masters
- Mr. Deane
- Frederick White Fox 1903 - 1927 (afterwards station master at Mansfield)
- J.W. Plant 1927 - 1929[4] (afterwards station master at Worksop)
- G.A. Smith 1929 - 1934[5] (formerly station master at Kirton Lindsey)
- Hubert George Currell 1934 - 1948[6] (formerly station master at St Albans London Road)
- James Ernest Potts 1948 - 1963
- Ivor Jones 1963[7] - 1966
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Design
Rugby Central was built to the standard Great Central design with a single island platform, 600 feet (180 m) long.[8] The booking office was at street level, built onto the side of the road bridge over the railway with the platform below. The platform was accessed by a covered staircase from the booking office. On the platform were three waiting rooms and a toilet block, which was the only building not covered by the canopy.[9][3]
On the
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9b/Rugby_Central_station_remains2.jpg/220px-Rugby_Central_station_remains2.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/23/Rugby_Central_station_remains.jpg/220px-Rugby_Central_station_remains.jpg)
Remains
The station buildings were demolished after closure, but the platform still exists and is open to the public: The station site, and 4.5 miles of the former Great Central Railway trackbed through Rugby, are now owned by
The former
Reopening proposals
In August 2000,
Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Braunston and Willoughby Line and station closed |
Great Central Railway London Extension |
Lutterworth Line and station closed |
Notes
- ^ a b Butt 1995, p. 201.
- ^ a b Elliot 1985, p. 40.
- ^ a b Healy 1987, p. 68.
- ^ "Promotion for L.N.E.R. Station Master". Rugby Advertiser. England. 8 February 1929. Retrieved 8 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Stationmaster Retiring". Rugby Advertiser. England. 10 August 1934. Retrieved 8 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "L.N.E.R Stationamaster for 13 years". Rugby Advertiser. England. 13 February 1948. Retrieved 8 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ "Stationmaster at Rugby Central". Coventry Evening Telegraph. England. 3 April 1963. Retrieved 8 March 2020 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ a b c Subterranea Britannica
- ^ Elliot 1985, p. 39.
- ^ "Parks and open spaces - Great Central Walk (runs from Newton Village to Onley Lane)". Rugby Borough Council. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
- ^ Buggins, Arryn (10 August 2000). "Bid To Reopen Central Railway To Passengers". cwn.org.uk. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ Strategic Rail Authority (1 March 2002). "Franchise Agreement relating to the services for the carriage of passengers by railway to be provided by The Chiltern Railway Company Limited" (PDF). Schedule 14, Part 3, Paragraph 2.2. Retrieved 1 July 2013.
- ^ "Chiltern Railways Twitter Feed". 25 February 2013.
- ^ "Chiltern Railways news - Bid to Reopen the Central Railway to Passengers- 10 August 2000".
- ^ RAIL Issue 838 p.37
References
- Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.
- Elliot, Peter H (1985). Rugby's Railway Heritage. ISBN 0-907917-06-2.
- Healy, John M.C. (1987). Echoes Of The Great Central. Greenwich Editions. ISBN 0-86288-076-9.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- London to Warwickshire railways - Includes old photographs of Rugby Central.
- Rugby Central railway station on Subterranea Britannica.