Kirkdale (KKD)

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Kirkdale is a stop on the Northern Line of the Merseyrail network at the junction of the Ormskirk and Kirkby branches and is in between Sandhills and Walton or Rice Lane. The station is next to Kirkdale TMD which is the largest depot on the Merseyrail network.

Ormskirk bound Merseyrail 507 016 arrives at the station

Information
Type:	National Rail (Merseyrail Northern Line)
Station code:	KKD
Opened:	1848
Platforms:	2

The station was opened as Bootle Lane in 1848 on a joint line built by the Liverpool, Ormskirk & Preston and Liverpool & Bury Railways. The station was renamed Kirkdale in 1877.

Although still a busy spot on the network Kirkdale used to have a number of other lines and routes pass through or underneath the station. Since 1977 it has been part of the Merseyrail network and is the interchange between the Kirkby and Ormskirk branches which diverge just North of the station.

 

The station was refurbished and modernised in 2000 with a new footbridge and an improved booking office.

Merseyrail 508 124 rests on a TMD siding next to the station

Merseyrail 507 023 departs Kirkdale

Combined footbridge and ticket office

Look down the platform, the TMD is in the background 

Departing for Liverpool

Kilburn Park (ZKP)

An updated version of this station profile can now be found on our dedicated railway station website

Information
Type:	Transport for London (Bakerloo Line)
Station code:	ZKP
Opened:	1915
Platforms:	2

Kilburn Park is in between Queen's Park and Maida Vale. Like a number of stations on this stretch of the Bakerloo Line it was opened in 1915 as part of the line's extension from Paddington to Queen's Park [1].

After opening for 10 days Kilburn Park (originally it was to have been called just Kilburn) was the Northern terminus of the line as Queen's Park's opening was delayed meaning that passengers could only go as far as Kilburn Park and trains had to continue empty up to Queen's Park.

As with other stations on the line it was designed by Stanley Heaps to a modified Leslie Green design and the exterior of the building has glazed terracotta. The station is Grade II listed. Kilburn Park was one of the first stations designed for escalators instead of lifts.

A Bakerloo Line 72ts train arrives

Station entrance

Original signage 

Platform view

[1] Mike Horne, The Bakerloo Line (Capital Transport, 2001) p. 29

Kings Sutton (KGS)

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Kings Sutton serves the village of King's Sutton (the station name lost its apostrophe at some stage) and the town of Brackley. It is a few miles down the line from Banbury.

Information
Type:	National Rail (Chiltern Main Line)
Station code:	KGS
Opened:	1872
Platforms:	2

The station was originally opened in 1872 by the GWR with a branch to Kingham added in 1887, this branch closed for passengers in 1951 though part of the line remained in use until 1971 [1].

Before 1900 there was also a siding served by a tramway which carried yellow ochre for paint production. The station is located in Northamptonshire though the two stations either side (Banbury and Heyford) are in Oxfordshire.

Kings Sutton lost its good yard and footbridge in the 1960s with the latter replaced by a barrow crossing. However a near miss in 2005 where a passenger was nearly killed by a train led to a new footbridge being built and this was completed in 2006. Chiltern Railways manage the station though most services to Kings Sutton are operated by Great Western Railway.

GWR 165 126 departs on an Oxford bound service

Platform shelter, better than the usual bus shelter!

Station entrance

View from the footbridge

Chiltern 165 038 stops on a Marylebone bound service

Freightliner 70 019 takes a freight through the station

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Princes Risborough to Banbury (Middleton Press, 2002) fig. 93

Kingsbury (ZKY)

Kingsbury is a stop on the London Underground Jubilee Line in north west London between Wembley Park and Queensbury.

Jubilee Line 96094 departs

Information
Type:	Transport for London (London Underground Jubilee Line)
Station code:	ZKY
Opened:	1932
Platforms:	2

The station was opened in 1932 as part of the Metropolitan Railwway's new branch to Stanmore [1]. The following year the Metropolitan Railway became part of London Transport. The station was transferred to the Bakerloo Line in 1939. Finally, in 1979 the station became one of the original stops on the new Jubilee Line.

The station building is in a parade of shops on the Kingsbury Road. The platforms are in a cutting with steps or lifts down from street level and have canopies.

