Stamford East railway station

Infobox UK disused station
name = Stamford East
gridref = TF035067
manager = Great Northern Railway
owner = London and North Eastern Railway
locale = Stamford
borough = Lincolnshire
platforms = 2
years = 1856
events = Opened
years1 = 1957
events1 = Closed

Opening

Stamford East railway station was a station opened in Water Street, Stamford, Lincolnshire by the Stamford & Essendine Railway in 1856 as the terminus of their line from Essendine on the Great Northern Railway main line. The line was mainly intended for passengers travelling north, however through bookings were possible to Peterborough in direct competition with the Midland Railway.

In 1867, the S&ER opened a line to Wansford on the London and North Western Railway Nene Valley line from Northampton to Peterborough. The Wansford line ran east immediately adjacent to, on the north side, of the Midland line for over 2 miles, before gaining height and crossing over the Midland and curving south just before Uffington & Barnack station. This section is now part of the Torpel Way public footpath.

The Essendine line was built as a single track line but with provision for double tracking, and at one time it was double tracked, but the signalling arrangements did not meet with Board of Trade approval. Rather than make the neccesary alterations, it was single tracked again except for the section between Stamford East and the Martin's Cultivators works. This section was left as two tracks but was operated as two single track lines, with one a running line and the other an industrial siding. This siding, known as Priory Siding, also served Priory Lime Works and the Blackstones works. [A regional history of the railways of Great Britain. Volume 9. The East Midlands.]

ervices

In 1863, the service consisted of 11 trains each way between Stamford and Essendine on weekdays and 2 on Sundays. [Bradshaws General Railway and Steam Navigation Guide, Feb 1863.] By 1922, this was reduced to 10 each way on weekdays and 4 on the Wansford branch, and no Sunday service. [Bradshaws Railway Guide, July 1922.]

Closure

The Wansford service never regained the traffic lost during the 1926 General strike, and closed in 1929. The Essendine service survived until 1959, but East station closed to passengers two years earlier in 1957 when services were diverted to the Midland station.

East station continued in use for a few years as a goods station, and Priory Siding survived into the 1970's although truncated to the Blackstone's works.

Summary of Former Train Services

Sample Train Timetable for July 1922

The table below shows the train departures from Stamford East on weekdays in July 1922.

References