Cheddleton railway station

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Cheddleton before closure

Cheddleton station under preservation

Cheddleton station is a passenger station on the Churnet Valley Railway in Staffordshire, Great Britain.

1 History
2 Churnet Valley Railway Early Days
3 Later Developments
4 External links

[edit] History

Cheddleton station, situated on the Churnet Valley line (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 unviable and closed to both passengers and goods in 1965.

[edit] Churnet Valley Railway Early Days

During the 1970s a railway preservation base was established at Cheddleton 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. Cheddleton Station later became the base of the Churnet Valley Railway & has a comemorative plaque, dedicated to Mr Hancock on the wall. Initially, there was a railway museum displaying artifacts 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 Leek Brook station on August 24, 1996.

[edit] Later Developments

Since the first trains ran in 1996 the CVR has grown with Cheddleton remaining its headquarters. The station area has benefited from temporary buildings on the opposite side to the original housing a shop and tea room. The yard to the south of the platforms has progressively expanded with several roads, an inspection pit, and carriage shed being some of the facilities now in use as well as the main engine shed that was built early on. Recently the second platform has been reconnected to the main line by means of a siding which will one day form a loop to pass trains on.