Pipe Gate railway station

Pipe Gate was a railway station on the North Staffordshire Railway's Stoke to Market Drayton Line.

Pipe Gate
Old railway line still in place near Pipe Gate station, September 2007
Location
Place	Pipe Gate
Area	Shropshire
Coordinates	52.9643°N 2.3933°W / 52.9643; -2.3933
Grid reference	SJ680115
Operations
Original company	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
History
1870	Opened[1]
1956	Closed[1]
Disused railway stations in the United Kingdom
Closed railway stations in Britain A B C D–F G H–J K–L M–O P–R S T–V W–Z

The former level crossing at Pipe Gate, (Station masters house is on the right) and the former station site is on the left near the houses.

Construction

Construction was started on the Newcastle-under-Lyme to Silverdale Junction line on 29 July 1864, and the first train ran on 1 February 1870.

The station served the hamlet of Pipe Gate, which is part of the parish of Woore, Shropshire. It was hence named Pipe Gate (for Woore). Trains from the station ran from Stoke on Trent, to junction with the Great Western Railway at Market Drayton. On grouping in 1923 it was absorbed into the London Midland and Scottish Railway.

Passenger services

The early years of the 20th century were the busiest, there being thirteen trains daily from Stoke to Silverdale and five to Market Drayton.[2] Railmotor services began in 1905, intended to compete with trams and were somewhat successful in this respect, although they only lasted until 1926.[3] The station also serviced Woore Racecourse which opened at Pipe Gate in 1885.[4]

The section between Silverdale and Pipe Gate was reduced to single track in October 1934.[3] Dwindling passenger numbers after World War II meant that there were only two trains daily from Stoke to Market Drayton, and all passenger services ceased on 7 May 1956.[3]

Freight traffic

Express Dairies had a creamery with private siding access to the station, allowing its preferred transport partner the GWR to provide milk trains to the facility, for onward scheduling to London. In 1962 a new "chord" line was opened at Madeley to provide a connection to the West Coast Main Line. This was used as a diversionary route when the Harecastle diversion line was being constructed and continued in use for freight workings once the latter was completed. After the closure of the creamery, the route between Market Drayton and Madeley Chord closed under the Beeching Axe in 1966.[2]

Today

A large amount of rail still exists to the eastern edge of the former and now demolished station, running back towards Silverdale.

References

1. "Stations". Shropshire History. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
2. Noel R. Walley (2003). "North Staffordshire Railway Passenger Services 1910 - 1999". Retrieved 18 May 2009.
3. Christiansen, Rex; Miller, R. W. (1971). The North Staffordshire Railway. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5121-4.
4. "Woore Racecourse". greyhoundderby.com. Retrieved 5 June 2013.

Further reading

• Mitchell, Vic; Smith, Keith (2014). Branch Lines around Market Drayton. Middleton Press. figs. 96-100. ISBN 9781908174673. OCLC 913791564.

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Madeley Road Line and station closed		North Staffordshire Railway Stoke to Market Drayton Line		Norton-in-Hales Line and station closed