Railway History
The railway line which passed through Mickleover (the station was about 1-mile (1.6 km) from the centre of the village, entitled Mickleover for Radbourne) originally formed part of the Great Northern Railway's cross country route from Grantham to Stafford and was opened in April 1878. It ran from Grantham on the East Coast Main Line via Nottingham Victoria, over the famous Bennerley Viaduct (which still stands today) and Derby Friargate Station. This section of the Great Northern Railway, also known as the Friargate Line, (for further history about this now closed railway see GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension), was built as a rival to the already established Midland Railway which at the time had a monopoly over Derby, Nottingham and the surrounding areas.
At Egginton Jcn. it joined the Derby to Crewe line of the North Staffordshire Railway which it left at Uttoxeter to journey on to Stafford. Mickleover station lay on the Derby – Egginton section.
Although most of the line was closed to passenger traffic in December 1939, Egginton station didn't officially close until 3 March 1962 and Mickleover station remained open until 3 February 1964. The final passenger train left Friargate on 5 September 1964 and the line then closed throughout to passenger traffic on 7 September 1964.
Freight remained as did the through excursion traffic but eventually Friargate Goods closed on 4 September 1967.
The section between Egginton Jcn. and Friargate was then acquired by the Train Control Group of the BR Research Division, as a suitable test track. It was singled between Friargate and Mickleover, but in 1973 the line was cut back to Mickleover since the eastern end of the track bed had been earmarked for the new A38 trunk road. Thereafter the line was used as a test track until 1990 when the A50 by-pass was built over the trackbed and the line was closed and lifted.
Today Mickleover and Egginton stations survive, Mickleover is a private residence and Egginton is the HQ for a Payroll Company. The route of the line is now a cycle track to Egginton and nature path with little to indicate its former status.
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