Wisbech East railway station
Encyclopedia
This article is about the Great Eastern Railway station in Wisbech. For the Midland and Great Northern railway station see Wisbech North
.
Wisbech East was a railway station in Wisbech
, Cambridgeshire
. It was opened in 1848 and became part of the Great Eastern Railway
network, providing connections to March
, Watlington
and St Ives
, as well as Upwell
via the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
. The station closed in 1968 and no trace of it remains today. A freight-only line remains extant as far as a factory based in the station's former goods yard, and a heritage railway
based in March is aiming to reinstate services to Wisbech and construct a new station as near as possible to Newbridge Lane crossing.
The Association of Train Operating Companies
has applied for funding for the reopening of this station.
which first reached Wisbech from the south in May 1847 with the opening of a line from St Ives
via March; a temporary wooden station named Wisbeach was built on the site of the future Wisbech goods yard (at grid reference TF458093). The East Anglian Railways made its way from the east to Wisbech the following year with a line from Magdalen Road station
; their station - on the site of the future Wisbech East station - was also a temporary structure named Wisbeach. A short curve joined the two lines.
The two stations remained in use until at least 1851 when a lease was agreed between the two companies giving the operation of the East Anglian Railways to the Eastern Counties, the agreement taking effect at the beginning of 1852. In 1862, the Great Eastern Railway (GER) acquired the line and subsequently closed the Eastern Counties' Wisbeach station to passenger traffic the following year. A line from the station to the harbour was laid in 1863.
. New sidings and a brick engine shed were constructed for the trams that were to work the new route from Wisbeach station (renamed Wisbech in 1877), leaving the wooden passenger station to look decidedly out-of-place. After pressure from Wisbech Town Council for new facilities, the railway company finally issued a call for tenders in 1887 and accepted the offer of Harold Arnold & Son of Doncaster
to build a station for £4,367.
A new brick engine shed was also provided, with a 42 ft turntable, on a goods spur; initially it had only a single road to accommodate a trio of engines, but a second was added in 1893 to handle the station's growing traffic in perishables. This went out of use in the 1910s, with only the turntable remaining by 1925 when the London and North Eastern Railway
had taken over responsibility for the line. Activities at Wisbech was by that time principally concerned with the tramway. Tramway services departed from a specially-low platform at Wisbech.
return for 3rd class travel.
The tramway was closed in 1966 (passenger services had been withdrawn in 1927), with the line from March to Wisbech following in 1968. A freight-only branch remained open from Whitemoor junction to the north of March
to Wisbech in order to serve the nearby Spillers
pet food factory (later Nestle Purina), Metal Box products and coal traffic. The line was singled in 1972 with the lifting of the down rails.
The old Wisbech East goods yard was acquired by Nestlé Purina from Railtrack
in 1995 and was last used in 2000; most of the yard now forms part of the factory and its car park. The last pet food train called in Summer 2000, although the freight-branch remains in place and runs as far as Weasenham Lane in Wisbech where the former level crossing
was tarmaced over in 2005.
Wisbech North railway station
Wisbech North railway station was a station in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. It had been part of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway network in East Anglia, and closed in 1959.Former Services-History:...
.
Wisbech East was a railway station in Wisbech
Wisbech
Wisbech is a market town, inland port and civil parish with a population of 20,200 in the Fens of Cambridgeshire. The tidal River Nene runs through the centre of the town and is spanned by two bridges...
, Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire is a county in England, bordering Lincolnshire to the north, Norfolk to the northeast, Suffolk to the east, Essex and Hertfordshire to the south, and Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire to the west...
. It was opened in 1848 and became part of the Great Eastern Railway
Great Eastern Railway
The Great Eastern Railway was a pre-grouping British railway company, whose main line linked London Liverpool Street to Norwich and which had other lines through East Anglia...
network, providing connections to March
March, Cambridgeshire
March is a Fenland market town and civil parish in the Isle of Ely area of Cambridgeshire, England. March was the county town of the Isle of Ely, a separate administrative county between 1889 and 1965, and is now the administrative centre of Fenland District Council.The town was an important...
, Watlington
Watlington, Norfolk
Watlington is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 2,031 in 852 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk....
and St Ives
St Ives, Cambridgeshire
St Ives is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England, around north-west of the city of Cambridge and north of London. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Huntingdonshire.-History:...
, as well as Upwell
Upwell
Upwell is a civil parish in the English county of Norfolk.It covers an area of and had a population of 2,456 in 1,033 households as of the 2001 census.For the purposes of local government, it falls within the district of King's Lynn and West Norfolk...
via the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
The Wisbech and Upwell Tramway was a rural standard gauge tramway in East Anglia. It was built by the Great Eastern Railway between Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and Upwell, Norfolk to carry agricultural produce. Although called a tram, in many ways it more closely resembled a conventional railway...
. The station closed in 1968 and no trace of it remains today. A freight-only line remains extant as far as a factory based in the station's former goods yard, and a heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
based in March is aiming to reinstate services to Wisbech and construct a new station as near as possible to Newbridge Lane crossing.
