| Old Dalby | |
|---|---|
| Test site of nuclear flask test south of Old Dalby station. | |
| Location | |
| Place | Old Dalby |
| Area | Melton |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Midland Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways |
| Platforms | ? |
| History | |
| 2 Feb 1880[1] | Station opens |
| 1st Jun 1964[2] | Closes to goods |
| 18th Apr 1966 | Closes to passengers |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z |
|
Old Dalby was a railway station serving Old Dalby in the English county of Leicestershire. It was opened on the Midland Railway Manton direct route between London and Nottingham, avoiding Leicester. The line still exists today as part of the Old Dalby Test Track.
Contents |
The station was opened in 1880 by the Midland Railway on its cut-off line from Melton Mowbray to Nottingham, which had opened the previous year to allow the railway company's expresses between London and the North to avoid reversal at Nottingham. It also improved access to and from the iron-ore fields in Leicestershire and Rutland. Local traffic was minimal and Old Dalby closed to passengers in 1966.[3]
According to the Official Handbook of Stations the following classes of traffic were handled by this station in 1956: G, P, F, L, H, C and there was a 1 ton 10 cwt crane.[4]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Broughton | Midland Railway Manton Route |
Grimston | ||
Following the closure of the line as a through-route in 1968, the track between Melton Mowbray and Edwalton was reused as part of the Old Dalby Test Track, used initially for the Advanced Passenger Train project and, more recently, Class 390 Pendolino units.[5] The station building was timber and did not survive but the timber goods shed still exists. Old Dalby was the site of the original control centre for the line in BR days but later this was moved to Asfordby when Alstom took over. Today there are sidings at Old Dalby and an enlarged workshop. The transformer and 750DC power supply for the 3rd/4th rail system is also located here. The station masters house survives as a private residence and the weighbridge as a domestic garage.