Blythe Bridge railway station

Blythe Bridge
Location
Place	Blythe Bridge
Local authority	Staffordshire Moorlands
Operations
Station code	BYB
Managed by	East Midlands Trains
Number of platforms	2
Live arrivals/departures and station information from National Rail Enquiries
Annual rail passenger usage
2004/05 *	31,136
2005/06 *	31,389
2006/07 *	37,220
2007/08 *	38,383
2008/09 *	42,732
2009/10 *	52,468
History
Opened 7 August 1848 (7 August 1848)
National Rail - UK railway stations
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
* Annual estimated passenger usage based on sales of tickets in stated financial year(s) which end or originate at Blythe Bridge from Office of Rail Regulation statistics. Please note: methodology may vary year on year.

Blythe Bridge railway station is a railway station in the United Kingdom at Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire Moorlands. The station is served by trains on the Crewe to Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Trains (EMT) Train Operating Company (TOC). The full range of tickets for travel are purchased from the guard on the train at no extra cost.

The station was opened on 7 August 1848 by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR). The station buildings were demolished in the early 1990s and today it is unstaffed.

East Midlands Trains intends to re-paint the station in late 2010 this follows on from the station winning EMT's 'Best Small Station' award

Signalling

Blythe Bridge had at one time two signal boxes, Blythe Bridge and Stallington, both of which controlled level crossings, which was a common feature across the former NSR.

Blythe Bridge signal box was opened by the NSR in 1884 on their Derby to Stoke line. The box was built to a standard McKenzie & Holland design and under the S.R.S. designation system is referred to as a MKH Type1.

The signal box was equipped with a standard McKenzie & Holland lever frame and a gate wheel for operating the level crossing gates which controlled traffic on the busy former A50. These gates were later replaced by a barrier crossing when traffic got too heavy for the signalman.

Blythe Bridge signal box finally closed in 1980 and the level crossing was converted to CCTV control with the barriers supervised by Caverswall signal box.

Blythe Bridge in 1962

Foxfield Light Railway

The station is situated 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of Caverswall Road railway station, the current southern terminus of the Foxfield Light Railway, whom hopes to one day extend its services within Blythe Bridge railway station as finances allow ... and would also one day become one of a few heritage railways across the uk to own and operate a fully opened/preserved branch line, once finances allow.

External links

• Page with more info on the station
• Railways in Draycott
• Photographs of the old station buildings
• Photograph of Blythe Bridge Signal Box

• Train times and station information for Blythe Bridge railway station from National Rail

Preceding station		National Rail		Following station
Longton		East Midlands Trains Crewe-Derby Line		Uttoxeter
Preceding station		Historical railways		Following station
Meir Line open, station closed		North Staffordshire Railway Crewe to Derby Line		Cresswell Line open, station closed
		North Staffordshire Railway Potteries Loop Line