Roade
Work on Roade cutting started in 1834 and the line opened in 1838.
A basic station was built at Roade in 1838 which enabled trains to stop but just as work finished the railway company and other interested parties discussed whether a new station to serve Northampton should be built at Roade. At first, Blisworth was preferred as 'the great depot for the county', although first-class stations were also provided at Roade and Weedon.
For a few years Roade prospered as the most convenient of the three for Northampton, but after the opening of the line from Blisworth to Peterborough through Northampton in 1845 it was reduced to a third-class station.
By 1862 the refreshment room had been removed as there were only seven stopping trains a day.
In 1875 the London & North Western Railway obtained powers to quadruple the main line between Bletchley and Roade .
In 1882 Roade station was rebuilt on a larger scale with three platforms and four running lines.
In 1942 the booking office burnt down and was rebuilt in post war times which seemed a waste of resources as in 1955 it was demolished and a new booking office built on a new site.
Finally in 1964 the station closed.
1890 landslip photo ©Roade Historical Society
In 1875 the cutting was deepened further for the Northampton Lines which drops down and to the left in the picture.
In 1890 there was a major landslip after heavy rain fall and the debris was cleared away and the side was shored up with a heavy wall and 100+ heavy steel girders erected to support and hold the wall in place. The girders are known as the 'Birdcage'.
In 1960/61 work was again carried out on the girders as they had to raised for electrification of the line.
©SJBrown