ASHWELL TO OAKHAM.

ASHWELL STATION & ASHWELL JUNCTION. ASHWELL STATION OPENED 20/3/1848 TO GOODS, 1/5/1848 TO PASSENGERS. CLOSED 4/5/1964 TO GOODS, 6/6/1966 TO PASSENGERS.

JUNCTION OPENED 27/11/1882, CLOSED 13/3/1972.     

REMAINS AT SITE:  SIGNAL BOX IN USE, GOODS SHED, REMNANT OF PLATFORM.  GIRDER BRIDGE ON COTTESMORE BRANCH.

EXTRACT FROM WORKING TIMETABLE ISSUED 1st OCTOBER 1960.

THE BRANCH TO COTTESMORE IRONSTONE SIDINGS WAS OPENED ON 27/11/1882 AND CLOSED ON 13/3/1972. IT WAS ALWAYS A MINERAL LINE, AND CONNECTED WITH THE QUARRY LINES AT COTTESMORE SIDINGS. THE REPLACEMENT SIGNAL BOX AT THE JUNCTION WAS ERECTED IN 1919 BUT NEVER COMMISSIONED; IT WAS MOVED TO WHISSENDINE IN 1949 WHEN IT WAS PLACED ON A BRICK BASE, AND REMAINS IN USE TODAY.

8F 48391 AT COTTESMORE SIDINGS.

THE BRIDGE ON THE COTTESMORE BRANCH OVER THE TEIGH - ASHWELL ROAD.

EXTRACT FROM WORKING TIMETABLE ISSUED 1st OCTOBER 1960.

ASHWELL STATION AROUND 1920. Courtesy David Doy.

ASHWELL FROM THE ROAD TO THE VILLAGE, AROUND 1910. Courtesy David Doy.

ASHWELL STATION AROUND 1960, STILL WITH THE LOW PLATFORMS WITH WHICH IT WAS BUILT.

No 75052 BRINGS A LOCAL TRAIN INTO ASHWELL ON 18tH AUGUST 1963; NOT THE STEPS ON THE RIGHT, NECESSARY BECAUSE OF THE LOW PLATFORMS.    PHOTO G.D. KING.

BELOW ARE TWO PICTURES FROM APRIL 2008.......THE STATION YARD IS NOW USED BY A CAR REPAIRS FIRM.

LOOK CLOSELY AT THE LOCKING ROOM WINDOWS.....IN THE 1983 PICTURE THEY ARE NOT LEVEL, BUT IN 2008 THEY ARE!

LANGHAM ROAD CROSSING.

THIS CROSSING LIES JUST SOUTH OF ASHWELL STATION, ON THE ASHWELL TO LANGHAM ROAD.

A TRAIN OF COAL EMPTIES HEADING NORTH TOWARDS ASHWELL BEHIND A CLASS 31 LOCO.

ON 31st AUGUST 1944, AN 8F HEADS NORTH FROM LANGHAM JUNCTION.  PHOTO H.N. JAMES.

ON THE SAME DATE No 5633 PASSES WITH AN EXPRESS FRON St PANCRAS.  PHOTO H.N. JAMES.

LANGHAM JUNCTION  THE END OF THE FOUR TRACK SECTION FROM OAKHAM, SIGNAL BOX OPENED  AS 'LANGHAM CROSSING' 27/10/1890, RENAMED 'LANGHAM JUNCTION' 15/3/1891 WHEN FOUR TRACK SECTION OPENED.

REMAINS AT SITE: SIGNAL BOX IN USE.

LANGHAM JUNCTION IS THE BEGINNING OF THE FOUR TRACK SECTION NORTH OF OAKHAM. THE M.R. ALWAYS REFERRED TO THESE SIGNAL BOXES AS 'JUNCTIONS' ALTHOUGH NO OTHER ROUTE JOINED THE MAIN LINE.

AUSTERITY NO 90028 PASSES LANGHAM JUNCTION ON 13th JANUARY 1962, HEADING SOUTH.  PHOTO H.N. JAMES.

