Rocester railway station

Rocester railway station was a railway station built by the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) located at Rocester in Staffordshire.

Rocester railway station
Rocester station in 1959
General information
Location	Rocester, East Staffordshire England
Coordinates	52.9499°N 1.8503°W / 52.9499; -1.8503
Grid reference	SK101391
Platforms	2
Other information
Status	Disused
History
Original company	North Staffordshire Railway
Post-grouping	London, Midland and Scottish Railway
Key dates
1 August 1849	Opened
4 January 1965	Closed

Site of Rocester station in 2018

History

Looking north towards the JCB factory, which lies across the line of the railway. Rocester station was south of the road between the buildings and the trees.

It was opened in 1849 by the NSR on its Churnet Valley Line between North Rode and Uttoxeter. Three years later the station became a junction station when the NSR built a branch to Ashbourne via Norbury and Ellaston. This was met in 1899 by the Ashbourne Line from Buxton built by the LNWR.

The aim of the LNWR was to run expresses from Buxton to London, as well as gaining access to Derby and the East Midlands. In fact the expresses never materialised, being no more than through coaches attached to other trains at Uttoxeter. Even in LMS days when the trains ran through from Buxton to Rocester, they were timetabled as different services which included a "through coach."

Passenger services to Ashbourne finished in 1954 and freight ended in 1964. The station closed when the Churnet Valley Line closed in 1965.

Route

Preceding station		Disused railways		Following station
Norbury and Ellaston		North Staffordshire Railway Ashbourne Line		Uttoxeter
Denstone		North Staffordshire Railway Churnet Valley Line