Little Eaton railway station
Encyclopedia
Little Eaton railway station was a railway station which served the village of Little Eaton
in Derbyshire
, England
. It was opened in 1856 by the Midland Railway
on its Ripley branch
from Little Eaton Junction (approximately 3 miles north of Derby) to Ripley
.
It was the first station on leaving the main line at Little Eaton Junction and approximately a quarter of a mile away.
Immediately before the Duffield Road level crossing was the Derby Canal
Wharf where the Little Eaton Gangway
also terminated and at that point a goods yard was provided. The line was double to that point but from then on was largely single.
The station had a single platform on the down side and there was a short spur serving Dowdings paper mill.
There was a second level crossing immediately after the station, and longer trains could easily span both of them. The two signal boxes were Little Eaton Station next to the Duffield Road, and Little Eaton Village. The former has been preserved and is in private ownership in Staffordshire.
In the Grouping
of all lines (into four main companies) in 1923 the station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
.
Passenger services finished in 1930, though the station handled goods until 1965. The paper mill sidings reamined in use for a little while afterwards and the line itself remained open to Denby
for coal traffic until the late twentieth century.
Practically nothing is now left of the station apart from the track and the remnants of the platform. The station site has been redeveloped with new private housing.
Little Eaton
Little Eaton is a village in the English county of Derbyshire. The name originated from Anglo Saxon times and means the little town by the water....
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, 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...
. It was opened in 1856 by the Midland Railway
Midland Railway
The Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
on its Ripley branch
Midland Railway Ripley Branch
The Midland Railway Ripley Branch connected Derby to Ripley in Derbyshire, England running from Little Eaton Junction on the Midland Railway line to Leeds.-Origin:...
from Little Eaton Junction (approximately 3 miles north of Derby) to Ripley
Ripley railway station
Ripley railway station was a railway station which served the town of Ripley in Derbyshire, England. It was opened in 1856 by the Midland Railway on its Ripley branch from Little Eaton Junction, approximately 3 miles north of Derby...
.
It was the first station on leaving the main line at Little Eaton Junction and approximately a quarter of a mile away.
Immediately before the Duffield Road level crossing was the Derby Canal
Derby Canal
The Derby Canal ran from the Trent and Mersey Canal at Swarkestone to Derby and Little Eaton, and to the Erewash Canal at Sandiacre, Derbyshire, England. The canal gained its Act of Parliament in 1793 and was fully completed in 1796...
Wharf where the Little Eaton Gangway
Little Eaton Gangway
The Little Eaton Gangway, or, to give it its official title, the Derby Canal Railway, was a narrow gauge industrial wagonway serving the Derby Canal, in England, at Little Eaton in Derbyshire.- The Derby Canal :...
also terminated and at that point a goods yard was provided. The line was double to that point but from then on was largely single.
The station had a single platform on the down side and there was a short spur serving Dowdings paper mill.
There was a second level crossing immediately after the station, and longer trains could easily span both of them. The two signal boxes were Little Eaton Station next to the Duffield Road, and Little Eaton Village. The former has been preserved and is in private ownership in Staffordshire.
In the Grouping
Railways Act 1921
The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
of all lines (into four main companies) in 1923 the station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway
London, Midland and Scottish Railway
The London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
.
Passenger services finished in 1930, though the station handled goods until 1965. The paper mill sidings reamined in use for a little while afterwards and the line itself remained open to Denby
Denby
Denby is a village in the English county of Derbyshire that is notable as the birthplace of John Flamsteed, England's first Royal Astronomer, and the location of the Denby Pottery Company....
for coal traffic until the late twentieth century.
Practically nothing is now left of the station apart from the track and the remnants of the platform. The station site has been redeveloped with new private housing.