Cottleston 4mm OO
Cottleston is a fictional town with a fictional railway, but if it did exist it would be in the area on the Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire border where once coal was king and the lines of different railway companies entwined as they fought to carry it away
The line was built by the Great Northern Railway as a secondary route between Nottingham and Sheffield, with coal traffic sufficiently heavy to justify the construction of lengthy loops South of the station and a new signalbox at Moggs Eye. Prior to World War 2 the War Ministry built a large storage and distribution depot outside the town, with its own branchline and exchange sidings at Moggs Eye. To ease connectivity as the war loomed, a link line was built from Moggs Eye to the Midland Railway’s Acrewood Branch.
Post-war cuts saw Cottleston’s passenger service cut in 1964 while the line was closed as a through route in 1972. From there progressive rationalisations saw the station reduced to a hub for a number of colliery branches which were in turn closing by the end of the 1980s.
European regeneration money saw the reopening of the line from Nottingham to provide a rail link to Acrewood. The new service necessitated a reversal at the reopened Cottleston station. To keep passenger trains clear of the single line remaining through the station a new platform was constructed using the former goods shed as an overall roof. Further colliery closures resulted in the only freight service being the MoD traffic to the stores depot. However, further investment saw the mothballed line to Sheffield reopened.
Currently Central Trains provide services between Nottingham, Sheffield and Acrewood while MoD trains still move vehicles and stores to the depot via the exchange sidings.
