Wheelock & Sandbach railway station

For the former LNWR station, see Sandbach railway station.

Wheelock & Sandbach
Rear of the station ticket office in 2013
General information
Location	Wheelock, Cheshire England
Grid reference	SJ750595
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
3 July 1893	Opened as Sandbach (Wheelock) [1]
2 April 1923	Renamed Wheelock & Sandbach [1]
28 July 1930	Closed [1]
Location

Wheelock & Sandbach railway station served the village of Wheelock, in Cheshire, England, between 1893 and 1930. It was built by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR).

History

The NSR was conceived originally as a line between Stoke-upon-Trent and Liverpool, an idea abandoned as part of an agreement with the Grand Junction Railway in 1845. ^[2] The short (6.5 miles (10.5 km)) line from Lawton Junction to Ettiley Heath was opened as a goods traffic only line in 1852. ^[3] Subsequently, the line was extended to join with the London and North Western Railway at Sandbach in 1866. ^[3] Towards the end of the 19th century, the NSR decided to introduce a passenger service on the line and Sandbach (Wheelock) railway station was opened in July 1893, as the terminus of the new service from Harecastle. ^[3]

There were only three trains each way per day; extra services were provided on Thursday (market day in Sandbach) and Saturday, but there was no Sunday service. ^[3] By August 1927, the passenger service had been reduced to services on Thursday and Saturday only; ^[1] in June 1930, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway decided to withdraw the passenger service from 28 July 1930. ^[3]

Preceding station	Disused railways			Following station
Hassall Green Line & station closed		North Staffordshire Railway Sandbach branch line		Sandbach Line open, station open

The site today

The station buildings still survive in use for a tyre-fitting business. The trackbed forms part of National Cycle Network route 5, which runs from Ettiley Heath towards Malkins Bank. ^[4]

References

Citations

1. Quick (2009), p. 408.
2. Christiansen & Miller (1971), p. 28.
3. Jeuda (2012), p. 33.
4. "Wheelock Rail Trail". Cheshire East Council. Retrieved 10 February 2014.

Sources

• Christiansen, Rex & Miller, Robert William (1971). The North Staffordshire Railway. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN   0-7153-5121- 4.
• Jeuda, Basil (2012). The North Staffordshire Railway in LMS days. Vol. 2. Lydney, Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press. ISBN   978-1899889-65-5.
• Quick, Michael (2009) [2001]. Railway passenger stations in Great Britain: a chronology (4th ed.). Oxford: Railway & Canal Historical Society. ISBN   978-0-901461-57-5. OCLC   612226077.

53°07′59″N2°22′30″W / 53.133°N 2.375°W / 53.133; -2.375