Clifton Mill Station

LMS Route: Rugby to Market Harborough

Parliamentary approval was gained on 18th June 1846, by the directors of the London and Birmingham Railway, for a secondary cross-country line from Rugby to Peterborough via Market Harborough. Known as the Rugby and Stamford Railway, the line opened in the same year as the company became part of the London and North Western Railway. The section of line from Rugby to Market Harborough was reported in the Rugby Advertiser to have been opened on 27th April 1850 for a Director's special train, with the line being opened for general traffic on 29th April 1850. The first timetables of the services available being published in the 8th June 1850 edition of the Rugby Advertiser. Originally single track, it was opened throughout as double track on 22nd July 1878. According to Peter Elliott in his book 'Rugby's Railway Heritage' (Anderson Publications ISBN 0 907917 06 2), Clifton Mill station opened in November 1864 although no reference can be found in CR Clinker's 'Railways of the West Midlands 1808 to 1954' Published by the Spephenson Locomotive Society), a surprising ommission not least as Clinker was a resident of Rugby. At grouping in 1923 (when 123 railway companies were grouped into four companies with the odd exception of two joint lines) it became part of the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The Ordnance Survey maps seen below show a goods siding was installed from at least 1885 and in all probability from 1864 when the station first opened. The Handbook of Railway Stations records that the station had no crane but did provide Goods traffic, Passenger and Parcels traffic as well as facilities to handle Horse boxes and Prize Cattle Vans. The station was only briefly owned by British Railways, which was formed on 1st January 1948, being closed to both passenger and goods traffic on 6th April 1953, with the line to Market Harborough and Peterborough being closed on 6th June 1966.

Ref: lnwrclift2348 N Hatfield Looking in the direction of Rugby with the signal cabin and main station building being located on the left

Ref: lnwrclift2348a N Hatfield Close up showing Clifton Mill Station's Stationmaster standing with two members of staff and his children

Ref: lnwrclift1566 Clifton Local History Group A LNWR locomotive on a local passenger service passes Clifton Mills goods sidings as it aproaches the station

Ref: lnwrclift3346 Postcard An Edwardian postcard showing the rear of Clifton Mill station's up platform seen from an adjacent field

Ref: lnwrclift3346a Postcard Close up showing the rear of Clifton Mill's up platform and the timber framed and clad station building

Ref: lnwrclift1568 Clifton Local History Group The station's up platform which accommodated the signal cabin and the station's main passenger facilities

Ref: lnwrclift1568a Clifton Local History Group Close up showing the small platform mounted signal cabin and the 'Clifton Mill' sign above the window

Ref: lnwrclift2350 Anon Looking across to Clifton Mill station's down platform and the signal cabin located next to the main station building

Ref: lnwrclift3347 Postcard Looking towards Rugby with the signal cabin and main station buildings on the up platform on the right

Ref: lnwrclift3347a Postcard Close up showing the signal cabin and the duct in the platform face where the point and signal rodding exited

Ref: lnwrclift3347b Postcard Close up showing the station's down platform and it's small timber framed and clad passenger waiting room

Ref: lnwrclift3621 LNWR Society View showing the level crossing, the crossing keepers house, and a single passing loop siding

Ref: lnwrclift3621a LNWR Society Close up of the up passing loop siding complete with buffers stops at both ends plus a LNWR loading gauge

Ref: lnwrclift3622 LNWR Society Looking along the up platform towards Market Harborough with the main station building on the right

Ref: lnwrclift2351 P Annable A watercolour painting showing an ex-MR 4-4-0 2P drifting past Clifton Mill station's level crossing

Ref: lnwrclift3351 RCTS An unknown Diesel locomotive heads what is probably the 3:58pm Birmingham New Street to Lowestoft service

Ref: lnwrclift2346 N Hatfield A photograph of Robert Hatfield, who was the stationmaster of Clifton Mill Station from c1880 to 1894

Ref: lnwrclift2347 N Hatfield A photograph of Sarah Hatfield, wife of Clifton Mill Station's stationmaster from about 1880 to 1894

Locomotives at or near Clifton Mill station

Ref: lnwrclift1567 Clifton Local History Group Ex-LMS 2-6-4T No 42432 at the head of a local passenger service waiting to depart from Clifton Mill's down platform

Ref: lnwrclift2349 GH Coltas A pair of ex-LMS 4-6-0 'Black 5s', No 5419 and No 5430, pass Clifton Mill station on an up express in 1947

Ref: lnwrclift3349 J Twells Ex-MR 4-4-0 No 408 stands at Clifton Mill station whilst the driver appears to filling his billycan with water

Ref: lnwrclift3350 RCTS / C Haydon Brush Type 2 A1A-A1A D5631 is seen approaching Rugby in 1966 having passed the long closed Clifton Mill station

Ordnance Survey Maps and Signal Cabin Diagram

Ref: lnwrclift3352 National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey Map showing Clifton Mills station and up siding surveyed in 1885 and published 1888

Ref: lnwrclift3353 National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey Map showing Clifton Mills station and up siding revised in 1903 and published 1905

Ref: lnwrclift3354 National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey Map showing Clifton Mills station and up siding revised in 1912 and published 1913

Ref: lnwrclift3355 National Library of Scotland Ordnance Survey Map showing Clifton Mills station and up siding revised in 1939 and published 1947

Ref: lnwrclift3348 PJ Wortley Clifton Mill station's Signal Cabin Diagram of this 20 lever LNWR Tumbler Frame with 7 levers spare