| Project Leader | Laurence Ashfield-Bowers |
|---|---|
| Start Date | May 30, 2022 |
| Status | In Progress |
| Team Members | Des Hoar |
Project Plan
Contact is Laurence Ashfield-Bowers on laurenceab1994@gmail.com
The village of Sharnbrook had a railway station for more than one hundred years. The station was closed under the Beeching Plan in 1960. The station was on the Midland’s extension from Leicester to Bedford and Hitchin before being a part of the main line to London St Pancras. It was situated near to Sharnbrook Summit. Here, originally there was a 1 in 119 gradient from the south taking the line to 340 feet above sea level.
Around 1880, the line was quadrupled, with the new goods tracks taken through 1,800 yd long Sharnbrook Tunnel. Following this, in 1884, a long curve, the Wymington Deviation allowed the ruling gradient on the slow/goods lines to be reduced to 1 in 200.
This new project will attempt to identify all residents of the village who worked on the railway and how they contributed to its service to the surrounding communities. Equally important will be an understanding of why the track layout came across Sharnbrook land. The research will likely be limited to events/features between Oakley and Irchester.
How was the route decided?
What was the track layout?
What infrastructure was created?
Who were the station masters?
Who worked on the railway and what jobs did they have and how much were they paid?
How did the railway contribute to the war efforts?
Why were there accidents?
What types of services used the station?
An initial mindmap shows the resources that will be consulted :
