SPONDON RAILWAY STATION

[theoldstation]

I AM LOOKING TO HEAR FROM ANYONE IN THE AREA WHO MAY BE ABLE TO TELL ME ANY HISTORY REGARDING SPONDON RAILWAY STATION.

MAYBE YOU HAVE RELATIVES WHO USED TO BE A STATION MASTER OR HAVE SOME OLD PHOTOGRAPHS IN A BOX HANDED DOWN FROM GRANDPARENTS.

I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU.

[spondonian]

There is a folder in Spondon library with some information about the station. It has the appearance of a school project, but also includes a copy of a model railway magazine article about the station. No individuals mentioned though. It also includes the famous photograph of the station with all staff - all 6 of them - but don't think anybody knows their names, or even date of photo. Its reproduced in latest issue of SCAN and is in possession of Historical SOciety.

[trainmad]

Hi,

This might interest you.

ptrkaz.fotopic.net/c98210.html

Paul

[gareth]

I have kept no pictures but I knew the prominent Methodist Mr. Wilson who was a station master in Spondon in the 1950s and was friendly with one of his sons David who graduated from Oxford and became a teacher. The greatest event at the station was undoubtedly the visit of the Queen who took the royal train from there to London. Mr. Wilson was presented to her. Gareth

[john]

Some years ago, possibly 15-20 years, there was an article in ‘Model Railway’ that gave a detail history of Spondon rail station and the various track layouts our the years. As I recall from the article it use to be a very busy station with cattle pens (on the opposite side of the road).

[peter]

Hi.
There are some pictures of the station on picturethepast.org.uk under Derby/Spondon
and under Spondon. I lived in Borrowash they also had cattle pens etc. Every weekday
a local train would come from Derby via Spondon station shunting coal wagons, cattle trucks etc it was known as the 3 o'clock shunter. High light of a young kids life [early 50s]
Regards Peter.

[melidenlad]

I can remember the station back in the early 60s Mr. Clarke was the station master, his son attended Spondon Park school. Back then passenger trains, stopping at Spondon ran hourly between Derby & Lincoln, and more regular at peak periods. In all about some 20 trains a day, this included on Monday to Friday a train for Celanese workers would leave from the Derby bay platform at 4-41pm and one at 12-12 on Saturdays. The station was lit by gas and the main station building was heated by a gravity fed central heating system, fed by a coke boiler in the parcels office. The other buildings were heated by a combination of coal & gas fires, maintained by the station's porters. The station house had a few electric plugs for the TV & vacuum cleaner but was lit by gas, I believe this was last house in Spondon have gas lighting. The station's goods traffic in the sixty's, the Local cattle and other livestock business had finished, but the station still had wagons of coal for the local merchants. The power station had daily delivery of a powdered coal, it had it's own three Battery powered locomotives of 1930s vintage which were unique to Spondon power station. As late as 1966 British Celanese had a number of small Steam shunting engines, that would take their wagons across Holme Lane and into their works. These locomotives were kept clean and in good condition and had names like, George Henry William Edward & Charles.

[melidenlad]

When Spondon station was opened there was a level crossing with a little used lane called Holme Lane which led to some farms down by the river. After the First World war Celanese built a large factory next to the station, business at the station boomed sidings were added, and the platforms were extended to take longer trains. An extra third platform was built behind the Derby platform this was called the Bay platform; this was for trains starting from Spondon taking thousands of Celanese workers home after each shift. Also two large wooden waiting rooms were built, these remained until the station's staff were withdrawn sometime in the 1990s.
One story go's that in the 1950s a large lorry came over the canal bridge when his brakes failed, seeing the crossing gates closed he turned left; and hit the station building killing the station master. To prevent this from happening again, for many years there was a large metal crash barrier outside the booking office window.
After the Second World war business began to decline with the increase of road transport, first to go were the trains taking Celanese workers home after each shift, but the one that took the office & day workers home remained until the late 1960s.
With the decline of business the numbers of station staff were also reduced. Around 1960 Spondon's station master took over responsibility for Borrowash station, where three signalmen and two porters were employed.
By 1963 the staff at Spondon station consisted of one station master (Mr. Clark) two goods clerks (mostly for Celanese business) one booking clerk two porters (one on each shift) one woman porter (on a regular day shift) one number taker / shunter three signalmen at the station signal box (one on each shift) & three signalmen at Spondon junction signal box.

[melidenlad]

When I was at school (Spondon House) back in the 1960s not many people had cars, so a day out at the seaside was something special. Back then the railway ran special trains to Rhyl Sageness the Peak District & Alton Towers on summer Saturdays & Bank Holidays.
I remember one trip well we went to Rhyl, by train, first we went to Spondon station by bus the 12A. Back then the bus ran down Lodge Lane and across the by-pass something you will not see today. We got off at the top of Station Road & walked down.
We got our ticket from the booking office and walked over the bridge to the platform, we could see the huge Celanese works then it employed several thousand people.
At around 9am the train came in it was a steam train, not like the steam trains we see today this was a dirty grimy steam engine. It was a special train running from Nottingham to Llandudno, so that the steam engine would be on the right end going out of Derby we went along the old line through Chaddersden, we passed the big Chaddersden sidings, where wagons would run down the hill by gravity into the appropriate sidings, & men would run along side with big sticks applying their brakes, some of the lads at school's fathers worked at Chaddesden sidings.
At the Midland station we had to wait for an express for Penzance,to go first,
we could see the Locomotive works which employed several thousand people, back then British Railways was a big employer in Derby.
We stopped to pick up more people at Pear Tree Normanton station, before going on to Tutbury & Uttoxeter.