Girtford Halt railway station
Girtford Halt was a short-lived railway halt on the Varsity Line which served the hamlet of Girtford near Sandy in Bedfordshire, England. It was opened by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1938, but closed to passenger traffic two years later in 1940. The line itself closed in 1968, and the site of the railway station has been obliterated by a roundabout.
| Girtford Halt | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Girtford, near Sandy |
| Area | Central Bedfordshire |
| Grid reference | TL164503 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| History | |
| 1 January 1938[1] | Opened as Girtford |
| July 1938 | Renamed Girtford Halt |
| 17 November 1940 | Closed to passengers |
| 1 November 1951[2] | Closed to goods |
| Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom | |
| Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z | |
History
In January 1938, the LMSR opened Girtford Halt at the point where the A1 crossed the Varsity Line, a little to the north of the small hamlet from which it took its name. A siding for vegetable traffic had existed on the station site since 1863 and this remained open. Passenger facilities consisted of little more than a raised concrete platform; access was via a field to the rear of the station; tickets had to be purchased from a nearby garage. The station was, however, little used[3] and passenger services were withdrawn in November 1940, the station remaining open for freight until 1951.[4]
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blunham | British Railways Varsity Line |
Sandy |
Present day
No trace of the station remains and its site has been taken over by a roundabout on Georgetown Road, a new road skirting the London Road Industrial Estate.[5]
References
- Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations, Patrick Stephens Ltd, Sparkford, ISBN 1-85260-508-1, p. 177.
- Clinker, C.R. (October 1978). Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830-1977. Bristol: Avon-AngliA Publications & Services. p. 52. ISBN 0-905466-19-5.
- Simpson, Bill (2000). The Oxford to Cambridge Railway: Forty Years On 1960-2000. Witney, Oxford: Lamplight Publications. p. 120. ISBN 1-899246-05-3.
- Davies, R.; Grant, M.D. (1984). Forgotten Railways: Chilterns and Cotswolds. Newton Abbot, Devon: David St John Thomas. p. 120. ISBN 0-946537-07-0.
- Subterranea Britannica, "Girtford Halt".
External links
- "Disused Stations". Subterranea Britannica.