Leicester railway station Sir Robert McAlpine in 1978. The station clock is the only hand-wound station clock in the UK. A commemorative statue of Thomas Cook was placed on the pavement outside the present station in 1991 to mark the first excursions arranged by the travel agency magnate. It was sculpted by James Butler. Until the line from Matlock to Chinley through Millers Dale was closed in the Beeching era, the 'main lines' were those from London to Manchester, carrying named expresses such as "The Palatine". Express trains to Leeds and Scotland such as the "Thames-Clyde Express" tended to use the Erewash Valley
Desford railway station 1964 but the line remains open for freight traffic. Desford railway station Desford railway station was a railway station in Leicestershire, England on the Leicester and Swannington Railway, which later became part of the Midland Railway's Leicester to Burton upon Trent Line. The original station opened on 18 July 1832; originally named "Desford Lane", it was renamed "Desford" by 26 April 1833. This station was closed on 27 March 1848, being replaced by a new station, also named "Desford", sited to the west of the original. The station was about northeast of Desford village, close to the hamlet of Newtown