Morton Pinkney railway station
Encyclopedia
Morton Pinkney was a railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
(SMJ) which served the Northamptonshire
village of Moreton Pinkney
between 1873 and 1952. It was situated not far from Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of George Washington
's family.
and the junction with the Great Western Railway
's Honeybourne branch line
was first authorised in June 1864, but due to a lack of funds it took a further nine years for the line, built by the East and West Junction Railway (E&WJ), to be fully open to traffic. A station was opened at Moreton Pinkney
, a Northamptonshire
village 11.5 miles (18.5 km) from Blisworth
. As with other E&WJ stations, Morton Pinkney had a passing loop
with two platforms and a single goods siding
without a goods shed
. Goods handled included milk collection and coal deliveries; in addition, as many as 40 loads of cattle
were dispatched on weekly Tuesday marketdays, the railway company laying on special trains to run to and Broom
. To the west of the small brick station building lay a 12-lever signal box
which was switched out at night to create a long section from Woodford West junction and when services were signalled in both directions on the Up line.
A special gating crossing existed near the station for the use of local huntsmen, a key being provided to the local Master of Foxhounds. In 1912, the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
, which had amalgamated with the E&WJ in 1908, agreed to cover all drains along the line and to replace barbed wire
with ordinary wire in order to minimise the risk of injury to horse
and hound
. In an attempt to boost passenger traffic, the station began to appear as Morton Pinkney for Sulgrave in timetables from January 1913, the railway company hoping that the mention of Sulgrave
, the location of the home of George Washington
's ancestors, would encourage tourists to use the line. Passenger traffic continued to tail off and the station was finally closed in 1952, though the line through the station remained open for freight trains between Woodford West junction and Blisworth until 7 February 1964.
Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
(SMJ) which served the Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
village of Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The earliest evidence of Christianity in the parish is a fragment of an Anglo-Saxon stone cross in the churchyard of the Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin...
between 1873 and 1952. It was situated not far from Sulgrave Manor, the ancestral home of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's family.
History
A line from Greens Norton junction near to Stratford-upon-AvonStratford-upon-Avon
Stratford-upon-Avon is a market town and civil parish in south Warwickshire, England. It lies on the River Avon, south east of Birmingham and south west of Warwick. It is the largest and most populous town of the District of Stratford-on-Avon, which uses the term "on" to indicate that it covers...
and the junction with the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
's Honeybourne branch line
Honeybourne railway station
Honeybourne railway station serves the village of Honeybourne in Worcestershire, England. It is on the Cotswold Line and was formerly a junction with four platforms.-History:...
was first authorised in June 1864, but due to a lack of funds it took a further nine years for the line, built by the East and West Junction Railway (E&WJ), to be fully open to traffic. A station was opened at Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney
Moreton Pinkney is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The earliest evidence of Christianity in the parish is a fragment of an Anglo-Saxon stone cross in the churchyard of the Church of England parish church of St Mary the Virgin...
, a Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire is a landlocked county in the English East Midlands, with a population of 629,676 as at the 2001 census. It has boundaries with the ceremonial counties of Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east,...
village 11.5 miles (18.5 km) from Blisworth
Blisworth
Blisworth is a village and civil parish in the South Northamptonshire district of Northamptonshire, England. The West Coast Main Line, from London Euston to Manchester and Scotland, runs alongside the village partly hidden and partly on an embankment...
. As with other E&WJ stations, Morton Pinkney had a passing loop
Passing loop
A passing loop is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at a station, where trains or trams in opposing directions can pass each other. Trains/trams in the same direction can also overtake, providing that the signalling arrangement allows it...
with two platforms and a single goods siding
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
without a goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
. Goods handled included milk collection and coal deliveries; in addition, as many as 40 loads of cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
were dispatched on weekly Tuesday marketdays, the railway company laying on special trains to run to and Broom
Broom Junction railway station
Broom Junction was a railway station and interchange between the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway and the Barnt Green to Ashchurch line. Although initially only an exchange station, it was opened to the public from 1880 and remained in service until 1963...
. To the west of the small brick station building lay a 12-lever 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...
which was switched out at night to create a long section from Woodford West junction and when services were signalled in both directions on the Up line.
A special gating crossing existed near the station for the use of local huntsmen, a key being provided to the local Master of Foxhounds. In 1912, the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
The Stratford Upon Avon & Midland Junction Railway was a small independent railway company which ran a line across the empty, untouched centre of England. It visited the counties of Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Oxfordshire and a little of Buckinghamshire, only existing as the SMJR from 1909 to...
, which had amalgamated with the E&WJ in 1908, agreed to cover all drains along the line and to replace barbed wire
Barbed wire
Barbed wire, also known as barb wire , is a type of fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the strand. It is used to construct inexpensive fences and is used atop walls surrounding secured property...
with ordinary wire in order to minimise the risk of injury to horse
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
and hound
Hound
A hound is a type of dog that assists hunters by tracking or chasing the animal being hunted. It can be contrasted with the gun dog, which assists hunters by identifying the location of prey, and with the retriever, which recovers shot quarry...
. In an attempt to boost passenger traffic, the station began to appear as Morton Pinkney for Sulgrave in timetables from January 1913, the railway company hoping that the mention of Sulgrave
Sulgrave
Sulgrave is a village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England, about north of Brackley.-Parish church:The Church of England parish Church of St James the Less is part of the benefice of Culworth with Sulgrave and Thorpe Mandeville and Chipping Warden with Edgcote and Moreton Pinkney.By...
, the location of the home of George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
's ancestors, would encourage tourists to use the line. Passenger traffic continued to tail off and the station was finally closed in 1952, though the line through the station remained open for freight trains between Woodford West junction and Blisworth until 7 February 1964.