Leighton Buzzard railway station
Encyclopedia
Leighton Buzzard railway station serves the Leighton Buzzard
and Linslade
area of Bedfordshire
and nearby parts of Buckinghamshire
. Actually situated in Linslade, the station is 64 kilometres (39.8 mi) north west of London Euston
and is served by London Midland
local services from Northampton
to London
on the West Coast Main Line
. Until the 1960s the station was the start of a branch to Dunstable
and Luton
, with a junction just north of the present station. There have been past proposals about reopening this route, as little of it has been lost to new construction, either for rail or as a guided bus
way.
Page's Park railway station
, terminus for the Leighton Buzzard Railway (a narrow gauge heritage railway
), is on the opposite side of the town.
on 9 April 1838 as part of the first section of its line from to Denbigh Hall. The line had originally been planned to pass through Buckingham
but opposition from the Duke of Buckingham ensured that it forced east through Linslade
. A station with two-facing platforms was opened a ¼-mile south of the Linslade tunnels. These are arranged unusually for a four track main line: the southbound slow line has a tunnel to itself as does the northbound fast line, however the northbound slow and southbound fast lines share a tunnel. This stems from the fact that the line was built as double-track and when quadrupled, the two extra lines could only be placed along both sides, as single-track tunnels.
In May 1848, the station became a junction when a branch line to Dunstable
was opened. The London and North Western Railway
replaced the first station in February 1859 by another more permanent structure located 8 chains (160.9 m) to the south. The new building had an imposing frontage featuring arched windows. Access to the Dunstable branch was controlled by Leighton No. 2 signal box
situated to the north of the station, while the actual branch signals were controlled by the main line
box to the south. In 1874, land was purchased to the south of the station alongside the Dunstable branch for the construction of goods sidings, which eventually became known as Wing Yard.
The LNWR was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
in the 1923 railway grouping
and, in 1927, it added a crossover between the fast and slow lines. This was to play a significant role in the derailment of Royal Scot
No. 6114 "Coldstream Guardsman" at Linslade on 22 March 1931 when the driver took the crossover at 50-60 mph instead of the regulation 15 mph. There had been a diversion in place on the fast lines and the driver had missed the warning signals. The engine overturned and six people were killed including the driver and fireman. The Great Train Robbery of 1963 occurred just south of this station, at near Ledburn
, at a bridge on the southbound stretch towards Cheddington
. Wing Yard was closed in February 1967 and it is now used as a car park, while the branch to Dunstable was closed from June. In 1989, the platforms were lengthened to accommodate 12-coach trains and a £1.8m project to rebuild the station was started.
and Southern
, and is managed by the former. Southbound, three London Midland trains depart per hour on weekdays, one of which sometimes runs non-stop to London. Additionally, one Southern train per hour runs to . Northbound, two trains an hour run to , one from each operator. A third train runs to , whilst the fourth runs to either or .
Leighton Buzzard
-Lower schools:*Beaudesert Lower School - Apennine Way*Clipstone Brook Lower School - Brooklands Drive*Greenleas Lower School - Derwent Road*Dovery Down Lower School - Heath Road*Heathwood Lower School - Heath Road*Leedon Lower School - Highfield Road...
and Linslade
Linslade
Linslade is an English town, located on the Bedfordshire side of the Bedfordshire-Buckinghamshire border . It abuts onto the town of Leighton Buzzard with which it forms the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade. Linslade was transferred from Buckinghamshire in 1965, and was previously a separate...
area of Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire
Bedfordshire is a ceremonial county of historic origin in England that forms part of the East of England region.It borders Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Northamptonshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the south-east....
and nearby parts of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. Actually situated in Linslade, the station is 64 kilometres (39.8 mi) north west of London Euston
Euston railway station
Euston railway station, also known as London Euston, is a central London railway terminus in the London Borough of Camden. It is the sixth busiest rail terminal in London . It is one of 18 railway stations managed by Network Rail, and is the southern terminus of the West Coast Main Line...
and is served by London Midland
London Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
local services from Northampton
Northampton
Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on the West Coast Main Line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
. Until the 1960s the station was the start of a branch to Dunstable
Dunstable
Dunstable is a market town and civil parish located in Bedfordshire, England. It lies on the eastward tail spurs of the Chiltern Hills, 30 miles north of London. These geographical features form several steep chalk escarpments most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north.-Etymology:In...
and Luton
Luton
Luton is a large town and unitary authority of Bedfordshire, England, 30 miles north of London. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 250,000....
, with a junction just north of the present station. There have been past proposals about reopening this route, as little of it has been lost to new construction, either for rail or as a guided bus
Guided bus
Guided buses are buses steered for part or all of their route by external means, usually on a dedicated track. This track, which often parallels existing roads, excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of reliable schedules on heavily used corridors even during rush hours.Guidance systems...
way.
