Kingsley and Froghall railway station
Encyclopedia
Kingsley and Froghall railway station is a passenger railway station on the Churnet Valley Railway
in Staffordshire
, England
.
Kingsley and Froghall station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line
(opened 13 July 1849) of the North Staffordshire Railway
, was opened to both passengers and goods on 1 September 1849.
The station was a busy country station serving the needs of workers at nearby Thomas Bolton's copper
refinery.
As with many UK railways, passenger numbers in the 1960s decreased to such an extent that the station was closed to both passengers and goods in 1965.
. This was later to become the base of the Churnet Valley Railway
(CVR). The CVR had slowly been progressing in preserving the line when in the late 1990s they had reached the station site. Initial rebuilding of the station resulted in the down platform reopening for passengers on 11 August 2001. Construction later began on the new station building which opened on 19 July 2003.
Since 2003, more work has been done on the station to make the site "complete" as at nearby Consall
. Initially this involved resurfacing the Down platform and adding fences, a few small buildings and station furniture. With this side now relatively complete, attention has been turned to the second (up) platform where the overhang on the canal and associated fences have been rebuilt, along with walls and the large waiting shelter.
Further future enhancements to the station are planned and with a foot crossing from the passenger side recently being laid, the platform may see use in 2008. Kingsley and Froghall is currently the southern limit of passenger operations on the CVR, but plans exist to extend towards Oakamoor and Alton Towers.
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
Churnet 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 13 July 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 1 September 1849.
The station was a busy country station serving the needs of workers at nearby Thomas Bolton's copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
refinery.
As with many UK railways, passenger numbers in the 1960s decreased to such an extent that the station was closed to both passengers and goods in 1965.
Re-opening, and the Churnet Valley Railway
During the 1970s a railway preservation base was setup at nearby Cheddleton stationCheddleton railway station
Cheddleton railway station is a passenger railway station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.-History:Cheddleton station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line of the North Staffordshire Railway, was opened to both passengers and goods on September 1, 1849.The station was a...
. This was later to become the base of the Churnet Valley Railway
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...
(CVR). The CVR had slowly been progressing in preserving the line when in the late 1990s they had reached the station site. Initial rebuilding of the station resulted in the down platform reopening for passengers on 11 August 2001. Construction later began on the new station building which opened on 19 July 2003.
Since 2003, more work has been done on the station to make the site "complete" as at nearby Consall
Consall railway station
Consall railway station is a passenger railway station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, England.-History:Consall station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line of the North Staffordshire Railway, was opened to both passengers and goods on 3 March 1902...
. Initially this involved resurfacing the Down platform and adding fences, a few small buildings and station furniture. With this side now relatively complete, attention has been turned to the second (up) platform where the overhang on the canal and associated fences have been rebuilt, along with walls and the large waiting shelter.
Further future enhancements to the station are planned and with a foot crossing from the passenger side recently being laid, the platform may see use in 2008. Kingsley and Froghall is currently the southern limit of passenger operations on the CVR, but plans exist to extend towards Oakamoor and Alton Towers.