ON THE SAME DATE, 9F NO 92127 PASSES WITH A MIXED GOODS. PHOTO H.N. JAMES.

A LOCAL TRAIN APPROACHING THE CROSSING FROM OAKHAM.

THIS IS NOW THE OLDEST SIGNAL BOX IN USE ON THE LINE, DATING FROM 1890.

APRIL 2008 PHOTO.

OAKHAM PROVENDOR STORES  REMAINS AT SITE: MAIN BUILDINGS.

THIS MASSIVE BRICK BUILDING JUST NORTH OF OAKHAM STATION WAS BUILT BY THE MR TO PROVIDE FEED FOR ALL THE HORSES EMPLOYED BY THE COMPANY....THE STORES OPENED IN 1902 AND WERE IN USE INTO THE 1950'S.

IN FRONT OF THIS BUILDING THERE WERE STILL TRACKS LAID WITH M.R. INSIDE KEYED CHAIRS; THESE WOULD HAVE BEEN USED SECOND HAND IN 1902, HAVING BEEN LIFTED FROM ELSEWHERE. I CAN REMEMBER SEEING SIDINGS AT OAKHAM STATION IN THE LATE 1970'S LAID WITH THE SAME CHAIRS.

OAKHAM.  OPENED 20/3/1848 TO GOODS, 1/5/1848 TO PASSENGERS. CLOSED TO GOODS 3/5/1971.

REAMINS AT SITE; STATION BUILDINGS IN USE WITH  WAITING SHELTER & B.R. PERIOD FOOTBRIDGE, GOODS SHED & GRAIN STORE IN BUSINESS USE, THE LATTER AS A BREWERY WHICH SEEMS VERY APPROPRIATE. LEVEL CROSSING SIGNAL BOX & ADJACENT M.R. FOOTBRIDGE.

I HAVE A CONFESSION TO MAKE; I CAN'T FIND MOST OF MY DRAWINGS OF OAKHAM. OVER THE LAST TWENTY FIVE YEARS THEY HAVE BECOME SEPARATED FROM THE OTHER PLANS, OTHER THAN THE TWO SETS OF DETAILED DRAWINGS OF THE STATION BUILDING INCLUDED BELOW. I WILL HAVE ANOTHER LOOK FOR THEM, AND IF I FIND THEM THEY WILL APPEAR HERE TEN MINUTES LATER!

OAKHAM ON APRIL 4th 1945, WITH No 4820 ON A PETERBOROUGH TRAIN.  PHOTO H.N. JAMES.

THE ITALIANATE STATION BUILDING IS A GEM, AND IS THANKFULLY STILL IN EXCELLENT CONDITION.

THE LEVEL CROSSING CAUSED REGULAR TAIL BACKS THROUGH THE TOWN UNTIL THE OAKHAM BY PASS WAS OPENED IN 2007.

THE SIGNAL BOX IS GRADE 2 LISTED, SO IT HAS RETAINED THE ORIGINAL WINDOWS AND WOODEN STEPS..

OAKHAM GOODS YARD HAS BEEN DEVELOPED AS AN INDUSTRIAL ESTATE; THANKFULLY I PHOTOGRAPHED ALL THE RAMSHACKLE SHEDS, ETC, BEFORE THEY WERE SWEPT AWAY. LOOKING AT THE WEATHER I MUST HAVE BEEN KEEN IN THOSE DAYS!

APRIL 2008.  THE STATION WAS RESTORED AROUND 1990 AND PAINTED IN THE OLD B.R. RED & CREAM COLOURS. THE ROOF OF THE CANOPY WAS REPLACED WITH MODERN SHEETING BUT THE REMAINDER OF THE CANOPY WAS CLEANED UP & REUSED, AND THE WOODEN VALENCING WAS ADDED TO RESTORE THE ORIGINAL APPEARANCE.

APRIL 2008.

LEAVING OAKHAM, THE LINE CURVED GENTLY AROUND THE TOWN OVER TWO MORE LEVEL CROSSINGS BEFORE HEADING SOUTH TOWARDS MANTON.  1984.