Rothley Railway Station (Heritage Railway) - Great Central Railway - Rothley, Leicestershire
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SMacB
N 52° 42.216 W 001° 09.547
30U E 624380 N 5840889
Rothley Station, part of the The Great Central Railway, which boasts four stations on its eight mile railway. Each has a different character and each has a buffet or cafe for visitors.
Waymark Code: WMXWWV
Location: East Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/10/2018
Views: 21
"Rothley station is built on the classic country station layout of the Great Central Railway but whereas the station bridge at Quorn & Woodhouse is of girder construction that at Rothley is built with a brick arch. The station is built between two embankments giving it a cosy atmosphere. Again it is a place to explore in its own right as you break your journey south. A Tearoom is on the platform and a parcels Office provides some of the history of the line. There is a Waiting Room on the platform and there are toilet facilities.
In the station yard is the Ellis's Tearoom built in the former Goods Shed of the Great Central Railway. Here a whole range of food and drink is available though the week. Disabled toilet facilities are provided behind the Tearoom.
In front of Ellis's is a picnic area where you can enjoy the excellent food on offer and adjacent to that is the Charnwood Forest Garden Railway providing endless entertainment for young an old alike as the little G scale trains run around the alpine scenery."
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"Route description -
Climbing south from milepost 97, the formation of the Mountsorrel quarry branch joins the line from the east, crossing over the quadruple spanned bridge 352 to reach Swithland Sidings. Here, the up and down lines have parted as this site was originally to be the location of a projected Swithland station. The entrance archway from the road below can still be seen from passing trains, even though a platform was never built. Swithland has been redeveloped from a single track back into a four-track main line with a number of exchange sidings. Resignalling of the area using Great Western equipment to represent the Great Western and Great Central Joint Railway is ongoing.
Shortly south of Swithland the summit is reached, and the line drops sharply again at a gradient of 1 in 176 into Rothley station. The station consists of a single island platform on which the station buildings sit, with original access from the road passing above. Beneath the stairway from the road is a museum, and beyond the booking hall there is a tea room. Rothley has been restored to its late Edwardian condition to represent the line during Great Central days. It is lit entirely by gas and never had mains electricity before closure by British Rail. The station's goods yard now forms the car park, at one end of which is a miniature railway, family picnic area, and historic stores room. At the other is a modern carriage repair works.
Overseeing railway traffic movements in the area is Rothley Cabin, a signal box recovered from Blind Lane Junction in Wembley and erected facing the station on the west side of the line. This signal box controls entry and exit to the southern end of the Great Central Railway's unique double track. In 2009 it was joined by an ex-GCR lamp hut taken from Whetstone railway station.
After falling to the bridge over Rothley Brook (structure 355), the line begins climbing again towards the summit at Birstall.
The station is grade II listed.
Rothley station was built as a part of the Great Central Railway's London Extension and opened to passengers on 15 March 1899. The station was built to the standard London Extension country station pattern of a single large 'island' platform between the two running lines, on which stood the station buildings, including ticket office and waiting rooms. The platform at Rothley measures 441 feet (134 m) long and 33 feet (10 m) wide at its widest point. Access is made by descending a flight of stairs from a road bridge (structure number 354) that crosses the line.
Rothley station was built partly in a cutting at the north end (across which the bridge 354 crosses) and on an embankment at the south end. A modest goods yard with a goods shed, weigh bridge and coal store were provided on the east side of the station, with train and shunting movements controlled from a signal box a little to the south of station on the west side of the main running lines. A station master's house at the north eastern corner of the site watches over the station from on top of the banks.
The station closed on 4 March 1963 although trains continued to pass through until the line closed in 1969."
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