Cheddleton railway station
Encyclopedia
Cheddleton railway station is a passenger railway station on the Churnet Valley Railway
in Staffordshire
, England
.
(opened July 13, 1849) of the North Staffordshire Railway
, was opened to both passengers and goods on September 1, 1849.
The station was a quiet country station serving the needs of nearby Cheddleton village, and for a time, the settlement of Ipstones
, which is out of the valley.
As with many stations in the 1960s, levels of traffic decreased to such an extent that the station was considered non-viable and closed to both passengers and goods in 1965.
Initially, there was a railway museum displaying artefacts relating to the North Staffordshire Railway.
In 1978 the NSRS became the North Staffordshire Railway Co. (1978) Ltd and it became a charity in 1983.
Later the bay platform area was acquired in 1984 and a former NSR signal box was put into use.
The Churnet Valley line finally closed for sand
traffic in 1988 and the NSRC jumped at the chance to purchase the line from British Rail
by publicising its share prospectus
.
The first passenger train to leave Cheddleton onto the mainline under CVR control left for on August 24, 1996.
Churnet Valley Railway
The Churnet Valley Railway is a standard gauge heritage railway to the east of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. The CVR has two main operational headquarters - Cheddleton station, where the motive power department is based and where the first trains ran, and Kingsley and Froghall station, where...
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
Cheddleton station, situated on the Churnet Valley LineChurnet Valley Line
The Churnet Valley line was one of the three original routes planned and built by the North Staffordshire Railway. Authorised in 1846, the line opened in 1849 and ran from in Cheshire to in East Staffordshire...
(opened July 13, 1849) of the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
, was opened to both passengers and goods on September 1, 1849.
The station was a quiet country station serving the needs of nearby Cheddleton village, and for a time, the settlement of Ipstones
Ipstones
Ipstones is a village and civil parish in north of the English county of Staffordshire.It is part of the Staffordshire Moorlands district; within the boundaries of the civil parish are the hamlets Foxt, Consall Forge and Bottomhouse...
, which is out of the valley.
As with many stations in the 1960s, levels of traffic decreased to such an extent that the station was considered non-viable and closed to both passengers and goods in 1965.
Churnet Valley Railway early days
During the 1970s a railway preservation base was established at Cheddleton railway station. This was due to a campaign by local people, spearheaded by local businessman & resident Norman Hancock, who in May 1974 as a mark of protest parked his Jaguar car on the level crossing where the railway line meets Basford Bridge Lane in Cheddleton. Following his actions and with support from a local campaign the station building was saved from demolition and became a grade II listed building on 14 May 1974. Cheddleton Station later became the base of the Churnet Valley Railway & has a commemorative plaque, dedicated to Mr Hancock on the wall.Initially, there was a railway museum displaying artefacts relating to the North Staffordshire Railway.
In 1978 the NSRS became the North Staffordshire Railway Co. (1978) Ltd and it became a charity in 1983.
Later the bay platform area was acquired in 1984 and a former NSR signal box was put into use.
The Churnet Valley line finally closed for sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
traffic in 1988 and the NSRC jumped at the chance to purchase the line from British Rail
British Rail
British Railways , which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was the operator of most of the rail transport in Great Britain between 1948 and 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the "Big Four" British railway companies and lasted until the gradual privatisation of British Rail, in stages...
by publicising its share prospectus
Prospectus (finance)
In finance, a prospectus is a document that describes a financial security for potential buyers. A prospectus commonly provides investors with material information about mutual funds, stocks, bonds and other investments, such as a description of the company's business, financial statements,...
.
The first passenger train to leave Cheddleton onto the mainline under CVR control left for on August 24, 1996.