Retford railway station
Encyclopedia
Retford railway station serves the town of Retford
in Nottinghamshire
, England
. and is 223 km (138½ miles) north of London Kings Cross and 28 km (16½ miles) south of Doncaster
on the East Coast Main Line
. It is also 37 km (23½ miles) south east of Sheffield on the Sheffield to Lincoln Line
.
It has four platforms, two of which serve the East Coast Main Line while two located at a lower level and at right angles to the first pair serve the Sheffield to Lincoln Line.
which opened on 16 July 1849 on their line between Sheffield (Bridgehouses) and Gainsborough
. The Great Northern Railway
line from Doncaster
arrived on 4 September 1849 crossing the S&LJR on the level. It used the latter's station until its own was completed (on the site of today's higher-level platforms) on 1 August 1852. On 1 July 1859, the S&LJR (now the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway) began using the GNR station via a short connecting curve, and closed its original station.
The higher-level platforms (numbered 1 and 2) respectively serve southbound and northbound East Coast Main Line trains calling at Retford. Platform 1 (on the eastern side of the layout) adjoins the main station building. Between the two platforms tracks there are two further lines, used by fast trains not booked to call here.
Prior to the remodelling concurrent with the elimination of the flat crossing platform 2 was the eastern face of an island platform. The western face was platform 3. There was only room for 3 tracks between the island and platform 1. The middle track was the southbound through line. To relieve congestion on platform 1, used by trains on both routes, there was a timber-built extension on the south curve (platform 1A) to allow Lincoln bound trains to clear platform 1 proper.
The lower-level platforms (numbered 3 and 4) were added in the 1960s when the flat crossing between the two lines was removed (in 1965) and the Sheffield - Lincoln tracks were lowered to pass beneath the London - Edinburgh route. These works also necessitated the removal of the direct north-to-east curve, meaning that trains between Sheffield and Lincoln could no longer call at the original platforms without a reversal.
The former Buffet and First Class Dining room on platform 1 are currently used as clubrooms by The Bassetlaw (North Notts) Railway Society. The club has installed an interesting display of local railway images in the windows of the rooms.
Retford
Retford is a market town in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England, located 31 miles from the city of Nottingham, and 23 miles west of Lincoln, in the district of Bassetlaw. The town is situated in a valley with the River Idle and the Chesterfield Canal running through the centre of the...
in Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire
Nottinghamshire is a county in the East Midlands of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west...
, 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...
. and is 223 km (138½ miles) north of London Kings Cross and 28 km (16½ miles) south of Doncaster
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
on the East Coast Main Line
East Coast Main Line
The East Coast Main Line is a long electrified high-speed railway link between London, Peterborough, Doncaster, Wakefield, Leeds, York, Darlington, Newcastle and Edinburgh...
. It is also 37 km (23½ miles) south east of Sheffield on the Sheffield to Lincoln Line
Sheffield to Lincoln Line
The Sheffield to Lincoln line is a railway line in England. It runs from Sheffield east to Lincoln via Worksop, Retford and Gainsborough Lea Road. The route comprises the main line of the former Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway, to Gainsborough, Trent Junction, where it then follows...
.
It has four platforms, two of which serve the East Coast Main Line while two located at a lower level and at right angles to the first pair serve the Sheffield to Lincoln Line.
The station
The first railway into Retford was the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction RailwaySheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway
The Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway was an early British railway company which opened in 1849 between Sheffield and Gainsborough and Lincoln...
which opened on 16 July 1849 on their line between Sheffield (Bridgehouses) and Gainsborough
Gainsborough Central railway station
Gainsborough Central railway station is a railway station in the town of Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, England. The town's other station is the busier Gainsborough Lea Road...
. The 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....
line from Doncaster
Doncaster railway station
Doncaster railway station serves the town of Doncaster, in South Yorkshire, England. It is situated on the East Coast Main Line north of London Kings Cross, and is about five minutes walk from Doncaster town centre. The station is managed by East Coast...
arrived on 4 September 1849 crossing the S&LJR on the level. It used the latter's station until its own was completed (on the site of today's higher-level platforms) on 1 August 1852. On 1 July 1859, the S&LJR (now the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincolnshire Railway) began using the GNR station via a short connecting curve, and closed its original station.
The higher-level platforms (numbered 1 and 2) respectively serve southbound and northbound East Coast Main Line trains calling at Retford. Platform 1 (on the eastern side of the layout) adjoins the main station building. Between the two platforms tracks there are two further lines, used by fast trains not booked to call here.
Prior to the remodelling concurrent with the elimination of the flat crossing platform 2 was the eastern face of an island platform. The western face was platform 3. There was only room for 3 tracks between the island and platform 1. The middle track was the southbound through line. To relieve congestion on platform 1, used by trains on both routes, there was a timber-built extension on the south curve (platform 1A) to allow Lincoln bound trains to clear platform 1 proper.
The lower-level platforms (numbered 3 and 4) were added in the 1960s when the flat crossing between the two lines was removed (in 1965) and the Sheffield - Lincoln tracks were lowered to pass beneath the London - Edinburgh route. These works also necessitated the removal of the direct north-to-east curve, meaning that trains between Sheffield and Lincoln could no longer call at the original platforms without a reversal.
The former Buffet and First Class Dining room on platform 1 are currently used as clubrooms by The Bassetlaw (North Notts) Railway Society. The club has installed an interesting display of local railway images in the windows of the rooms.