Sturminster Newton railway station
Sturminster Newton | |
|---|---|
 Entrance to site of former station | |
| General information | |
| Location | North Dorset |
| Owned by | SR and LMSR Southern Region of British Railways |
| Managed by | Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Key dates | |
| 31 August 1863 | Opened |
| 7 March 1966 | Closed |
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.
History
The station was opened on 31 August 1863 by the London and South Western Railway as part of the Dorset Central Railway. A passing place on a stretch of single line, the station had two platforms with shelters, and a small goods yard. This and the passing loop were controlled from a signal box.
The station was transferred to the Southern Railway at the Grouping of 1923. Becoming part of the Southern Region of British Railways when the railways were nationalised in 1948.
The goods yard gave milk trains access to the private sidings of the local creamery. Started in 1913 by local farmers to produce cheddar cheese and pasteurised milk, it was taken over by the Milk Marketing Board in 1937. Milk trains ceased in 1966 upon closure of the line, with the creamery remaining in operation until 2000, when it was closed by owners Dairy Crest.[1]
The station was closed when the S&DJR closed on 7 March 1966.
The site today
Today the site is a trading estate and small park with a set of commemorative gates at the entrance.[1]
![[1]](http://www.nevard.com/sdjr/images/20_Sturminster_Cutting.jpg){kind=link}
| Preceding station | Disused railways | Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shillingstone Line and station closed |
Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway LSWR and Midland Railways |
Stalbridge Line and station closed |
References
- ^ "The Creamery at Sturminster Newton". cheesefestival.co.uk. Archived from the original on 28 December 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
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Further reading
- R.V.J.Butt, (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Patrick Stephens Ltd.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) ISBN 1-85260-508-1 - J.H. Lucking ,. Railways of Dorset. Railway Correspondence and Travel Society 1968.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) ISBN(no ISBN)