Cardington railway station
Encyclopedia
Cardington was a railway station on the Bedford to Hitchin Line
which served the village of Cardington
in Bedfordshire
, England. Opened in 1857, it gave more than a century of service before closing in 1962.
to Hitchin
, part of a larger scheme to allow its Midland Main Line
a direct route to London
without using rival Great Northern Railway
metals. Passenger traffic over the Bedford to Hitchin section was minimal and services were reduced to a shuttle by 1880.
The establishment of an Royal Air Force
station in Cardington during the First World War increased passenger and freight traffic through the station. This continued after the war when the coalition government approved a project to build two large airships, the R100
and R101
, on the site. This required the construction of two large sheds at what was then known as the Royal Airship Works. The inter-war years saw a decline in traffic with the introduction of buses between Bedford and Hitchin
. Traffic picked up again during the Second World War when troop specials were run to enable conscripts to return home from the RAF camps. The introduction of railbuses
after the war did little to improve traffic, and the line closed in 1962.
Bedford to Hitchin Line
The Bedford to Hitchin Line was a branch of the Midland Railway which served stations at Cardington, Southill, Shefford and Henlow in Bedfordshire, England. It opened in 1857, but was largely made redundant as a through-route to London by the extension of the Midland Main Line to St Pancras...
which served the village of Cardington
Cardington, Bedfordshire
Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, EnglandPart of the ancient hundred of Wixamtree, the settlement is best known in connection with the Cardington airship works founded by Short Brothers during World War I, which later became an RAF training station...
in 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....
, England. Opened in 1857, it gave more than a century of service before closing in 1962.
History
Cardington station was opened by the Midland Railway in 1862 as part of its new line from BedfordBedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
to Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
, part of a larger scheme to allow its Midland Main Line
Midland Main Line
The Midland Main Line is a major railway route in the United Kingdom, part of the British railway system.The present-day line links London St...
a direct route 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...
without using rival Great Northern Railway
Great Northern Railway (Great Britain)
The Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
metals. Passenger traffic over the Bedford to Hitchin section was minimal and services were reduced to a shuttle by 1880.
The establishment of an Royal Air Force
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
station in Cardington during the First World War increased passenger and freight traffic through the station. This continued after the war when the coalition government approved a project to build two large airships, the R100
R100
HM Airship R100 was a privately designed and built rigid airship made as part of a two-ship competition to develop new techniques for a projected larger commercial airship for use on British empire routes...
and R101
R101
R101 was one of a pair of British rigid airship completed in 1929 as part of a British government programme to develop civil airships capable of service on long-distance routes within the British Empire. It was designed and built by an Air Ministry-appointed team and was effectively in competition...
, on the site. This required the construction of two large sheds at what was then known as the Royal Airship Works. The inter-war years saw a decline in traffic with the introduction of buses between Bedford and Hitchin
Hitchin
Hitchin is a town in Hertfordshire, England, with an estimated population of 30,360.-History:Hitchin is first noted as the central place of the Hicce people mentioned in a 7th century document, the Tribal Hidage. The tribal name is Brittonic rather than Old English and derives from *siccā, meaning...
. Traffic picked up again during the Second World War when troop specials were run to enable conscripts to return home from the RAF camps. The introduction of railbuses
British Rail Railbuses
British Rail produced a variety of Railbuses as a means both of building new rolling stock cheaply, and to provide services on lightly used lines economically.-Terminology:...
after the war did little to improve traffic, and the line closed in 1962.