Gamlingay railway station
Encyclopedia
Gamlingay was a railway station on the Varsity Line
which served the small village of the same name
in Cambridgeshire
. Opened in 1862, the station was located in a rural area and saw little passenger traffic; it closed together with the line in 1968.
, Gamlingay marked the start of the distinctly rural section of the Varsity Line
, where industrial landscapes gave way to the rolling fields, tall trees and wide-open skies of Cambridgeshire
. The station, slightly to the south-east of Gamlingay village, was situated just before a two-mile climb of 1 in 150 to Hayley Wood
. The station was equipped with two platforms lit by old lamps right up until its closure, the substantial station buildings being situated on the Down platform, whilst a timber and slate waiting shelter was to be found on the Up side. A decent-sized goods yard was located to the west of the station buildings, consisting of three sidings
plus a cattle pen and a goods shed
. The station layout changed little during its lifetime, yet the community which it served shrank from 1722 inhabitants in 1901 to 1622 in 1961.
Four years after the station's opening in 1862, a brick siding was opened just before the 30 milepost to the west of Gamlingay which was known as "Dennis's Brick Siding" and trailed from the Up line across the Down through a gate to a brickworks
. By January 1909, the siding was known as "Belle Vue Brickworks Siding" and remained in service until 20 April 1936. The siding was controlled by a 19-lever signal box
named "Belle Vue". The siding was used again during the Second World War for ammunition storage.
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
which served the small village of the same name
Gamlingay
Gamlingay is a village and civil parish in South Cambridgeshire, England, near the border with Bedfordshire, and the traditional county of Huntingdonshire...
in 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...
. Opened in 1862, the station was located in a rural area and saw little passenger traffic; it closed together with the line in 1968.
History
The first station after PottonPotton railway station
Potton was a railway station on the Varsity Line which served the small town of the same name in Bedfordshire. Opened in 1858 as part of Sir William Peel's Sandy and Potton Railway, the station was initially situated further south near the Biggleswade Road...
, Gamlingay marked the start of the distinctly rural section of the Varsity Line
Varsity Line
The Varsity Line is an informal name for the railway route that formerly linked the English university cities of Oxford and Cambridge, operated successively by the London and North Western Railway, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, and British Railways...
, where industrial landscapes gave way to the rolling fields, tall trees and wide-open skies of 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...
. The station, slightly to the south-east of Gamlingay village, was situated just before a two-mile climb of 1 in 150 to Hayley Wood
Hayley Wood
Hayley Wood, in Cambridgeshire, is managed as a nature reserve by the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough...
. The station was equipped with two platforms lit by old lamps right up until its closure, the substantial station buildings being situated on the Down platform, whilst a timber and slate waiting shelter was to be found on the Up side. A decent-sized goods yard was located to the west of the station buildings, consisting of three sidings
Rail siding
A siding, in rail terminology, is a low-speed track section distinct from a running line or through route such as a main line or branch line or spur. It may connect to through track or to other sidings at either end...
plus a cattle pen and a goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
. The station layout changed little during its lifetime, yet the community which it served shrank from 1722 inhabitants in 1901 to 1622 in 1961.
Four years after the station's opening in 1862, a brick siding was opened just before the 30 milepost to the west of Gamlingay which was known as "Dennis's Brick Siding" and trailed from the Up line across the Down through a gate to a brickworks
Brickworks
A brickworks also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock often with a quarry for clay on site....
. By January 1909, the siding was known as "Belle Vue Brickworks Siding" and remained in service until 20 April 1936. The siding was controlled by a 19-lever signal box
Signal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
named "Belle Vue". The siding was used again during the Second World War for ammunition storage.