Peterborough East railway station
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Peterborough East railway station was the first station in Peterborough built by the Eastern Counties Railway and opened on 2 June 1845. From 1862 the station became known as the Great Eastern Station appeared on timetables as Peterborough (GE). From 1 July 1923 until its closure it was known as Peterborough East.
The Eastern Counties Railway built its station on the south side of the River Nene, in the parish of Fletton and in the county of Huntingdonshire, in 1845 with the imminent arrival of the Northampton line construction on the station continued apace, however, by the time the line opened the Illustrated London News reported the station was still in 'a very unfinished state.' As traffic along the Northampton line was heavier than expected - only two months after opening, traffic was reported to be half as much again as was the original estimate - and the decision was taken to double the line, the station's facilities rapidly became inadequate. As built, there was only one platform serving both up and down trains. In December 1846 further enlargements was undertaken: refreshment rooms and ancres of roofing announce its royal agency; a warehouse for goods of larger dimensions and engine houses of still larger size. These additions were certainly necessary as from January 1847, with the opening on the Ely line to passengers, the station ceased to be a terminus. The following year, with the opening on the GER loop line, additional traffic was generated. Until August 1850 four companies used the station.
As the GNR was desperately short of capital, in the autumn of 1849 the company considered purchasing the ECR station and using Midland rails for six miles north of Peterborough. Although the ECR declined the GNER offer it was willing to afford accommodation. However, by December 1849 the GNR directors had decided to build their own station in the city. Nevertheless, on July 15th 1850, the GNR obtained parliamentary powers to build two short curves to connect its line at Fletton with the ECR line, but these connecting lines were never built.
According to a local directory of the time;
'At this station the trains run on one or the other of half a dozen sidings, and under a spacious iron roofing, supported by iron pillars, which form six avenues. The roofing is walled at each side; is of great height, 410 feet long and 228 feet wide. On both sides there are large stone platforms. There is a range of large brick buildings on the right, comprising refreshment and waiting rooms, booking offices, warehouses, engine houses, porters' lodges, etc. The Eastern Counties company enlarged in very much, built new warehouses, engine-houses and a large wharf close to the river, from which there are tramways to the mainline, to facilitate the loading and unloading of goods. Close to the station, ranges of houses, some three stories high, have been built for clerks and others. There is a handsome entrance to the station, with stone pillars and iron gates; a constables' lodge is erected near it.'
It therefore appears that by 1849 the station had acquired an island platform, which in fact was split in two by a wagon line. This wagon line and two others at either end of the platform continue south into a large four-road covered way with was an unusual feature of the station. The covered way did not have platforms and was probably used for the transference of goods. With the opening of the GNR station in August 1850, GNR trains ceased to use the ECR station. As the island platform was placed between the up and down lines, so that the up line was servd by two platform stations, congestion due to platform occupation was always a problem. Over the years various improvements were made. In 1880, to cope with growing demand, the former third class ladies' waiting room and the gent's waiting room were converted into an enlarged booking office and despatch office. The booking office contained three small windows marked GER, LNWR and Midland Railway. In latter days when one booking clerk issues all tickets, passengers who called at the wrong window were redirected to the correct window were often confused by seeing the same face there.
In August 1887 part of the station was demolished in a shunting accident. Apparently a LNWR goods engine shunted some wagons into the station at a higher speed than was normal practice. As they entered the covered way the wagons jumped the points and collided with the south side iron columns that supported the roof, demolishing four bays on that side, and on the other side the corresponding gable over the two platforms. In all a quarter of the whole roof was wrecked. Fortunately as the incident occurred at 4:20am few people were about and there was no injuries. Although it was suggested that this was an appropriate time to rebuild the whole station - in 1896 plans were made for an extensive new station - they were never implemented and the damage caused by the shunting accident was never fully repaired. In fact it appears that all of the covered way was demolished about this time.
To the west of the station was Fletton level crossing on the main road from the south into and out of the city. From the arrival of the railways this proved to be a notorious bottleneck. In 1848, 70 trains each day were involved in shunting operations over the crossing and by 1855 complaints were made that this regularly closes the gates for 25 minutes at a time. With the development of the brick industry and the southward spread of the city into Woodston and Fletton the inconvenience increased. It was particularly bad during the fair when crowds of people and herds of nervous animals became crushed together. For many years the GER chose to ignore numerous petitions and protests. In 1872 the GER finally built a footbridge for pedestrians and in 1874 agreed to transfer much of its shunting operations to other yards. Animals and vehicles however still had to face long delays. It was this level crossing and the restricted width of narrow street which limited Peterborough's tramway network to areas north of the river.
Negotiations between the GER and the local authorities for a new bridge were well advanced by 1913 but world war one causes the scheme to be dropped. It was not until 20 September 1934 that the present road viaduct, spanning both the river and railway was opened. The entailed the demolition of the crown public house, some GER railway cottages and the removal of Fletton road Junction signal box which closed in may 1934. Until 1920, when a wheel was installed, two gatemen were required for each turn of duty. During the late 1920s and early 1930s the East station was resignalled; in April 1932 Peterborough East Box, which was on a gantry at the west end of the station over the main platform line opened.
With the advent of British Railways modernisation plans, that stations' days were numbered. On 12 May 1963, the old timber bridge over the river at Stanground, known as the Black Bridge was destroyed by a fire. Until 9 June, when a single line was reopened to normal traffic trains had to be diverted via Spalding and the GER/GNR joint line. Over a hundred years previously, in March 1856 the original wooden bridge was reported to be 'positively dangerous' the trains cross it on the up line at a rate of 4 and on the down at a rate of two miles an hour only. Plans to replace it with a brick structure were never implemented. In 1963 the new wooden bridge, which now consisted of two tracks only (previously there were 5) was rebuilt on the previous piles, being undamaged below ground and water levels. Track and signalling modifications were required to connect the yards at each end of the bridge.
Although on 2 May 1964 passenger services on the Northampton line ceased, in 1965 about 40 trains still called at the station a day. However, on the 6 June 1966 with the closure of the Rugby line from Yarwell Junction to Seaton, Peterborough East finally closed to passengers. This however, did not mark the end of the station as it was converted into a parcels centre. The station became the base for the East Anglia British Rail Universal Trolley Equipment (BRUTE) service and deal with some 15,000 parcels a day. On 29 June 1970, the station finally became redundant. With the opening on the new British Rail Express Parcel Terminal on the site of the New England locomotive sheds, operations were transferred there. In July 1981 the Post office took over the terminal when BR withdrew its unprofitable Collected/Delivered parcels business.
In 1971 a possible alternative use for the East station was proposed by the Peterborough Locomotive society, the predecessor of the Peterborough Railway Society. With the support of the City Council, the development corporation and the Huntingdon and Peterborough County Council, the PLS proposed that the National Railway Museum, which had previously been located at Clapham, instead of moving to another London site or to York should move to Peterborough. The East station and former locomotive shed could be developed into a static museum. The unique advantage of the site was the possibility of a link to a live museum, built on the former LNWR locoshed site, from which a preserved steam railway could run along the Nene Valley to Wansford. However, it is well known that the National Railway Museum eventually moved to York. In 1972 the East Station was demolished, only part of the old platforms remain. In [1977]] the turntable from the loco yard which had been retained to turn track maintenance machines was purchased by the Peterborough Railway society and moved to Wansford. After rebuilding in 1964, an 10mph speed limit was still improved on the black bridge. The new concrete structure opened in June 1981 had allowed the speed limit to be raised to the normal speed line.
