Damems railway station
Damems railway station serves the village of Damems near Keighley, and within the City of Bradford Metropolitan District, West Yorkshire, England. It is used for heritage trains on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway and trains do not stop unless requested.
Damems | |
|---|---|
| Station on heritage railway | |
 Damems railway station in 2007 | |
| Location | Damems, City of Bradford England |
| Coordinates | 53.8459°N 1.9245°W |
| Grid reference | SE050388 |
| Managed by | Keighley and Worth Valley Railway |
| Platforms | 1 |
| Key dates | |
| 1 September 1867 | Station opened |
| 23 May 1949 | Station closed |
| 29 June 1968 | Station re-opened |
The station opened on 1 September 1867, several months after the others on the line; but it closed on 23 May 1949, some years before the line closed. It reopened with the line on 29 June 1968.[1]
It claims to be Britain's smallest standard-gauge railway station,[2] although it is no longer part of the main rail network. Damems has the distinction of being a station rather than a halt because in its original form it included a stationmaster's house and a siding to serve the mill in the village. The stationmaster's house remains, and is owned by the heritage railway, although the siding has been removed. The level crossing at the station is controlled from a gate box originally from Earby on the Colne-Skipton line. The box was installed since preservation. The crossing was originally worked from a groundframe in the stationmaster's garden. The last crossing keeper at Damems was Annie Feather who lived in the stationmaster's house and received her wages which were thrown to her from the footplate of a passing locomotive.
| Preceding station |  Heritage railways |
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oakworth | Keighley and Worth Valley Railway | Ingrow (West) | ||
References
- Butt, R.V.J. (1995). The Directory of Railway Stations. Yeovil: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 76. ISBN 1-85260-508-1. R508.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- "Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - Keighley, Haworth, Oxenhope". Archived from the original on 30 March 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2008.