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
Countesthorpe railway station Countesthorpe railway station Countesthorpe railway station was a railway station serving Countesthorpe in Leicestershire. The station was on the Midland Counties Railway main line to , and it opened at some point between 1840 and June 1842. In 1844 the Midland Counties joined the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway to form the Midland Railway. In 1857 the Midland completed a new main line south to and the – Rugby section of the Midland Counties was relegated to a branch. British Railways closed the Leicester – Rugby line and its stations, including "Countesthorpe" which closed on