Ripley railway station

This article is about the disused station in Derbyshire, England. For the disused station in Yorkshire (1848-1862), see Nidd Bridge railway station. For the disused station in Yorkshire (1862-1951), see Ripley Valley railway station.

Ripley
Rail trail through the station site, to the south of Nottingham Road (2011)
General information
Location	Ripley, Amber Valley, England
Coordinates	53°03′01″N1°24′05″W / 53.0502°N 1.4014°W / 53.0502; -1.4014
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	Midland Railway
Pre-grouping	Midland Railway
Post-grouping	London Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 September 1856	Station opened [1]
2 September 1889	Replaced by new station [1]
1 June 1930	Station closed to regular traffic for passengers [1]
1 April 1963	Station closed for goods
Location

Ripley railway station served the town of Ripley, in Derbyshire, England, between 1856 and 1963.

History

Timetable from the Derby Mercury (22 October 1856)

The station was opened in 1856 by the Midland Railway on its Ripley branch from Little Eaton Junction, approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Derby. In 1890, it became the terminus of a line from Heanor Junction on the Erewash Valley Line, near Langley Mill.

Approximately 2.5 miles (4.0 km) from Denby, the line crossed the main Ripley Road at Marehay and reached the original station immediately to the south of Peasehill Road, around 0.6 miles (1 km) south of the town centre.

In 1889, a new line was built from Langley Mill through Heanor and Crosshill. A new station was built nearer to the town centre, since it was planned to extend the line to meet the Ambergate to Pye Bridge Line at Butterley. The original station became known as the Old Yard and provided goods facilities. ^[2]

The new station, to the south of Nottingham Road and in a deep cutting, was double tracked with two platforms provided with matching single storey buildings.

In the Grouping of all railway companies into the Big Four in 1923, the station became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway. The station closed to passengers in 1930, though it continued with a very lively goods trade for the town's shops and businesses.

There were also regular excursions, for instance to the FA Cup Final organised by the Miners' Welfare, and the annual week at the holiday camp at Skegness, taken by over a thousand miners and their families. On 12 October 1961, the station featured on the ITV programme Lunchbox. Midland Railway Number 1000 brought 500 spectators from Derby.

The line north of Ripley to Butterley had closed on 23 January 1938; the section north from Marehay Junction closed in 1954, along with the Old Yard. The station finally closed to goods on 1 April 1963.

The station buildings were demolished in around 1985.

Preceding station	Historical railways			Following station
Denby Line closed, station closed		Midland Railway Ripley Branch		Butterley Line closed, station open
Crosshill and Codnor Line closed, station closed		Midland Railway Ripley to Erewash Valley Branch		Butterley Line closed, station open

Station masters

• William Rich until 1861
• W. Bevers 1861 - 1863
• J. Ashton from 1863
• Joseph Hudson ca. 1869 - 1874
• G. Tamblin 1874 - 1879
• William Grundy 1879 - 1884
• E.R. Brown 1884 - 1893
• H. King 1893 - 1894
• William F. Foster 1894 - 1924 ^[3]
• Harry Finch 1924 - 1931 ^[4] (later station master at Wigston)
• Richard Pratt 1931 ^[5] - ca. 1945 (formerly station master at Whitwell)
• Mr. Knight ca. 1956.

The site today

Part of the site is now occupied by a builders merchant's warehouse. The trackbed was converted to a rail trail, the Ripley Greenway, which passes through the station site. ^[6]

References

1. 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. 198. ISBN   978-1-85260-508-7. OCLC   60251199. OL   11956311M.
2. Sprenger, H. (2009) Rails to Ripley, Southampton: Kestrel
3. "Death of Ripley station-master" . Ripley and Heanor New and Ilkeston Division Free Press. England. 11 April 1924. Retrieved 20 February 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
4. "Stationmaster's New Post" . Derby Daily Telegraph. England. 11 August 1931. Retrieved 20 February 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
5. "New Stationmaster" . Ripley and Heanor New and Ilkeston Division Free Press. England. 23 October 1931. Retrieved 20 February 2021– via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "Dirty Old Town". Ripley & District Heritage Trust. Retrieved 22 January 2026.