Asfordby
Encyclopedia
Asfordby is a village and civil parish
in the Melton district of Leicestershire
, to the west of Melton Mowbray
on the A6006 road.
The parish consists of Asfordby proper, Asfordby Valley and Asfordby Hill
, which together have a population of around 3,000 (1995 est). The villages are to the north of the River Wreake
, with Asfordby Hill situated east of Asfordby proper, closer to Melton, and Asfordby Valley to the north.
Asfordby was the site of a modern deep coal pit which was built between 1984 and 1993, but this closed in 1997 due to numerous geological difficulties and the low price of coal at the time.
via Asfordby to Edwalton. In the early 2000s it was leased to Alstom
Transport Limited who upgraded and electrified the line and used it for testing the UK version of Pendolino
tilting trains. After completion of the Pendolino testing in early 2005 the line was mothballed
.
On 12 February 2007, Metronet
announced that they had leased the track and would be refitting part of it to test the next generation of air conditioned
tube
trains.
The Alstom Midlands Test Centre (AMTC) HQ now occupies various buildings at the former mine complex at Asfordby.
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in the Melton district of Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
, to the west of Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
on the A6006 road.
The parish consists of Asfordby proper, Asfordby Valley and Asfordby Hill
Asfordby Hill
Asfordby Hill is a village on the A6006 road, in the parish of Asfordby, in the Melton District, in the English county of Leicestershire. Asfordby Hill has a railway running under itself.- Amenities :...
, which together have a population of around 3,000 (1995 est). The villages are to the north of the River Wreake
River Wreake
The River Wreake is a river in Leicestershire, England. It is a tributary of the River Soar. The river between Stapleford Park and Melton Mowbray is known as the River Eye and becomes the Wreake below Melton Mowbray....
, with Asfordby Hill situated east of Asfordby proper, closer to Melton, and Asfordby Valley to the north.
Asfordby was the site of a modern deep coal pit which was built between 1984 and 1993, but this closed in 1997 due to numerous geological difficulties and the low price of coal at the time.
Railway Test Track
The original Old Dalby test track is owned by BRB (Residuary) Ltd. and runs from Melton MowbrayMelton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray is a town in the Melton borough of Leicestershire, England. It is to the northeast of Leicester, and southeast of Nottingham...
via Asfordby to Edwalton. In the early 2000s it was leased to Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
Transport Limited who upgraded and electrified the line and used it for testing the UK version of Pendolino
Pendolino
Pendolino is an Italian family of tilting trains used in Italy, Spain, Portugal, Slovenia, Finland, Russian Federation, the Czech Republic, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Switzerland, China and shortly in Romania and Poland...
tilting trains. After completion of the Pendolino testing in early 2005 the line was mothballed
Mothball
Mothballs are small balls of chemical pesticide and deodorant used when storing clothing and other articles susceptible to damage from mold or moth larvae ....
.
On 12 February 2007, Metronet
Metronet
Metronet Rail was one of two companies in a public-private partnership with London Underground.Metronet was responsible for the maintenance, renewal, and upgrade of the infrastructure on nine London Underground lines from 2003 to 2008. This included track, trains, signals, civil work and stations...
announced that they had leased the track and would be refitting part of it to test the next generation of air conditioned
Air conditioning
An air conditioner is a home appliance, system, or mechanism designed to dehumidify and extract heat from an area. The cooling is done using a simple refrigeration cycle...
tube
London Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
trains.
The Alstom Midlands Test Centre (AMTC) HQ now occupies various buildings at the former mine complex at Asfordby.