Olney railway station (Buckinghamshire)
| Olney | |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Place | Olney |
| Area | Milton Keynes |
| Grid reference | SP891520 |
| Operations | |
| Original company | Bedford & Northampton Railway |
| Pre-grouping | Midland Railway |
| Post-grouping |
London Midland and Scottish Railway London Midland Region of British Railways |
| Platforms | 2 |
| History | |
| 10 June 1872 | Opened |
| 5 March 1962 | Closed to passengers |
| 6 January 1964 | Goods facilities withdrawn |
| 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 |
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Olney was a railway station on the former Bedford to Northampton Line and Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway which served the town of Olney in Buckinghamshire, England. It was situated on a busy section of line between Towcester and Ravenstone Wood junction which saw heavy use by freight services running between Wales and north-east England. The station closed in 1964, the various connecting routes to the line having closed one by one from the 1950s onwards.
Opened by the Bedford & Northampton Railway on 10 June 1872 as part of its line from Bedford to Northampton, the station came under the control of the Midland Railway on 16 July 1885. It was situated at the beginning of a 3-mile (4.8 km) climb, averaging 1 in 80, towards the line's summit near Ravenstone Wood Junction. The station was conveniently located near the centre of Olney. An attractive two-storey stone station building was provided on the Down platform where a footbridge provided access to the Up platform and its stone waiting shelter. A 9,000-imperial-gallon (41,000 l; 11,000 US gal) water tank erected in the early 1890s behind the Up platform was supplied with water from the nearby River Great Ouse. An extensive goods shed, goods office and weighbridge were also provided.
On 2 June 1865, powers were obtained for a 5.5-mile (8.9 km) extension of the Wolverton to Newport Pagnell Line to Olney. Construction began and a bridge over the Newport to Wolverton road was built. Works were however suspended in June 1866 amid difficulties which the independent Newport Pagnell Railway Company was having with the London and North Western Railway and connection with its main line at Wolverton. Although terms were eventually agreed by September 1867, there continued to be serious arguments about rental costs for the use of Wolverton and hostility by the London and North Western spread to the question of the Olney extension. Matters came to a head in July 1873 when financial difficulties forced the Newport Pagnell Company to offer to sell their railway to the London and North Western. This was completed on 29 June 1875 following a special meeting of the Newport Pagnell Company where it was agreed to abandon the Olney extension. The bridge over the Newport to Wolverton road was demolished in c. 1879.
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