Under the station building

Platform building and canopy

Arrival

Heading off

[1] Jason Cross, London Underground Guide 2017 (Train Crazy, 2017) p. 137

Kirriemuir

Kirriemuir was a stop on the Scottish Midland Junction Railway in Angus between Kirriemuir Junction and Glamis.

Kirriemuir [1]

Information
Type:	Scottish Midland Junction Railway
Opened:	1861
Closed:	1952
Platforms:	1

The station was opened in 1861 by the Scottish North Eastern Railway on it's line from Perth to Forfar, which was known as the Scottish Midland Junction Railway. It later became part of the Caledonian Railway.

The station was closed to passengers in 1952 though goods traffic continued until 1965.

[1] "The Perth-Dundee-Montrose Section of the LMSR", The Railway Magazine p. 6

Kirkby (KIR)

Kirkby is a stop on the Merseyrail Northern Line in Liverpool between Fazakerley and Headbolt Lane.

A Merseyrail Class 777 stands at Kirkby

Information
Type:	National Rail (Merseyrail Northern Line Kirkby Branch)
Station code:	KIR
Opened:	1848
Platforms:	1

The station was opened by the Liverpool & Bury Railway in 1848. The station later became part of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway and on the main route between the cities. However, after nationalisation the route declined and became mostly a local commuter line. In the 1970s one of the platforms was closed. After the line was electrified in 1977, the third rail stopped at Kirkby. The line was split into two with electric Merseyrail services and diesel services to Manchester, Bolton and Wigan Wallgate beginning on a platform on the other side of a bridge.

Through running returned to Kirkby with the extension of Merseyrail to the new Headbolt Lane station in 2023. However, Merseyrail Class 777 electric multiple units travel to the new station on battery power. The diesel only platform on the other side of the bridge has now been closed. 

The station is managed by Merseyrail with a staffed ticket office. Access to down platform level is via stairs or a ramp.

Station building

Before the closure of the diesel only line, Merseyrail trains terminated here

Merseyrail 507 028 stands at Kirkby

Merseyrail 777 148 prepares to depart

Kings Norton (KNN)

Kings Norton is a stop on the Cross City Line in Birmingham between Bournville and Northfield.

WMR 323 211 at Kings Norton

Information
Type:	National Rail (Cross City Line)
Station code:	KNN
Opened:	1849
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the Birmingham & Gloucester Railway in 1849 on what is now the Camp Hill route. A more direct route to Birmingham was added in 1885 with the opening of the Birmingham West Suburban Railway (which is now the Cross City Line), the station's platforms were extended and a large goods yard built. The line through the station was quadrupled in 1925 and two new platforms added as part of a station rebuild [1]. Passenger traffic on the Camp Hill route ceased in 1941 though the line remained open. The station was rebuilt in 1978 as part of the opening of the Cross City Line, the line was electrified in 1993.

Only two platforms are currently in use, the central island platform still exists but is unavailable. The Camp Hill route is being reopened for passenger trains (now due for the end of 2024), Kings Norton will be the terminus of these services. The disused island platforms may be bought back into use. Access between the platforms and road level is via a footbridge and ramps. The station is managed by West Midlands Railway.

Station building, typical for stations on the Cross City Line

Ramp walkway down to platform level

View down the platform

Disused island platform and in service platform beyond

WMR 323 215 with a Birmingham bound service

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Bromsgrove to Birmingham (Middleton Press, 2006) Fig. 47

Kettering (KET)

Kettering is a stop on the Midland Main Line in Northamptonshire between Wellingborough and Market Harborough or Corby.

EMR 222 101 arrives at Kettering

Information
Type:	National Rail (Midland Main Line)
Station code:	KET
Opened:	1857
Platforms:	4

The station was opened by the Midland Railway in 1857. The station was originally small with just a single platform though was expanded when the line through it was quadrupled in 1879, three more platforms were built [1]. The current station building dates from a rebuild by the Midland Railway in the late 1890s. The station also gained an engine shed and goods shed in the late nineteenth century. These have now gone of course. The goods yard was closed in 1980 [2]. The engine shed in 1965 [3].

