Whitmore railway station

Whitmore
Whitmore
General information
Location	West of Whitmore, Newcastle-under-Lyme; England
Coordinates	52.9609°N 2.3058°W
Grid reference	SJ795404
Platforms	4
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Grand Junction Railway[1]
Pre-grouping	London and North Western Railway[1]
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
4 July 1837	Opened[1]
4 February 1952	Closed[1]

Whitmore was a station serving the village of Whitmore, Staffordshire.

History

The station opened onto the Grand Junction Railway in 1837[2]^: 41 when the line itself was built. It opened in Baldwin's Gate village near the edge of Whitmore Parish. This station brought in huge numbers of people as it also served as the nearest station to Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Potteries until the Stoke line opened in 1848.

Coronation Scot record

On 29 June 1937 the Coronation Scot engine created a world record of 114 miles per hour (183 km/h) while travelling through Whitmore station giving it world-wide fame.

Buildings and location

Whitmore station was located off Whitmore Road in Baldwins Gate village. The site of the station can still be seen when the tracks part, showing a grassy area were platforms could have been. A more likely location of the platform is where a siding of road comes down near the track, this could have led to a platform. One station building can still be seen: a building, next to a bridge spanning the track, is in the definite style of ticket office. This means that passengers could buy tickets, then wait or read information before heading down a side road to the platform.

Impact of the station

The station itself was one of the key factors affecting how Baldwins Gate village was laid out. Only two shops are in the village, and they are both situated next to the line. The line led to land being sold on each side, so the village expanded, and its appearance today is because of the impact of the railway and station.

Closure

However Whitmore station slowly began to get less and less business and in 1952 the station was closed.

References

Butt, R. V. J. (October 1995). The Directory of Railway Stations: details every public and private passenger station, halt, platform and stopping place, past and present (1st ed.). Sparkford: Patrick Stephens Ltd. p. 249. ISBN 978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC 60251199. OL 11956311M.
Drake, James (1838). Drake’s Road Book of the Grand Junction Railway (1838). Moorland Reprints. ISBN 0903485257.

Redgewell, Ron (18 November 2009). "Whitmore Railway Station / Booking Office". Newcastle-under-Lyme Civic Society. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012.
"Whitmore Village Design Statement – Specific Settlements: Baldwins Gate and Madeley Park Wood". Whitmore Parish. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.