Wigston Magna railway station
Encyclopedia
Wigston Magna railway station was a railway station serving Wigston Magna
Wigston Magna
Wigston Magna also historically referred to as Wigston Two Steeples or Great Wigston , is a town within Leicestershire, England just to the south of Leicester, on the A5199 road which leads to Northampton....

 in Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...

.

In 1857 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....

 opened its new 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...

 to , diverging from the Midland Counties Railway
Midland Counties Railway
The Midland Counties Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1832 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the...

 main line at a junction slightly north of its Wigston station
Wigston South railway station
Wigston South railway station was a railway station serving South Wigston in Leicestershire.In 1840 the Midland Counties Railway opened its main line from to...

. A new Wigston railway station was opened on the new main line, and the Midland Counties station was renamed to reduce confusion.

In 1860 the Midland acquired running powers to on the South Leicestershire Railway
South Leicestershire Railway
The South Leicestershire Railway was founded in 1850 as the Nuneaton and Hinckley Railway, with Parliamentary powers to build a railway from on the London and North Western Railway to in Leicestershire. In 1860 Parliament authorised the company to extend its line to Wigston Junction on the...

, which was later extended to . In 1872 a south chord was added to Wigston Junction, creating a direct link between Wigston Magna and stations.

In its heyday Wigston was an important interchange with large sidings and wagon repair shop. A motive power depot
Motive power depot
Motive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...

 (MPD) was added in 1873.

In the 1923 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...

 the Midland 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...

 and later the second Wigston station was renamed Wigston Magna for further clarity. 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...

 closed the MPD in 1934 but reopened it in the Second World War
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...

 while Leicester MPD was being rebuilt.

British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...

ways closed the MPD again in 1955. By 1968 BR closed all 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...

 stations between and , including Wigston Magna.
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