The station was renamed Kettering for Corby in 1970 after the closure of Corby station. The name was changed to Kettering & Corby in 1975. After the reopening of Corby station in 1987, Kettering station was restored to it's original name.

The station today retains much of it's Midland Railway feel, and the Grade II listed station building is one of the best surviving examples of the company's architecture. The station has canopies over much of the platforms mixed with more modern shelters, access between the platforms is via a footbridge and lifts. The station is managed by East Midlands Railway.

Down the platform, under the MR canopies

View across to platforms 2 and 3 which are an island

Platform view

Preparing to go

EMR 360 103 on a service from Corby

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Kettering to Nottingham (Middleton Press, 2015) Fig. 3

[2] Ibid. Fig. 6

[3] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Wellingborough to Leicester (Middleton Press, 2015) Fig. 28

Kerne Bridge

Kerne Bridge was a stop on the Ross & Monmouth Railway in Herefordshire between Lydbrook Junction and Walford Halt. 

Information
Type:	National Rail (Ross & Monmouth Railway)
Opened:	1873
Closed:	1959
Platforms:	2

The station was opened in 1873, later becoming part of the Great Western Railway. The station was closed in 1959 though the line remained open until 1965. The station had a loop and a good siding. A camping coach was located at the station during the 1930s and 1950s.

After closure the main station building was used as an outdoor activity centre. Nowadays it is a private dwelling.

Kerne Bridge after closure (KD collection)

Kidderminster (KID)

Kidderminster is a stop on the Birmingham-Worcester Line in Worcestershire between Blakedown and Hartlebury. 

WMR 172 211 departs

Information
Type:	National Rail (Worcester-Birmingham Line)
Station code:	KID
Opened:	1852
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the Oxford, Worcester & Wolverhampton Railway in 1852 as it extended from Worcester to Stourbridge. The station was later part of the West Midlands Railway and Great Western Railway. In 1878 Kidderminster was linked to the Severn Valley Railway. This line closed in 1963 though the SVR in preserved guise later built a new station called Kidderminster Town adjacent to the National Rail station. The former station goods sheds are now SVR buildings, one of them houses the Kidderminster Railway Museum [1].

The station has been rebuilt a number of times over the years. The longest lasting being a mock Tudor building served as the main station building from 1863 until 1968 when it had to be demolished due to dry rot [2]. The latest re-building took place in the Summer of 2020 with a new larger station building replacing the rather utilitarian previous one. Access between the two platforms is via a footbridge or via the road bridge.

The station is served by West Midlands Railway at least six times an hour, some trains from Birmingham Snow Hill terminating at Kidderminster. Chiltern Railway also operate services to London Marylebone during peak hours.

The new station building

The station has the usual basic platform facilities and bus shelters

Station sign

WMR 172 334 arrives with a Birmingham bound service

[1] Vic Mitchell & Keith Smith, Worcester to Birmingham (Middleton Press, 2007) Map. X

[2] Ibid. Fig. 33

Kew Gardens (KWG)

Kew Gardens in the West of London serves the district of Kew, the station is between Richmond and Gunnersbury and is served by the London Underground's District Line and London Overground.

LO 378 226 at Kew Gardens

Information
Type:	Transport for London (District Line & London Overground)
Station code:	KWG
Opened:	1869
Platforms:	2

The station was opened by the London & South Western Railway in 1869 on a new branch line to Richmond. The North London and Great Western Railways also ran services from the station in it's early days. Finally the District Railway arrived in 1877 and has remained ever since, now part of the London Underground.

The station has two platforms and surviving Victorian station buildings. Access to the platforms is via a subway. Over the station is a Grade II listed footbridge dating from 1912 to allow residents to safely cross the tracks. It is a rare example of Hennebique Ferro-Concrete construction and retains it's smoke deflectors which protected passengers using the bridge from the soot and smoke of passing steam trains [1].

Kew is home to the botanical gardens of the same name and the nearby National Archives. The station is managed by Transport for London.

LO 378 226 arrives

Going back a few years LO 378 meets District Line D78 Stock

378 255 under the Hennebique Ferro-Concrete bridge

A LO 378 prepares to depart

Another view from back in the days of D Stock!

[1] Jason Cross, London Underground Guide 2017 (Train Crazy, 2017) p. 136