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Pipe Gate was a
Pipe Gate was a railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
on the North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) 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.
The company was based i ...
's Stoke to Market Drayton Line.
Construction
Construction was started on theNewcastle-under-Lyme
Newcastle-under-Lyme ( RP: , ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. The 2011 census population of the town was 75,082, whilst the wider borough had a population of 1 ...
to Silverdale Junction line on 29 July 1864, and the first train ran on 1 February 1870.
The station served the hamlet of Pipe Gate
Woore is a village and civil parish in the north east of Shropshire, England, of about 3,950 acres (1,600 hectares). It had a population of 1,004 in the 2001 Census, rising to 1,069 at the 2011 Census.
Etymology
The name means "boundary" in an ...
, which is part of the parish of Woore
Woore is a village and civil parish in the north east of Shropshire, England, of about 3,950 acres (1,600 hectares). It had a population of 1,004 in the 2001 Census, rising to 1,069 at the 2011 Census.
Etymology
The name means "boundary" in an ...
, Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
. It was hence named Pipe Gate (for Woore). Trains from the station ran from , to junction with the Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company that linked London with the southwest, west and West Midlands of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament on 31 August 1835 and ran ...
at Market Drayton
Market Drayton is a market town and electoral ward in the north of Shropshire, England, close to the Cheshire and Staffordshire borders. It is on the River Tern, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" (c. 1868) and earlier simply as "Dray ...
. On grouping in 1923 it was absorbed into the London Midland and Scottish Railway
The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally ...
.
Passenger services
The early years of the 20th century were the busiest, there being thirteen trains daily fromStoke
Stoke is a common place name in the United Kingdom.
Stoke may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
The largest city called Stoke is Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire. See below.
Berkshire
* Stoke Row, Berkshire
Bristol
* Stoke Bishop
* Stok ...
to Silverdale and five to Market Drayton. Railmotor
Railmotor is a term used in the United Kingdom and elsewhere for a railway lightweight railcar, usually consisting of a railway carriage with a steam traction unit, or a diesel or petrol engine, integrated into it.
Steam railcars
Overview
In th ...
services began in 1905, intended to compete with tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s and were somewhat successful in this respect, although they only lasted until 1926. The station also serviced Woore Racecourse which opened at Pipe Gate in 1885.
The section between Silverdale and Pipe Gate
Woore is a village and civil parish in the north east of Shropshire, England, of about 3,950 acres (1,600 hectares). It had a population of 1,004 in the 2001 Census, rising to 1,069 at the 2011 Census.
Etymology
The name means "boundary" in an ...
was reduced to single track in October 1934. Dwindling passenger numbers after World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
meant that there were only two trains daily from Stoke to Market Drayton, and all passenger services ceased on 7 May 1956.
Freight traffic
Express Dairies
Express Dairies is a former brand of Dairy Crest, that specialised almost entirely in home deliveries of milk, and other dairy products.
History
The company was founded by George Barham in 1864 as the 'Express County Milk Supply Company,' so name ...
had a creamery
A creamery is a place where milk and cream are processed and where butter and cheese is produced. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream re ...
with private siding access to the station, allowing its preferred transport partner the GWR to provide milk trains to the facility, for onward scheduling to London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
. In 1962 a new "chord" line was opened at Madeley to provide a connection to the West Coast Main Line
The West Coast Main Line (WCML) is one of the most important railway corridors in the United Kingdom, connecting the major cities of London and Glasgow with branches to Birmingham, Liverpool, Manchester and Edinburgh. It is one of the busiest ...
. This was used as a diversionary route when the Harecastle diversion line was being constructed and continued in use for freight workings once the latter was completed. After the closure of the creamery in Spring 1965, the route between Market Drayton and Madeley Chord closed under the Beeching Axe
The Beeching cuts (also Beeching Axe) was a plan to increase the efficiency of the nationalised railway system in Great Britain. The plan was outlined in two reports: ''The Reshaping of British Railways'' (1963) and ''The Development of the ...
in 1966.
Today
A large amount of rail still exists to the eastern edge of the former and now demolished station, running back towards Silverdale.References
Further reading
* {{s-end Former North Staffordshire Railway stations Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1870 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1956 Disused railway stations in Shropshire