Ramsgreave and Wilpshire railway station

2+3⁄4 miles (4.4 km) north of Blackburn railway station.

History

There have been two stations serving the Ramsgreave and Wilpshire area.

First station

The first station, opened as Ribchester, despite being more than 3 miles (4.8 km) away from that village, on 22 June 1850 when the Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway (BBC&WYR) opened its single track line between Blackburn and Chatburn. ^{[a] [2] [3] [4]}

The track through the station was doubled on 16 February 1874. ^[5]

The station was located off Whalley Road (formerley Whalley New Road, now the A666), between the villages of Ramsgreave and Wilpshire, the station had two wooden platforms connected with a footbridge, the main buildings, containg the booking office, waiting room and toilets were on the east side of the line accessed via a drive and footpath. The other platform had a wood and glass shelter. ^[6] The northern end of the platforms had footpaths leading down to a subway allowing pedestrian access from both sides of the line. ^[7]

On the eastern side there was a goods yard able to accommodate most types of goods including live stock, it was equipped with a three ton crane. ^[8]

The wooden platforms were replaced with concrete ones in May 1954. ^[9]

The line and station closed to passengers on 10 September 1962, except for one Manchester to Glasgow service on summer Saturday mornings which was also withdrawn from 15 August 1964. ^{[10] [11]} The line remained open for freight and diversions with the station closing for freight on 2 November 1964. ^[12]

Site of first station with platform

Second station

The line between Blackburn and Clitheroe re-opened for passengers in 1994, access to the first station site was no longer viable as houses had been constructed in the way. ^[6] A new station was built 400 yards (370 m) south of the first station, opening on 29 May 1994 as Ramsgreave and Wilpshire.

Access is from Ramsgreave Road with a car park on the opposite side of the road.

Facilities

The station is unstaffed, but has a ticket machine on the south platform, as of 2020. There are waiting shelters and customer help points on each platform; automatic announcements also provide real-time train running information. The ramps to both platforms have steps, so no step-free access is available. ^[13]

Services

The station is operated by Northern Trains, and is served by a daily hourly service northbound to Clitheroe and southbound to Blackburn and Manchester Victoria, with extra trains during the morning peak.

On Saturdays (June 2024 onwards) two trains operate from Rochdale through Manchester Victoria and along the Ribble Valley Line via Clitheroe and Hellifield and onwards towards Ribblehead. (This replaces the previous Dales Rail service from Blackpool/Preston to Hellifield and Carlisle).

Ramsgreave & Wilpshire
General information
Location	Ramsgreave, Ribble Valley England
Coordinates	53°46′48″N2°28′41″W / 53.780°N 2.478°W / 53.780; -2.478
Grid reference	SD 686 316
Managed by	Northern Trains
Line(s)	Ribble Valley line
Platforms	2
Other information
Station code	RGW
Classification	DfT category F2
History
Original company	Bolton, Blackburn, Clitheroe and West Yorkshire Railway
Pre-grouping	Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
22 June 1850 (1850-06-22)	Opened as Ribchester
1874	Renamed as Wilpshire
1899	Renamed as Wilpshire for Ribchester
10 September 1962	Closed for passengers
2 November 1964	Closed for freight
29 May 1994	Reopened as Ramsgreave and Wilpshire
Passengers
2019/20	0.111 million

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Langho		Northern Trains Ribble Valley Line		Blackburn
	Disused railways
Langho Line and station open		Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway Blackburn Railway		Daisyfield Line open, station closed

Notes

1. The BBC&WYR shortened its name to the Blackburn Railway in 1851, and this company was jointly acquired by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway and East Lancashire Railway in 1858, these two companies then amalgamated in 1859 leaving the station belonging to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway. ^[1]

References

1. Grant 2017, pp. 53 & 59.
2. Matthews 2016, p. Photo 33.
3. Quick 2023, p. 488.
4. Marshall 1969, p. 170.
5. Marshall 1969, p. 188.
6. Butler, Ben (4 February 2019). "NOSTALGIA: A journey back in time to Wilpshire Station". Lancashire telegraph. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
7. Lancashire LXII.8 (Map). 25 inch. Ordnance Survey. 1939.
8. The Railway Clearing House 1970, p. 584.
9. Matthews 2016, p. Photo 35.
10. Bradshaw 1951, p. 436, Table 51, 351/683.
11. Marshall 1969, p. 200.
12. Clinker 1978, p. 149.
13. "Ramsgreave and Wilpshire station facilities". National Rail Enquiries.

Bibliography

• Bradshaw, George (1951). Bradshaw's Guide to the British Railways: July 1951 (PDF). henry Blacklock.
• Clinker, C. R. (October 1978). Clinker's Register of Closed Passenger Stations and Goods Depots in England, Scotland and Wales 1830–1977. Bristol: Avon-Anglia Publications & Services. ISBN   0-905466-19-5. OCLC   5726624.
• Grant, Donald J. (2017). Directory of the Railway Companies of Great Britain (1st ed.). Kibworth Beauchamp, Leicestershire: Troubador Publishing Ltd. ISBN   978-1-78803-768-6.
• Marshall, John (1969). The Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway. Vol. 1. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN   978-0-7153-4352-4.
• Matthews, John (2016). Mitchell, Vic (ed.). Blackburn to Hellifield: The Ribble Valley Line . Midhurst, West Sussex: Middleton Press. ISBN   9781908174956. OCLC   1301800848.
• Quick, Michael (2023) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (PDF). version 5.05. Railway & Canal Historical Society.
• The Railway Clearing House (1970) [1904]. The Railway Clearing House Handbook of Railway Stations 1904 (1970 D&C Reprint ed.). Newton Abbot: David & Charles Reprints. ISBN   0-7153-5120-6.

External links

• Train times and station information for Ramsgreave and Wilpshire railway station from National Rail