Queenborough railway station

Last updated

Queenborough
National Rail logo.svg
Queenborough Railway Station.jpg
General information
Location Queenborough, Swale
England
Grid reference TQ913721
Managed by Southeastern
Platforms2
Other information
Station codeQBR
Classification DfT category E
History
Original companySittingbourne and Sheerness Railway
London, Chatham and Dover Railway
Pre-grouping South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Post-grouping Southern Railway
Key dates
19 July 1860Opened
Passengers
2019/20Increase2.svg 0.190 million
Line and station open
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Line and station closed
Line and station closed
Line open, station closed
South Eastern and Chatham Railway
Line and station closed
Line and station open
Disused railways
Terminus Southern Railway
Line and station closed

History

Queenborough was opened on 19 July 1860 [3] [4] by the Sittingbourne and Sheerness Railway (S&SR), a nominally independent company which had powers to construct a 7.125-mile (11.467-kilometre) branch line from Sittingbourne across the River Swale to a terminus near the entrance of Sheerness Dockyard. [5] The line was worked from the outset by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway which absorbed the S&SR in 1876. [5] [6] [7]

On 15 May 1876, Queenborough became a junction station with the opening of a short spur to Queenborough Pier to serve steam ship services. [3] [4] A second line was added on 1 August 1901 with the opening of the Sheppey Light Railway, an 8.75-mile (14.08-kilometre) light railway across the Isle of Sheppey to Leysdown. [8] [9] There was no direct connection with the Sheerness Line and trains for Leysdown departed from the outer face of a newly constructed island platform at Queenborough. [10] [11] An iron footbridge was erected at the southern end of the platforms to facilitate passengers changing between main line and branch services. [12] Services on the Sheppey Light Railway ceased as of 4 December 1950. [13]

Until the opening of Swale Halt in 1922, Queenborough was the only intermediate station on the Sheerness Line. [14] [15] The imposing two-storey station building has a strong Victorian character with its high-pitched gables and round-headed sash windows. [14] The building is in a similar style to Lymington Town railway station which dates from the same period, a resemblance which may be explained by the fact that the construction of both the Lymington branch line and the S&SR was overseen by John Cass Birkinshaw who was replaced as engineer on the S&SR after the company's directors blamed him for the line's slow construction. [16]

A wooden waiting shelter was provided on the Upside but not on the Downside. [17] The station also had a sizeable goods shed and goods yard on the Up side adjacent to the main station building. [18] Sidings on the Down side served Sheerness Steelworks and provided connections for MCD car traffic and shipbreaking activities. [19] There was a signal box on the Up side which was located at the point where the Sheppey branch curved away to the east; [20] this closed on 24 May 1959. [21] By this time, the goods shed had already been demolished although the goods yard remained open until 16 August 1971. [21] [22] The line through Queenborough was electrified and the platforms were lengthened in 1959 as part of phase I of the Kent Coast Electrification. [23]

By 1993, much of the station building was no longer in use and only the booking office was staffed on weekdays until mid-morning. [24]

References

References

  1. "Queenborough station facilities". Southeastern. Retrieved 21 September 2021.
  2. Table 212 National Rail timetable, December 2023
  3. 1 2 Butt 1995, p. 193.
  4. 1 2 Quick 2009, p. 324.
  5. 1 2 Gray 1984, p. 113.
  6. White 1992, p. 45.
  7. Awdry 1990, p. 198.
  8. White 1987, p. 93.
  9. Dendy Marshall & Kidner 1963, p. 364.
  10. White 1987, p. 94.
  11. Course 1974, p. 151.
  12. Hart 1992, p. 39.
  13. Hart 1992, p. 94.
  14. 1 2 Course 1974, p. 150.
  15. Mitchell & Smith 1993, fig. 46.
  16. Glasspool, David. "Queenborough". Kent Rail. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  17. Mitchell & Smith 1993, figs. 47 and 52.
  18. Mitchell & Smith 1993, fig. 48.
  19. Body 1989, p. 175.
  20. Mitchell & Smith 1993, fig. X.
  21. 1 2 Mitchell & Smith 1993, fig. 55.
  22. Clinker 1978, p. 113.
  23. Moody 1979, p. 135.
  24. Mitchell & Smith 1993, fig. 57.

Sources

51°24′56.31″N0°44′59.08″E / 51.4156417°N 0.7497444°E / 51.4156417; 0.7497444