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Report - finningley railway station

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farmer.ned

magic.clean
28DL Full Member
hi
having completed my report on the other bit of finningleys history leon motor services who had faithfully served the villages of finningley,blaxton,auckley and branton for 82 years it was time to turn my attention to another bit of history finningley railway station which lies 5 miles east of doncaster on the doncaster to lincoln line.
opened in 1867 by the great northern and great eastern joint railway finningley survived into the 1960,s after most of the intermediate stations at bessacarr haxey and misterton had closed the station succumbed to the beeching axe on the 11th of september 1961.
after closure the station was used for occasional excursions to bring visitors and the royal train to the annual RAF airshow at nearby finningley air field the trains no doubt met by special leon shuttle buses to the airfield untill the 23rd of june 1963 after which all freight was withdrawn on the 6th of september 1965.
finningley halt went into a retired existance untill the 19th of september 1981 when trains where once again run to the finningley airshow a temporary platform of scaffolding and boards was erected for the purpose on the doncaster side of the level crossing with local bus stalwart leon once more providing shuttle buses to the airfield.
this state of affairs continued untill 1993 followed by the final airshow in 1994 after which BR was privatised by the tories and the ex v bomber base closed in april 1995 to be sold to peel airports and redeveloped as doncaster /sheffield robin hood airport both bringing in a new era of privatisation.
in 2011 doncaster council was backing a proposal for a new station to serve finningley airport with a spur going into the airport but this was 8 years ago and has still come to nothing.
so the overgrown platforms at finningley remain in peacefull retirement cut back when network rail either gets round to it or the signalman reports it
the peace only disturbed by a passing railbus to lincoln or doncaster or freight trains which use this section between peterborough and black carr jcn south of doncaster
to prevent them slowing trains down on the east coast main line.
finningley(5.1975)1.jpg

finningley station in 1975 14 years after closure the station a private house
finningley(1982)4.jpg

in 1981 trains returned to finningley for the air show at nearby RAF finningley the temporary halt was built on the doncaster side of the level crossing
finningley2007.jpg

finningley station in 2007 now fenced off and overgrown the crossover in the distance now disused
043.JPG

12 years on from the 2007 photo and 57 years since a passenger train last stopped here and 53 years since complete closure track equiptment boxes stand on the up lincoln platform with trees and wild grass practicly covering the platform.
the level crossing is now as close as you can get without commiting criminal trespass as there is a caravan storage facillity on the left in the old up station yard and a car repair place on the right both platforms have been security fenced off by network rail.
044.JPG

the down doncaster platform with trees and grass encroaching on to the platform the private house and security fencing plainly visable
047.JPG

the view from the other side of the crossing i was stood on the blocks that prevent you accessing the railway to take this shot the scene of dereliction at finningley with trees growing on to the platform and the efforts of the last cut back visit behind the fence with a sign warning you not to tresspass on the railway technicly i was a little bit but with no shout off bog off from the crossing box i grabbed this shot note the engineering bricks and platform slab stones
048.JPG

taken from the doncaster side of the crossing shows the complete decay at finningley the whole area desperate for a visit from the cut back team and the weed killing train
the disused crossover in the distance long since removed.
057.JPG

061.JPG

strangely enough finningley still retains a signalman this is the only signal box on this section between doncaster and lincoln and with no crossover the signalmans job is only to signal the occasional trains and operate the crossing could this disappear with a future upgrade of the line
 

stranton

subterranean explorer
Regular User
at least the platforms & station house remain,
the signal box is on borrowed time it's operations soon being transferred to Doncaster IECC.
 

tigger

mog
Regular User
Decent little report and good to see something slightly different, thanks for posting.
 

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