Biddulph Valley line
The Biddulph Valley line was a double-tracked line that ran from Stoke-on-Trent to Congleton. The line was named after the town of the same name as it ran via the Staffordshire Moorlands and covered areas of East Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Stations and Halts on the line
The line was connected to the same line as the Leek Brook to Stoke Line.
- Stoke-on-Trent (Still open)
- Fenton Manor (Closed in 1956, but remained open to freight traffic until 1988 when the line was mothballed)
- Bucknall and Northwood (Closed in 1956, but remained open to freight traffic same as Fenton Manor)
- Ford Green and Smallthorne (Burslem)
- Chell Halt (Was only used for the nearby Chatterley Whitfield Colliery)
- Black Bull (Biddulph)
- Knyperley Halt (Biddulph)
- Biddulph (Biddulph)
- Mossley Halt (Hightown)
- Congleton
Opening
The Biddulph Valley line was authorized by an act of parliament on 24 July 1854 and was later authorized at a cost of £190,000. It was also heavily promoted by the owners of local collieries, of these people were brothers James Bateman and John Bateman and the mayor of Congleton.
Construction of the line began on 27 April 1858 and was built by the North Staffordshire Railway who were responsible for opening of other lines in the surrounding areas of Staffordshire.
The line opened in sections to mineral traffic with the first part opening at Childerplay and then in 1859, following another act of parliament along with an additional £35,000. The remaining 4 1/2 miles of track were laid for mineral traffic.
Stations opened along the line in 1864 as well as halts although one halt was only to serve the nearby Chatterley Whitfield Colliery (the halt being Chell Halt). The stations at Ford Green and Smallthorne, Black Bull and Biddulph opened on the same day, 1st June 1864 and the halts at Chell, Knypersley and Mossley opened in 1890-1919.
The line was also linked to the Leek Brook - Stoke Line which ran to Leek and connected to the same junction as the Churnet Valley Line (Uttoxeter-Leek-Macclesfield) and the Waterhouses branch line.
Decline
The stations along the line closed to passengers in 1927 due to poor usage while the halts closed earlier between 1923-27.
The line continued to be served by freight traffic to and from Congleton and Stoke-on-Trent until closure of the line from Bucknall and Northwood to Congleton in 1962.
The stations (except Biddulph) were demolished after closure and the track was lifted from Bucknall and Northwood to the junction near Congleton.
Present day
The line from Stoke-on-Trent to Bucknall and Northwood remained in use for stone traffic to and from Oakamoor and Caldon where they served the sand sidings and the quarries but the line was mothballed in 1988 as a result. The line was later acquired by the newly formed Churnet Valley Railway.
The line from Ford Green and Smallthorne to Mossley via Biddulph now forms the Biddulph Valley Way and is used by cyclists and walkers. It follows the course of the entire line.
References
https://spellerweb.net/rhindex/UKRH/NorthStafford/Biddulph.html https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/ranger_service/countryside_sites/biddulph_valley_way/activities_and_information.aspx https://www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/leisure,_culture_and_tourism/ranger_service/countryside_sites/biddulph_valley_way/biddulph_valley_way.aspx http://www.pastscape.org.uk/hob.aspx?hob_id=76088 https://www.routeyou.com/en-gb/location/view/48055838/biddulph-railway-station http://www.bdghs.org.uk/2007meetings.php https://www.flickr.com/photos/124087962@N08/26592978456
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