Monument record MDR7956 - Woodville Branch Railway (route of), Swadlincote

(Centred SK 3097 1898) Woodville Branch (named on map) Railway, shown leaving the Swadlincote and Woodville Extension (SK 31 NW 7) at SK 3038 1861, and terminating at SK 3156 1940 in a Goods Yard (named on map). (1-4) Dismantled railway (named on map) - in part depicted as earthworks. (5) Line of railway survives only intermittently, having been encroached upon in several places. (6) In 1849 the Midland Railway completed a line from Leicester to Burton, with a branch line running to Swadlincote and another to Woodville, with a small station at each. The main purpose of these lines was to move goods rather than passengers, although there were passenger services from 1851. A network of private routes developed, linking works with the branch lines. In 1884 the situation was further improved by connecting the two branches so that they formed a loop. The regular passenger service was withdrawn in 1947, although summer Saturday trains ran until 1962. The branch was used for wagon storage after freight transport ceased, and it was finally closed to all traffic in c. 1969. The line has since been lifted and parts of the route have been built over. (7, 8)