Helmdon Village railway station
Encyclopedia
Helmdon Village was a railway station on the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway
(SMJ) which served the Northamptonshire
village of Helmdon
between 1872 and 1951. The station was one of two serving the relatively rural area which generated little passenger traffic on the SMJ and ultimately led to the station's closure. Helmdon Village station was among the first to close on the SMJ and marked the beginning of the years of decline of the line.
on the Wappenham side, 100 yards (91.4 m) from the station, linked to the main line. Unlike Wappenham, Helmdon had a small red brick gable
d goods shed
which spanned the siding and contained a goods office and internal loading platform.
The station had two platforms enclosing a passing loop
, but only one of these was used for regular passenger services. The other was used on race days. The loop was taken out of service with the amalgamation of the N&BJ with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway in 1910; to Cockley Brake junction became one section. Helmdon experienced its busiest period during the construction of the Great Central Main Line
, when the line's contractors used it as a railhead for the transport of building materials needed for the large nine-arch viaduct spanning the valley and carrying the new line over the N&BJ's line. A temporary line was laid from Helmdon station to the viaduct's proposed location. The opening of the Great Central's station at led to the N&BJ's station being renamed Helmdon Village (it being closer to the village).
Passenger traffic was sparse, Helmdon was only a small village of 516 people in 1901, and it was one of the least successful in terms of passenger traffic on the line. By the early 1950s, the limited services between and Banbury
were attracting very few passengers and this resulted in the line's closure to passengers from Monday 2 July 1951, the final trains running on the previous Saturday. Goods traffic continued for three more months.
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 Helmdon
Helmdon
Helmdon is a village and civil parish in the district of South Northamptonshire, Northamptonshire, England. The parish covers an area of about and includes the village of Helmdon and the hamlets of Astwell and Falcutt.-Geography:...
between 1872 and 1951. The station was one of two serving the relatively rural area which generated little passenger traffic on the SMJ and ultimately led to the station's closure. Helmdon Village station was among the first to close on the SMJ and marked the beginning of the years of decline of the line.
History
In August 1871, the Northampton and Banbury Junction Railway (N&BJ) extended its line from to Helmdon. A station was erected in a shallow cutting spanned at its western end by a twin-arched road bridge carrying the village street (now known as Station Road) across the line. The station building and track layout was similar in style to that at neighbouring : a one-storey symmetrical red brick building and a single loop sidingRail 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...
on the Wappenham side, 100 yards (91.4 m) from the station, linked to the main line. Unlike Wappenham, Helmdon had a small red brick gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
d 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...
which spanned the siding and contained a goods office and internal loading platform.
The station had two platforms enclosing 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...
, but only one of these was used for regular passenger services. The other was used on race days. The loop was taken out of service with the amalgamation of the N&BJ with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway in 1910; to Cockley Brake junction became one section. Helmdon experienced its busiest period during the construction of the Great Central Main Line
Great Central Main Line
The Great Central Main Line , also known as the London Extension of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway , is a former railway line which opened in 1899 linking Sheffield with Marylebone Station in London via Nottingham and Leicester.The GCML was the last main line railway built in...
, when the line's contractors used it as a railhead for the transport of building materials needed for the large nine-arch viaduct spanning the valley and carrying the new line over the N&BJ's line. A temporary line was laid from Helmdon station to the viaduct's proposed location. The opening of the Great Central's station at led to the N&BJ's station being renamed Helmdon Village (it being closer to the village).
Passenger traffic was sparse, Helmdon was only a small village of 516 people in 1901, and it was one of the least successful in terms of passenger traffic on the line. By the early 1950s, the limited services between and Banbury
Banbury Merton Street railway station
Banbury Merton Street was the first railway station to serve the Oxfordshire market town of Banbury in England. It opened in 1850 as the northern terminus of the Buckinghamshire Railway providing connections to Bletchley and Oxford and closing for passengers in 1961 and goods in 1966.- Context...
were attracting very few passengers and this resulted in the line's closure to passengers from Monday 2 July 1951, the final trains running on the previous Saturday. Goods traffic continued for three more months.