Page's Park railway station
Page's Park railway station
Pages Park railway station is a railway station serving the southern area of Leighton Buzzard. Pages Park is the terminus of the heritage narrow gauge Leighton Buzzard Railway. At present the station consists of two platforms, a shed and a number of temporary buildings acting as the waiting room,...
, terminus for the Leighton Buzzard Railway (a narrow gauge heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
), is on the opposite side of the town.
History
The first station simply known as Leighton was opened by the London and Birmingham RailwayLondon and Birmingham Railway
The London and Birmingham Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom from 1833 to 1846, when it became part of the London and North Western Railway ....
on 9 April 1838 as part of the first section of its line from to Denbigh Hall. The line had originally been planned to pass through Buckingham
Buckingham
Buckingham is a town situated in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire. The town has a population of 11,572 ,...
but opposition from the Duke of Buckingham ensured that it forced east through Linslade
Linslade
Linslade is an English town, located on the Bedfordshire side of the Bedfordshire-Buckinghamshire border . It abuts onto the town of Leighton Buzzard with which it forms the civil parish of Leighton-Linslade. Linslade was transferred from Buckinghamshire in 1965, and was previously a separate...
. A station with two-facing platforms was opened a ¼-mile south of the Linslade tunnels. These are arranged unusually for a four track main line: the southbound slow line has a tunnel to itself as does the northbound fast line, however the northbound slow and southbound fast lines share a tunnel. This stems from the fact that the line was built as double-track and when quadrupled, the two extra lines could only be placed along both sides, as single-track tunnels.
In May 1848, the station became a junction when a branch line to Dunstable
Dunstable Branch Lines
The Dunstable Branch Lines were railway branch lines that joined the English town of Dunstable to the main lines at Leighton Buzzard and Welwyn. The two lines were under separate ownership, and they joined just east of the Dunstable North station....
was opened. The London and North Western Railway
London and North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
replaced the first station in February 1859 by another more permanent structure located 8 chains (160.9 m) to the south. The new building had an imposing frontage featuring arched windows. Access to the Dunstable branch was controlled by Leighton No. 2 signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
situated to the north of the station, while the actual branch signals were controlled by the main line
West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line is the busiest mixed-traffic railway route in Britain, being the country's most important rail backbone in terms of population served. Fast, long-distance inter-city passenger services are provided between London, the West Midlands, the North West, North Wales and the...
box to the south. In 1874, land was purchased to the south of the station alongside the Dunstable branch for the construction of goods sidings, which eventually became known as Wing Yard.
The LNWR was absorbed by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
in the 1923 railway grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
and, in 1927, it added a crossover between the fast and slow lines. This was to play a significant role in the derailment of Royal Scot
LMS Royal Scot Class
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway Royal Scot Class is a class of 4-6-0 express passenger locomotive introduced in 1927. Originally having parallel boilers, all members were later rebuilt with tapered type 2A boilers, and were in effect two classes.-Background:Until the mid-1920s, the LMS...
No. 6114 "Coldstream Guardsman" at Linslade on 22 March 1931 when the driver took the crossover at 50-60 mph instead of the regulation 15 mph. There had been a diversion in place on the fast lines and the driver had missed the warning signals. The engine overturned and six people were killed including the driver and fireman. The Great Train Robbery of 1963 occurred just south of this station, at near Ledburn
Ledburn
Ledburn is a hamlet in the parish of Mentmore, in Buckinghamshire, England. The name Ledburn is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means "stream with a conduit". In manorial records of 1212 it was recorded as "Leteburn"....
, at a bridge on the southbound stretch towards Cheddington
Cheddington railway station
Cheddington railway station serves the village of Cheddington, near Mentmore in Buckinghamshire, England. It also serves a number of surrounding villages, most notably Ivinghoe. The station is 58 km/36 miles north west of London Euston on the West Coast Main Line. It is operated by London Midland,...
. Wing Yard was closed in February 1967 and it is now used as a car park, while the branch to Dunstable was closed from June. In 1989, the platforms were lengthened to accommodate 12-coach trains and a £1.8m project to rebuild the station was started.
Services
The station is served by London MidlandLondon Midland
London Midland is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Legally named London and Birmingham Railway Ltd, it is a subsidiary of Govia, and has operated the West Midlands franchise since 11 November 2007....
and Southern
Southern (train operating company)
Southern is a train operating company in the United Kingdom. Officially named Southern Railway Ltd., it is a subsidiary of Govia, a joint venture between transport groups Go-Ahead Group and Keolis, and has operated the South Central rail franchise since October 2000 and the Gatwick Express service...
, and is managed by the former. Southbound, three London Midland trains depart per hour on weekdays, one of which sometimes runs non-stop to London. Additionally, one Southern train per hour runs to . Northbound, two trains an hour run to , one from each operator. A third train runs to , whilst the fourth runs to either or .