Ashby Magna station under construction
The extent of the work that was required to build a new railway is captured to perfection in this image. The scene shows the construction of Ashby Magna Station, with work concentrating on the road bridge. Not only did the contractor have to built the bridge and station, he was responsible for the construction of the road as well. The bridge abutments can be seen on either side of the picture, with the new semi-completed road embankment coming in on the left. There is no embankment on the right. The structure in the centre forms the centre of the bridge and could be used as a room for storage. S. W. A. Newton was standing (or crouching) approximately where the station platforms would end when completed - access to the platforms would have been via a staircase from the road. Note the contractor's railway on the left belonging to Topham, Jones & Railton who built this section of the railway between 1894 and 1899. The scene is radically different today as the station has gone, and the M1 motorway passes immediately to the right of the picture. See on Route Map
