Blandford Forum railway station

Last updated

Blandford Forum
Blandford Forum Station - geograph.org.uk - 1741908.jpg
Blandford Forum railway station in April 1963
General information
Location Blandford Forum, North Dorset
England
Grid reference ST888067
Platforms2
Other information
StatusDisused
History
Original company Somerset and Dorset Railway
Pre-grouping Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway
Post-grouping Southern Region of British Railways
Key dates
31 August 1863Opened as Blandford
21 September 1953Renamed Blandford Forum
7 March 1966Closed for passengers
1969closed for goods

Blandford Forum railway station was a station on the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway which served the town of Blandford Forum.

Contents

History

Originally part of the Dorset Central Railway, the line to Blandford opened on 1 November 1860 to a station at Blandford St Mary, to the south of the River Stour. [1] The Dorset Central merged with the Somerset Central Railway in 1862, and a new extension connecting the two railways was built. The extension, requiring a bridge over the Stour, and a newly relocated Blandford Forum station to the north of the Stour, opened on 31 August 1863. [2]

The station remained open until 7 March 1966, when the entire line from Bath to Bournemouth closed to passengers. Goods traffic continued for a further three years, but the station was finally fully closed, and the track lifted, in 1969. [3]

The impending closure of the station was lamented by musical duo Flanders & Swann, being one of some 30 stations mentioned in their 1964 song Slow Train ("No more will I go to Blandford Forum …"). The song was written in the wake of the first Beeching report, published in 1963, and was written as a tribute to the lines and stations that were to be closed. [4]

A working model of Blandford station, and its environs, is in the process of being built in 1/76th scale in the Blandford Museum, Bere's Yard, Market Place, in Blandford town centre. [5]

The site of the station now lies within a housing estate. [6]

An Up freight train at Blandford Forum station, 1963 Blandford Forum station, with Up freight, 1963 Geograph-4238170-by-Ben-Brooksbank.jpg
An Up freight train at Blandford Forum station, 1963

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Enoch railway station</span> Former Glasgow railway terminus

St Enoch station was a mainline railway station in the city of Glasgow, Scotland between 1876 and 1966. The hotel was the first building in Glasgow to be fitted out with electric lighting. The station was demolished in 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway</span> Disused railway line in England

The Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway, also known as the S&D, SDJR or S&DJR, was an English railway line connecting Bath and Bournemouth, with a branch from Evercreech Junction to Burnham-on-Sea and Bridgwater. Strictly speaking, the main line ran from Bath Junction to Broadstone, as the line between Broadstone and Bournemouth was owned by the London and South Western Railway, while the line between Bath Junction and Bath was owned by the Midland Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clarkston railway station</span> Railway station in East Renfrewshire, Scotland

Clarkston railway station is a suburban side platform railway station in the town of Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, Scotland. The station is managed by ScotRail and is on the East Kilbride branch of the Glasgow South Western Line. It was opened in 1866 by the Busby Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bailey Gate railway station</span> Disused railway station in East Dorset, England

Bailey Gate railway station was on the Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway in the English county of Dorset.

Tollcross station was a railway station in the east end of Glasgow, Scotland. It was opened by the Caledonian Railway as Tollcross on 1 February 1897.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cockermouth railway station (Cockermouth and Workington Railway)</span> Disused railway station in Cumbria, England

The original Cockermouth railway station was the eastern terminus of the Cockermouth & Workington Railway. It served the town of Cockermouth, Cumbria, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Grimstone and Frampton railway station</span> Disused railway station in Dorset, England

Grimstone and Frampton railway station was a station on the Wiltshire, Somerset & Weymouth Railway, part of the Great Western Railway between Maiden Newton and Dorchester. It was in the hamlet of Grimstone which was in the parish of Stratton but also relatively close to the parish of Frampton which it was also intended to serve. It was directly south of Grimstone Viaduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorebridge railway station</span> Railway station in Midlothian, Scotland

Gorebridge is a railway station on the Borders Railway, which runs between Edinburgh Waverley and Tweedbank. The station, situated 11 miles 77 chains (19 km) south-east of Edinburgh Waverley, serves the town of Gorebridge in Midlothian, Scotland. It is owned by Network Rail and managed by ScotRail.

