Swanwick Junction railway station (pronounced "Swannick") is a

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

situated on the former

Ambergate to Pye Bridge Line Ambergate is a village in Derbyshire, England, situated where the River Amber joins the River Derwent, and where the A610 road from Ripley and Nottingham joins the A6 that runs along the Derwent valley between Derby to the south and Matlock ...

which closed in 1968, but has been partially reopened by the

Midland Railway - Butterley Midland may refer to: Places Australia * Midland, Western Australia Canada * Midland, Albert County, New Brunswick * Midland, Kings County, New Brunswick * Midland, Newfoundland and Labrador * Midland, Ontario India * Midland Ward, Kohima, Naga ...

. Despite the station's name it is some distance from Swanwick. Previously, there was originally no station here (during BR/LMS days), only a junction with the Swanwick Colliery Branch Line. However, when the line was restored, Swanwick campus was the centre for the main activities of the

, and the station gives access to the attractions there. The station itself is within walking distance of Butterley railway station to the west. The station has four platforms. Platform No. 1 is the southernmost and is a

bay platform In the United Kingdom and in Australia, a bay platform is a dead-end railway platform at a railway station that has through lines. It is normal for bay platforms to be shorter than their associated through platforms. Overview Bay and islan ...

. Platform No. 2 is the main platform in use and is a

side platform A side platform (also known as a marginal platform or a single-face platform) is a platform positioned to the side of one or more railway tracks or guideways at a railway station, tram stop, or transitway. A station having dual side platforms ...

. On platforms 1 and 2, the ex-Midland station building from

Syston railway station Syston railway station ( ) is a railway station serving the town of Syston in Leicestershire, England. The station is on the Midland Main Line from Leicester to Loughborough, down the line from London St Pancras. Early history The station ...

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

has been rebuilt. In addition, there is an

island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...

with Platform Nos 3 and 4. The building here is a replica of that at Broom Junction railway station. Platform No. 4 is the only platform which can serve the Swanwick Colliery Branch, with DMU shuttles, demonstration goods trains or footplate experience locomotives running from this platform up the branch on gala days. In 2013, a footbridge linking platforms 1 and 2 to platforms 3 and 4 was completed; this was originally located at Belle Vue railway station. Wheelchair access is provided by means of a foot crossing at the west end of the platform. The signal box originally comes from

Kettering railway station Kettering railway station serves the town of Kettering in Northamptonshire, England. It lies south-west of the town centre, on the Midland Main Line, north of London St. Pancras. History The station was opened in May 1857 by the Midland ...

Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...

. There is currently no station further east of Swanwick Junction, though trains continue to a run-round loop at

Riddings Riddings is a large village in Derbyshire, England. The appropriate ward of the Amber Valley Council is called Ironville and Riddings. The population of this ward as at the 2011 census was 5,821. It is located south of Alfreton near the hamlet o ...

situated on the northern branch of a

triangle A triangle is a polygon with three Edge (geometry), edges and three Vertex (geometry), vertices. It is one of the basic shapes in geometry. A triangle with vertices ''A'', ''B'', and ''C'' is denoted \triangle ABC. In Euclidean geometry, an ...

with the

Midland Main Line The Midland Main Line is a major railway line in England from London to Nottingham and Sheffield in the Midlands. It comprises the lines from London's St Pancras station via Leicester, Derby/Nottingham and Chesterfield in the East Midlands. ...

, close by. The MR-B has stated an ambition to build a new station at the loop as well as to reopen the site of

Pye Bridge railway station Pye Bridge railway station served the village of Pye Bridge, Derbyshire, England from 1849 to 1967 on the Erewash Valley Line. History The station opened as Pye Bridge for Alfreton on 1 December 1851 by the Midland Railway The Midland ...

as the preserved line's eastern terminus. The station is the main location of the

Indietracks Indietracks was an annual indie pop music festival at the Midland Railway in Butterley, Derbyshire, UK. The main site was located at Swanwick Junction. Bands played in variety of locations, including a restored church, in a train shed, and on ...

music festival.

References

{{reflist Heritage railway stations in Derbyshire Railway stations built for UK heritage railways