Northrop station

BR London, Midland Region Totem

**Northrop railway station** is a railway station on the Gladsville Line. It was one of the last stations to open along the route since it was originally built for goods traffic instead of passengers.

## History

Northrop was opened in 1919 when the village of Northrop thought they are missing out on trade that is coming by their town since the line was opened in 1899. Before, trade for Northrop was done via horse and cart but since they took to long, the villagers thought that the solution to their "slow horsey problem" was a railway station with two passenger platforms and a goods shed to deliver cargo from freight trains arriving with goods for Northrop. The station was originally going to have an island platform layout but since the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) didn't want to change the layout of the track through to Gladsville, two separate platforms linked via footbridge was constructed instead. The goods sidings were opened in 1920 with an added "headshunt" in 1927 to stable inactive locomotives.

Following the 1930s, Northrop was the site of a disastrous accident with a runaway goods train, which resulted in the damage of the footbridge and main station building. The accident claimed six lives and injured 75 waiting for their passenger train coming from Northampsmith. In 1942, Northrop was damaged by Luftwaffe air attacks and damaged the original headshunt, but the LMS rebuilt the headshunt, with plans for a second to handle more trains. By 1949, Northrop was almost unchanged since the LNWR opened the station in 1919, but was rebuilt with a new footbridge over the line, since there was no footbridge after the original was destroyed in the 1930s.

1962, Northrop station was prepared for closure since the station costed British Railways too much to operate, but the local towns didn't want the station to close. The real reason for Northrop's proposed closure was due the Gladsville line had been announced for closure, but the communities along the line protested to this and the Moorland Steam Railway (marketed as the 'Gladsville Line') was created to protect the line. Northrop was restored to early BR condition (with the 1949-built footbridge) .

In 1974, the sale of old Metropolitan bogie coaches resulted in a new siding being built next to the platform to make room for three such coaches, which were going to be converted into camping coaches. In 1976, the station was restored into a "typical pre-WWII LMS station in the 1930s" with original LMS posters as part of the railway's new 'period' scheme to make each station mostly a different era in the line's history.

## Basis

Northrop station's design appears to be inspired by Aylesbury High Street station. This station was double track, and a pure L&NWR station when opened in 1839 by the London & Birmingham Railway and features a large goods yard, just like Northrop. Unlike it's fictional counterpart, Aylesbury High Street was a terminus station on the end of the Aylesbury branch line, which started at the mainline station of Cheddington (which is still open). Aylesbury High Street (and the line) was closed to passengers on February 2nd, 1953 and finally on December 2nd, 1963. Nothing remains of Aylesbury High Street today.

## Trivia

Northrop station's main building and platform shelter (located on the opposite platform) are made from a revamped Melcafte card kit.

* The platforms are also Melcafte kits while the signage is custom made by Shane Sowter.

The goods shed is a weathered Hornby model that came in an accessory pack. This will later be replaced by something more realistic.

Northrop is one of the youngest of the original five stations on the line, opened in 1919, and is the smallest.

Unlike its basis, Northrop station is a through station instead of a terminus.