Albion railway station was a railway station in England, built by the London and North Western Railway on their Stour Valley Line in 1852. It served the town of Oldbury, and was located near to Union Road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corfe Mullen Halt railway station</span> Disused railway station in Dorset, England

Corfe Mullen Halt was a station in the English county of Dorset. It was located between Bailey Gate and Broadstone stations on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. This section was built to enable trains to avoid the time-consuming reversal at Wimborne. The station consisted of a single platform and shelter lit by a solitary gas lamp.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlton Marshall Halt railway station</span> Disused railway station in England

Charlton Marshall Halt was a station in the English county of Dorset. It was located between Blandford Forum and Bailey Gate on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The station consisted of two short platforms and shelters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spetisbury railway station</span>

Spetisbury railway station was a station in the English county of Dorset. It was located between Blandford Forum and Bailey Gate on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The station consisted of two platforms, a station building, signal box and shelters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sturminster Newton railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Sturminster Newton railway station was a station in the town of Sturminster Newton, in the English county of Dorset. It was located on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evershot railway station</span> Disused railway station in Dorset, England

Evershot was a railway station in the county of Dorset in England. Served by trains on what is now known as the Heart of Wessex Line, it was two miles from the village it served, at Holywell, just south of Evershot Tunnel. The station consisted of two platforms, a small goods yard and signal box. It had a station building on the up platform.

The Hamilton and Strathaven Railway was a historic railway in Scotland. It ran from a junction with the Hamilton Branch of the Caledonian Railway to a terminus at Strathaven. The railway was worked from the start by the Caledonian Railway, who absorbed the railway company in 1864.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Featherstone Park railway station</span> Disused railway station in Northumberland, England

Featherstone Park was a railway station on the Alston Branch Line, which ran between Haltwhistle and Alston. The station, situated 3 miles (5 km) south-west of Haltwhistle, served the villages of Featherstone and Rowfoot in Northumberland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyserth railway station</span> Railway station in Wales (1905–1964)

Dyserth railway station served the village of Dyserth, Flintshire, Wales. It was the southern terminus of the 2 miles 70 chains (4.6 km) Dyserth branch, most of which is now a public footpath. At its peak Dyserth had passengers in the thousands. In 1930 the line and station closed for passengers in the face of road competition. At one point fourteen trains a day had shuttled along the line. Although the station has long been demolished, a crane from the station has been installed at the end of the walk as a feature of historical interest, as have two pieces of track at Chapel Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgefoot railway station</span> Disused railway station in Cumbria, England

Bridgefoot railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the village of Bridgefoot, Cumbria, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Winder railway station</span> Disused railway station in Cumbria, England

Winder railway station was built by the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the village of Winder, Frizington, Cumbria, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeathouse railway station</span> Former railway station in England

Yeathouse railway station was a later addition to the Whitehaven, Cleator and Egremont Railway. It served the communities of Yeathouse and Eskett, near Frizington, Cumbria, England.

References

  1. Atthill, Robin; Nock, O.S. (1967). The Somerset & Dorset Railway. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN   0-7153-4312-2.
  2. Atthill, Robin (1964). Old Mendip. Newton Abbott: David & Charles. ISBN   0-7153-5171-0.
  3. "Dorset Historic Towns Survey: Blandford Forum" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  4. "The Musical Slow Train". BBC Cambridgeshire. 3 October 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  5. "Railway Club". Blandford Town Museum. Retrieved 24 August 2016.
  6. "Blandford Forum". After Closure: The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2016.

Further reading

50°51′35″N2°09′38″W / 50.85970°N 2.16050°W / 50.85970; -2.16050

Preceding station Disused railways Following station
Charlton Marshall
Line and station closed
  Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway
LSWR & Midland Railways
  Stourpaine & Durweston Halt
Line and station closed