Churnet Valley Railway - Cheddleton, Staffordshire.
N 53° 03.954 W 002° 01.640
30U E 565175 N 5880043
Cheddleton Station is located towards the northern end of the Churnet Valley line and is the headquarters of the railway.
Waymark Code: WMVACK
Location: West Midlands, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/23/2017
Views: 2
The Churnet Valley Railway runs steam and historic diesel trains between Leekbrook Junction and Froghall. It is a remnant of the North Staffordshire Railway, built through the valley in the 1840s. Currently, it has stations at Cheddleton, Consall and Froghall but it will, eventually, extend to Alton, Oakamoor and Leek. It also connects with and sometimes runs on Moorland & City Railways' Stoke and Cauldon Lowe Branches.
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Cheddleton Station reputed to be designed by Pugin and built in 1849, is located towards the northern end of the current Churnet Valley line and is the headquarters of the railway.
It is one of only three original Churnet Valley Stations that have survived demolition in the 1960s and 1970s (the other two being Rushton and Alton). (
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The railway was once the North Staffordshire Railway (known as 'Owd Knotty' due to its emblem of the Staffordshire Knot) which ran from North Rode to Uttoxeter via Leek. The railway was closed as part of the Beeching cuts, between 1968 and 1970, though freight trains ran on part of the line until 1988.
The Churnet Valley Line (1849 – 1923)
The North Staffordshire Railway Company (NSR) was formed in 1845 when three individual companies (The Staffordshire Potteries Railway, The Churnet Valley Railway and The Trent Valley Railway) merged and launched a Share Issue on 30th April 1845 to fund the construction of a railway network linking numerous towns of North Staffordshire together. More information about the history of the line can be found at the following link. (
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The Churnet Valley Railway was started by enthusiasts with aid from the local authorities, and began running trains in 1996. These now run regularly at weekends between March and October and during the summer holidays, carrying 54,000 passengers in 2004. Several stations, including those at Cheddleton, Consall and Froghall, been restored.
The picturesque stations offer lots of interest with a complete range of visitor facilities. In addition to the 10 mile return journey along the valley, there's a taste of contrasting moorland scenery on the 16-mile round trip along the Cauldon branch.
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Running dates and times are listed on the calendar pages at the following link: (
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