Cheddleton railway station is a former passenger railway station of 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 ...

(NSR) and is now a preserved station on the

Churnet Valley Railway The Churnet Valley Railway is a preserved standard gauge heritage railway in the Staffordshire Moorlands of Staffordshire, England. It operates on part of the former Churnet Valley Line.which was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway. ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, England].

History

Cheddleton Cheddleton is an ancient parish and village in the Staffordshire Moorlands, near to the town of Leek, Staffordshire, Leek, England. History The village is divided into two distinct communities – the traditional village and the modern Redrow ...

station, situated on the Churnet Valley Line of the NSR, was opened to passengers and goods on 1 September 1849. The station was a quiet country station serving the needs of nearby Cheddleton village, and for a time, the settlement of

Ipstones Ipstones is a village and civil parish in the north of the English county of Staffordshire. Ipstones 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. Cheddleton 02

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 and resident

Norman Hancock Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

, 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 and has a commemorative plaque dedicated to 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 is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

traffic in 1988 and the NSRC jumped at the chance to purchase the line from

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

by publicising its share prospectus. The first passenger train to leave Cheddleton onto the mainline under CVR control left for on 24 August 1996.

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.

Cheddleton tunnel

Just to the north of the station lies the long Cheddleton Tunnel.

Route

References

External links

Churnet Valley Railway Cheddleton Homepage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheddleton Railway Station Heritage railway stations in Staffordshire Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849 Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1965 Former North Staffordshire Railway stations Grade II listed railway stations Grade II listed buildings in Staffordshire Beeching closures in England 1849 establishments in England