Stoke Bruern railway station
Encyclopedia
Stoke Bruern was a railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
which opened in 1893 near the Northamptonshire
village of Stoke Bruerne
after which it was misnamed. The station was situated in a sparsely-populated area and only saw passenger services for four months, despite the railway company's optimism which saw substantial station facilities provided in the expectation of traffic which never came. The station remained open for goods until 1952.
village of Stoke Bruerne
, not far from the southern portal of Blisworth Hill Tunnel
on the Grand Union Canal
over which ran the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
's (SMJ) east-west line from Broom
to Olney
. As was the case with Salcey Forest station
, the railway company provided an unusually large station building which included accommodation for the stationmaster.
Passenger services began on 1 December 1892 with four stopping trains a day, but traffic was so poor that this was withdrawn four months later. On the first service, it was reported that one person alighted at Salcey Forest, but no-one joined, whilst at Stoke Bruern, seven joined and one alighted. The service attracted no more than twenty passengers a week and the SMJ incurred a loss of £40.
The station finally closed to goods in 1952; the single loop goods siding
remained in use for the storage of condemned wagons
until the closure of the section of the line between Woodford West junction and in February 1964. The station building had also been used for many years by the permanent way
staff. The signal box
, a ground frame type box, was taken out of use in September 1912, leaving a block section 10.5 miles (16.9 km) long.
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 opened in 1893 near 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 Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne is a small village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England about north of Milton Keynes and south of Northampton.-History:...
after which it was misnamed. The station was situated in a sparsely-populated area and only saw passenger services for four months, despite the railway company's optimism which saw substantial station facilities provided in the expectation of traffic which never came. The station remained open for goods until 1952.
History
The station opened in 1893 in a thinly-populated area on the western side of Stoke Road near the NorthamptonshireNorthamptonshire
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 Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne
Stoke Bruerne is a small village and civil parish in South Northamptonshire, England about north of Milton Keynes and south of Northampton.-History:...
, not far from the southern portal of Blisworth Hill Tunnel
Blisworth Tunnel
Blisworth Tunnel is a canal tunnel on the Grand Union Canal in Northamptonshire, England between the villages of Stoke Bruerne at the southern end and Blisworth at the northern end.-Measurements:...
on the Grand Union Canal
Grand Union Canal
The Grand Union Canal in England is part of the British canal system. Its main line connects London and Birmingham, stretching for 137 miles with 166 locks...
over which ran 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...
's (SMJ) east-west line from 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 Olney
Olney railway station
Olney was a railway station on the former Bedford to Northampton Line and Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway which served the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, England. It was situated on a busy section of line between Towcester and Ravenstone Wood junction which saw heavy use by...
. As was the case with Salcey Forest station
Salcey Forest railway station
Salcey Forest was a short-lived railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway which opened in 1893 near the Northamptonshire forest of the same name...
, the railway company provided an unusually large station building which included accommodation for the stationmaster.
Passenger services began on 1 December 1892 with four stopping trains a day, but traffic was so poor that this was withdrawn four months later. On the first service, it was reported that one person alighted at Salcey Forest, but no-one joined, whilst at Stoke Bruern, seven joined and one alighted. The service attracted no more than twenty passengers a week and the SMJ incurred a loss of £40.
The station finally closed to goods in 1952; the single loop 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...
remained in use for the storage of condemned wagons
Railroad car
A railroad car or railway vehicle , also known as a bogie in Indian English, is a vehicle on a rail transport system that is used for the carrying of cargo or passengers. Cars can be coupled together into a train and hauled by one or more locomotives...
until the closure of the section of the line between Woodford West junction and in February 1964. The station building had also been used for many years by the permanent way
Permanent way
The permanent way is the elements of railway lines: generally the pairs of rails typically laid on the sleepers embedded in ballast, intended to carry the ordinary trains of a railway...
staff. The 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...
, a ground frame type box, was taken out of use in September 1912, leaving a block section 10.5 miles (16.9 km) long.