The Association of Train Operating Companies
Association of Train Operating Companies
The Association of Train Operating Companies is a body which represents 24 train operating companies that provide passenger railway services on the privatised British railway system. It owns the National Rail brand. The Association is an unincorporated association owned by its members...
has applied for funding for the reopening of this station.
Opening
It was the Eastern Counties RailwayEastern Counties Railway
The Eastern Counties Railway was an early English railway company incorporated in 1836. It was intended to link London with Ipswich via Colchester, and then on to Norwich and Yarmouth. Construction began in late March 1837 on the first nine miles, at the London end of the line.Construction was...
which first reached Wisbech from the south in May 1847 with the opening of a line from St Ives
St Ives, Cambridgeshire
St Ives is a market town in Cambridgeshire, England, around north-west of the city of Cambridge and north of London. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Huntingdonshire.-History:...
via March; a temporary wooden station named Wisbeach was built on the site of the future Wisbech goods yard (at grid reference TF458093). The East Anglian Railways made its way from the east to Wisbech the following year with a line from Magdalen Road station
Watlington railway station
Watlington railway station serves the village of Watlington in Norfolk, England. Watlington station lies on the Fen Line from Cambridge to King's Lynn, which is electrified at 25 kV AC overhead.- History :...
; their station - on the site of the future Wisbech East station - was also a temporary structure named Wisbeach. A short curve joined the two lines.
The two stations remained in use until at least 1851 when a lease was agreed between the two companies giving the operation of the East Anglian Railways to the Eastern Counties, the agreement taking effect at the beginning of 1852. In 1862, the Great Eastern Railway (GER) acquired the line and subsequently closed the Eastern Counties' Wisbeach station to passenger traffic the following year. A line from the station to the harbour was laid in 1863.
Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
It is not thought that the East Anglian Railways provided any accommodation at their primitive wooden station, but this was to change in August 1883 with the opening of the first section of the Wisbech and Upwell TramwayWisbech and Upwell Tramway
The Wisbech and Upwell Tramway was a rural standard gauge tramway in East Anglia. It was built by the Great Eastern Railway between Wisbech, Cambridgeshire and Upwell, Norfolk to carry agricultural produce. Although called a tram, in many ways it more closely resembled a conventional railway...
. New sidings and a brick engine shed were constructed for the trams that were to work the new route from Wisbeach station (renamed Wisbech in 1877), leaving the wooden passenger station to look decidedly out-of-place. After pressure from Wisbech Town Council for new facilities, the railway company finally issued a call for tenders in 1887 and accepted the offer of Harold Arnold & Son of Doncaster
Doncaster
Doncaster is a town in South Yorkshire, England, and the principal settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Doncaster. The town is about from Sheffield and is popularly referred to as "Donny"...
to build a station for £4,367.
A new brick engine shed was also provided, with a 42 ft turntable, on a goods spur; initially it had only a single road to accommodate a trio of engines, but a second was added in 1893 to handle the station's growing traffic in perishables. This went out of use in the 1910s, with only the turntable remaining by 1925 when the London and North Eastern Railway
London and North Eastern Railway
The London and North Eastern Railway was the second-largest of the "Big Four" railway companies created by the Railways Act 1921 in Britain...
had taken over responsibility for the line. Activities at Wisbech was by that time principally concerned with the tramway. Tramway services departed from a specially-low platform at Wisbech.
Decline and closure
The ABC Railway Guide for April 1956 shows a service of six trains a day from London Liverpool Street between Monday and Friday, with an extra train on Wednesdays; seven trains called on Saturdays and three on Sundays. The journey time was around 4 hours and the fare was £1–9s–6dPenny (British pre-decimal coin)
The penny of the Kingdom of Great Britain and later of the United Kingdom, was in circulation from the early 18th century until February 1971, Decimal Day....
return for 3rd class travel.
The tramway was closed in 1966 (passenger services had been withdrawn in 1927), with the line from March to Wisbech following in 1968. A freight-only branch remained open from Whitemoor junction to the north of March
March railway station
March railway station serves the town of March in Cambridgeshire, England. The station is east of Peterborough on the Ely to Peterborough Line....
to Wisbech in order to serve the nearby Spillers
Spillers
Spillers Ltd is a defunct British company that owned flour milling operations in the United Kingdom, operated bakeries and also sold pet food.Winalot is a popular brand of dog food sold by Spillers.The name was first used in 1927 for dog biscuits...
pet food factory (later Nestle Purina), Metal Box products and coal traffic. The line was singled in 1972 with the lifting of the down rails.
Present day
Nothing remains of Wisbech East, the station site having been entirely redeveloped and replaced by the Octavia Hill Centre for the handicapped. The Centre was itself subsequently demolished and replaced by housing.The old Wisbech East goods yard was acquired by Nestlé Purina from Railtrack
Railtrack
Railtrack was a group of companies that owned the track, signalling, tunnels, bridges, level crossings and all but a handful of the stations of the British railway system from its formation in April 1994 until 2002...
in 1995 and was last used in 2000; most of the yard now forms part of the factory and its car park. The last pet food train called in Summer 2000, although the freight-branch remains in place and runs as far as Weasenham Lane in Wisbech where the former 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...
was tarmaced over in 2005.