Lade railway station
Encyclopedia
Lade railway station was a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
in Kent
, England
.
In common with most stations on the Dungeness line of the railway (as far as The Pilot Inn
), Lade station opened for business on 24 May 1928. Despite having full station status, it was never intended to be a major station. It was not even provided with hard platform surfaces, and the only construction on site was a simple, but elegant, Greenly
-style waiting shelter. This had a concrete base with wooden construction above. There were glass windows in the two ends, and an open front for access. The roof included simple decoration at the apex, and overhung the front of the shelter to form an awning-type cover for a few feet outside the main building, the overhang being supported by curved wooden supports attached to the front of the shelter.
The station was never staffed, and never intended to be staffed. It served a small collection of fishermen's cottages, and was soon reduced in status to a halt. Exactly when this happened is unclear, but photographic evidence from 1936 shows the front of the shelter with two small signs attached (one to each side of the open front entrance) each marked "Lade Halt" in capital letters.
Shortly after World War II
the Dungeness line was reduced to single-track in preparation for its re-opening in 1947, and at the same time the station shelter at Lade was demolished. However, the halt remained a request stop on the reopened line.
In 1968 the ever reducing status of the neighbouring "The Pilot Inn railway station
" brought the two halts together in popular thought. Despite their very different origins, "Pilot Halt" and "Lade Halt" (as they were now known) came to be considered a pair of slightly problematic stations with identical fortunes. This was given concrete reality in 1968 when the station shelter at The Pilot was replaced with a breeze-block construction shelter, and an identical building was also constructed at Lade. From that point onward, the fortunes and history of the two stations are the same.
Just as at Pilot Halt, Lade Halt continued as a request stop on the railway until 1977, when it closed. Over the following years from 1978 to 1983 there was some activity at the station, with special trains calling there by arrangement; however, the installation of electronic track circuitry in connection with a nearby level crossing
had rendered any general re-opening unlikely, as the track circuits have no way of knowing whether an approaching train intends to stop or not.
Lade Halt was shown in the railway's 1984 timetable, although no advertised trains stopped there. Since 1985 the station has been unmentioned in any official railway publication, other than those which are strictly historical. During the mid 1990s the second (1968) station shelter was demolished, leaving no remaining trace of the station.
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge light railway in Kent, England. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
In common with most stations on the Dungeness line of the railway (as far as The Pilot Inn
The Pilot Inn railway station
The Pilot Inn railway station was a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent, England.Opened on 24 May 1928, this station was a temporary terminus whilst construction of the remaining section of track to Dungeness continued...
), Lade station opened for business on 24 May 1928. Despite having full station status, it was never intended to be a major station. It was not even provided with hard platform surfaces, and the only construction on site was a simple, but elegant, Greenly
Henry Greenly
Henry Greenly was amongst the foremost miniature railway engineers of the 20th century, remembered as a master of engineering design.-Miniature railways:...
-style waiting shelter. This had a concrete base with wooden construction above. There were glass windows in the two ends, and an open front for access. The roof included simple decoration at the apex, and overhung the front of the shelter to form an awning-type cover for a few feet outside the main building, the overhang being supported by curved wooden supports attached to the front of the shelter.
The station was never staffed, and never intended to be staffed. It served a small collection of fishermen's cottages, and was soon reduced in status to a halt. Exactly when this happened is unclear, but photographic evidence from 1936 shows the front of the shelter with two small signs attached (one to each side of the open front entrance) each marked "Lade Halt" in capital letters.
Shortly after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Dungeness line was reduced to single-track in preparation for its re-opening in 1947, and at the same time the station shelter at Lade was demolished. However, the halt remained a request stop on the reopened line.
In 1968 the ever reducing status of the neighbouring "The Pilot Inn railway station
The Pilot Inn railway station
The Pilot Inn railway station was a station on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent, England.Opened on 24 May 1928, this station was a temporary terminus whilst construction of the remaining section of track to Dungeness continued...
" brought the two halts together in popular thought. Despite their very different origins, "Pilot Halt" and "Lade Halt" (as they were now known) came to be considered a pair of slightly problematic stations with identical fortunes. This was given concrete reality in 1968 when the station shelter at The Pilot was replaced with a breeze-block construction shelter, and an identical building was also constructed at Lade. From that point onward, the fortunes and history of the two stations are the same.
Just as at Pilot Halt, Lade Halt continued as a request stop on the railway until 1977, when it closed. Over the following years from 1978 to 1983 there was some activity at the station, with special trains calling there by arrangement; however, the installation of electronic track circuitry in connection with a nearby level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
had rendered any general re-opening unlikely, as the track circuits have no way of knowing whether an approaching train intends to stop or not.
Lade Halt was shown in the railway's 1984 timetable, although no advertised trains stopped there. Since 1985 the station has been unmentioned in any official railway publication, other than those which are strictly historical. During the mid 1990s the second (1968) station shelter was demolished, leaving no remaining trace of the station.