Blythe Bridge railway station
Blythe Bridge | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Location | Staffordshire Moorlands |
| Managed by | East Midlands Trains |
| Platforms | 2 |
| Other information | |
| Station code | BYB |
| History | |
| Original company | North Staffordshire Railway |
| Pre-grouping | North Staffordshire Railway |
| Post-grouping | London, Midland and Scottish Railway |
| Key dates | |
| 7 August 1848 | Opened[1] |
Blythe Bridge railway station is a railway station in England 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). Until 1907 the spelling of the station name was Blyth Bridge.[1] The station buildings were demolished in the early 1990s and today it is unstaffed.
In 2010 it won East Midlands Trains 'Best Small Station' award.[2]
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.
Services
An hourly service operates in each direction, to Derby eastbound and to Stoke & Crewe westbound. Sunday trains only operate from 15:00 onwards.[3]
Foxfield Railway
The station is situated 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) south of Caverswall Road railway station, the current southern terminus of the Foxfield Railway.
References
- ^ a b Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC 612226077.
- ^ "Impact: Station Improvements coming soon" (PDF). East Midlands Trains. September 2010. Retrieved 1 October 2010.
- ^ GB eNRT 2015-16 Edition, Table 50 (Network Rail)
External links
- Train times and station information for Blythe Bridge railway station from National Rail
- Page with more info on the station
- Railways in Draycott
- Photographs of the old station buildings
- Photograph of Blythe Bridge Signal Box
| Preceding station |  National Rail
|
Following station | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands Trains | ||||
| Preceding station | Historical railways | Following station | ||
Line open, station closed | North Staffordshire Railway | Line open, station closed |