Ford Green & Smallthorne railway station

Ford Green & Smallthorne railway station is a disused railway station in Stoke-on-Trent, England.

Ford Green & Smallthorne
The site of the station in 1999
General information
Location	Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent England
Coordinates	53.0543°N 2.1696°W / 53.0543; -2.1696
Grid reference	SJ887507
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 June 1864	Opened as Ford Green[1]
1887–8	renamed Ford Green & Smallthorne
11 July 1927	Closed to passenger traffic[1]
6 January 1964	Closed to all traffic[2]

History

The station was opened in 1864 by the North Staffordshire Railway on the company's Biddulph Valley Line. Originally called Ford Green the name was changed in 1887 to Ford Green and Smallthorne.^[3] The Biddulph Valley line had opened in 1860 and was primarily concerned with mineral traffic, mostly coal and ironstone from the collieries and ironworks along the Biddulph Valley.^[4] Passenger services were of a much lesser interest to the NSR so it was not until a few years later that a number of stations were opened supported by an infrequent number of passenger trains.

Passenger traffic was never intensive and by 1922 all the places along the valley were better served by bus services.^[4] Consequently, the London, Midland and Scottish Railway withdrew the passenger services in 1927,^[5] although the station continued to be used for excursion trains until the 1960s.^[1] Full closure of the station occurred in January 1964.^[2]The railway line is now a path and cycleway.^[6] To the left it leads to Whitfield Valley. ^[7]

Route

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Black Bull Line and station closed		North Staffordshire Railway Biddulph Valley line		Bucknall and Northwood Line and station closed

References

Notes

1. Quick (2009), p. 176.
2. Christiansen & Miller (1971), p. 306.
3. "Exhibition Details - Staffordshire Past Track". www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
4. Jeuda (2014), p. 45.
5. Christiansen & Miller (1971), p. 256.
6. "Exhibition Details - Staffordshire Past Track". www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
7. "Exhibition Details - Staffordshire Past Track". www.search.staffspasttrack.org.uk. Retrieved 25 May 2024.

Sources

• Christiansen, Rex & Miller, Robert William (1971). The North Staffordshire Railway. Newton Abbot, Devon: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-5121-4.
• Jeuda, Basil (2014). The North Staffordshire Railway in LMS days. Vol. 3. Lydney, Gloucestershire: Lightmoor Press. ISBN 978-1899889-83-9.
• 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.