Attenborough railway station

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Template other Attenborough railway station (originally Attenborough Gate and briefly known as Chilwell) serves the village of Attenborough, in Nottinghamshire, England. It is sited on a spur of the Midland Main Line between Template:Rws and Template:Rws. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway.

History

File:Midland Railway Class 483 No 547.jpg

A Midland Railway locomotive 547 fitted for oil burning, c. 1920

The station was built as a halt in 1856, known as Attenborough Gate, on the Midland Counties Railway line from Nottingham to Derby, which had opened in 1839. It was sited next to a level crossing and tickets were bought from the crossing keeper.

The station was built on its present site by the Midland Railway and opened on 1 September 1864; the Gate suffix was dropped and the name became Attenborough.

Becoming part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) during the Grouping of 1923, the station then passed on to the London Midland Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948.

During World War I, the station had its platforms extended as it was used as an interchange for soldiers and workers heading for National Shell Filling Factory No. 6 at Chilwell.

In April 1937, the station was renamed Chilwell; however, this did not go down well with Attenborough locals who raised a petition, which 235 local people signed. This resulted in a decision by the LMS to revert the name to Attenborough.

File:Attenborough railway station geograph-2154093.jpg

Down freight train approaching the station in 1961

The signal box survived until at least 1982, but has since been demolished.

When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s, the station was served by Regional Railways until the privatisation of British Rail.

It is an unstaffed station, having lost its buildings and staff in the early 1990s. Following a rebuild of the platforms in 2005, the station has no architectural remains from any earlier station except for parts of the footbridge.

The footbridge was replaced in 2007, receiving a new steel deck and stairways. The blue brick towers, which support the bridge, were retained.

Services

File:222101 Attenborough.jpg

A Class 222 Meridian on an inter-city service near Attenborough on the Midland Main Line

East Midlands Railway operates the following services that stop here:

• An hourly service between Matlock and Nottingham, via Derby.
• An hourly service between Leicester and Lincoln; alternate trains continue on to Grimsby.

Interchange with EMR's inter-city services can be made at Derby and Nottingham; trains between Nottingham and Template:Rws pass through Attenborough but do not stop.

Interchange with Northern Trains services to Sheffield and Leeds can be made at Nottingham; some Northern services pass through Attenborough in the early mornings and at night, but do not stop.

CrossCountry operates a small number of stopping services, in the early morning and late evening, on the route between Nottingham, Template:Rws and Template:Rws.

Preceding station		National Rail National Rail		Following station
Long Eaton		CrossCountry Cardiff–Nottingham		Beeston
East Midlands Parkway		East Midlands Railway Leicester-Lincoln		Nottingham
Long Eaton		East Midlands Railway Nottingham-Matlock		Beeston

References

Sources

• Higginson, M, (1989) The Midland Counties Railway: A Pictorial Survey, Derby: Midland Railway Trust.

External links

• A Class 44 locomotive passing Attenborough station in 1976.
• A train passing through Attenborough station in 2005.
• Attenborough railway station on Google Street View.
• The station on a navigable O.S. map