The Biddulph Valley line was a double tracked line that ran from Stoke-on-Trent to Brunswick Wharf in 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 .
9-614: The line was connected to the same line as the Leek Brook to Stoke Line . The Biddulph Valley line was authorised by an act of parliament on 24 July 1854, with a budget of £190,000. It was promoted heavily by the owners of local collieries, including 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
18-937: The Churnet Valley Line , which ran between Uttoxeter and Macclesfield , and the Waterhouses branch line . The stations along the line closed to passengers in 1927, due to low usage, while the halts closed earlier between 1923 and 1927; freight traffic, mainly coal, continued. Closure came in stages. Congleton Upper Junction to Congleton Lower Junction closed on 1 December 1963; all long-distance traffic from Brunswick Wharf in Congleton then had to come via Stoke. Brunswick Wharf to Heath Junction followed on 15 January 1969 and then Heath Junction to Ford Green, when rail traffic ceased at Victoria Colliery in January 1976. The last section, from Ford Green to Milton Junction,
27-477: The North Staffordshire Railway network that was constructed in the second half of the 19th century. The Biddulph Valley line was authorised on 24 July 1854, with passenger services commencing in 1864. The Milton to Leek was authorised during 1863, with the passenger and goods service commencing on 1 November 1867. In March 2020, a bid was made to the Restoring Your Railway fund to get funds for
36-438: The passenger services. The second section is the former single track connecting line to Leek from Milton Junction, passing through the villages of Milton, Stockton Brook and Endon before meeting the Churnet Valley Line at Leek Brook Junction for the 1 mile run into Leek. The section from Endon to Leek Brook though used to be double-tracked but was singled at the same time as the first section. Both of these lines were part of
45-524: The same day, 1 June 1864. Subsequently, halts at Chell, Knypersley and Mossley opened between 1890 and 1919. Passenger services ran from Stoke to Congleton, involving a reversal of direction at Congleton Junction where the Biddulph Valley line met the main line between Manchester and Congleton. The line was also linked to the Stoke–Leek line , which ran to Leek and connected to the same junction as
54-490: The sand sidings and the quarries. Subsequently, the line was mothballed in 1988, as a result of this traffic stopping. 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. Stoke%E2%80%93Leek line The Stoke to Leek line is a mothballed railway route, which up until 1988
63-425: The surrounding areas of Staffordshire. The line opened in sections to mineral traffic, with the first part opening to Childerplay. Following another act of parliament in 1859, the remaining 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles of track were laid for mineral traffic with an additional £35,000, opening in 1860. Stations opened along the line in 1864. The stations at Ford Green & Smallthorne, Black Bull and Biddulph opened on
72-634: Was taken out of use on the closure of Norton Colliery in June 1977. In 1952 a special passenger train ran from Crewe along four closed North Staffordshire railway lines this included the Biddulph Vally Line. All stations, with the exception of Biddulph, were demolished after closure; the track was lifted from Bucknall and Northwood to the junction near Congleton. The line from Stoke-on-Trent to Bucknall and Northwood remained in use for stone traffic to and from Oakamoor and Caldon, where it served
81-404: Was used by BR freight trains to reach the quarries at both Cauldon Lowe and Oakamoor. The line is made up of two sections; The first section is the remains of the former Biddulph Valley Line, which used to run from Stoke-on-Trent to Congleton, with the section from Stoke to Milton Junction being intact. This used to be a double track section, but was rationalised to single track after the loss of
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