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Whatstandwell
Station nameboard
General information
Location	Whatstandwell, Derbyshire Dales England
Grid reference	SK333541
Managed by	East Midlands Railway
Platforms	1
Other information
Station code	WTS
Classification	DfT category F2
Key dates
4 June 1849	opened
11 November 1894	resited
Passengers
2019/20	27,052
2020/21	6,350
2021/22	21,264
2022/23	24,948
2023/24	25,488
Notes Passenger statistics from the Office of Rail and Road

Whatstandwell railway station serves the villages of Whatstandwell and Crich Carr in Derbyshire, England. It is a stop on the Derwent Valley Line, which runs between Derby and Matlock. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by East Midlands Railway.

It is the nearest station to the National Tramway Museum at Crich; there is a steep uphill walk of about 1 mile (1.6 km) from the station to the museum.

History

The station was opened by the Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway as Whatstandwell Bridge on 4 June 1849, though it was not listed in the timetable until 1853. It was north of the 149-yard (136 m) Whatstandwell Tunnel, behind the Derwent Hotel.

The station was moved to its present location in 1894, when its name became Whatstandwell; the platform at the original station still exists. The area was used as a goods yard after the present station was built. The contractor for the new station was W.C. Hardy of Derby. The new station opened on 11 November 1894.

A little way north was High Peak Junction, at the base of the former rope-worked incline of the Cromford and High Peak Railway.

Incidents

On 4 October 1853, a luggage train was on its way from Rowsley to Ambergate; at Whatstandwell, it was put into a siding to collect some empty wagons. It derailed and a breakdown crew was sent for from Derby. With this assistance, the train was re-railed and set off for Ambergate. The breakdown train, which had come from Derby, was standing on the wrong line for returning to Derby. Instead of continuing for half a mile to cross onto the correct line, they were determined to return to Derby on the wrong line, calculating that they would get back before anything started out from Derby. They ignored the rules of the company which required a fireman walking 800 yards in advance of the train and proceeding at a walking pace; instead, they travelled at full speed.

They collided with another engine and Michael Barker, a fireman, was killed. Samuel Kent, George Cawood and John Smeeton were indicted for his manslaughter. They were found guilty at the Midland Assizes on 18 March 1854. Kent was sentenced by Lord Chief Justice Jervis to 18 months’ imprisonment and hard labour; the others were given 12 months each.

Stationmasters

• Thomas Stevenson ca. 1853 ca. 1854
• Robert Turner ca. 1857 - 1860
• Luke Fox 1860 - 1864 (afterwards station master at Cudworth)
• S. Greenhough from 1864
• William Webster ca. 1871 - 1873 (afterwards station master at Chapel-en-le-Frith)
• Brierly Ayton 1873 (formerly station master at Beauchief, appointed to Whatstandwell but died 27 February 1873)
• William T. Stowell 1873 - 1876 (formerly station master at Wixford, afterwards station master at Crosby Garrett)
• Edwin Hoe 1876 - 1879 (afterwards station master at Finedon)
• George Simmons 1879 - 1883
• Fred Watkin 1883 - 1887 (formerly station master at Stirchley Street, afterwards station master at Shefford)
• Charles Whitmore 1887 - 1896 (formerly station master at Ratby)
• H.T. Swain 1896 - 1900 (formerly station master at Penns)
• Harry Smith Dawes 1900 - 1911 (formerly station master at New Mills, afterwards station master at Bakewell)
• William Henry Hewitt 1911 - ca. 1937
• E. Barker ca. 1946
• A. Cyril Phillips until 1957

Facilities

The station has a single platform, which has direct access from the station car park and the A6 road. Additionally, a footbridge crosses the railway line and gives access to the Cromford Canal towpath and to a bridge over the canal to Main Road, the village and Crich Tramway Village.

There is a shelter and ticket machine on the platform; tickets can also be also purchased from the guard on the train. There is no ticket office or toilets and the station is generally unmanned.

A team of volunteers from the village helps to maintain the station and car park.

Service

All services at Whatstandwell are operated by East Midlands Railway using Class 170 diesel multiple units.

The typical off-peak service is one train per hour in each direction between Matlock and Nottingham, via Derby. On Sundays, the station is served by one train every two hours in each direction in the morning, increasing to hourly in the afternoon.

Preceding station	National Rail			Following station
Ambergate		East Midlands Railway Derwent Valley Line		Cromford

References

1. "Our Kist. The Dales of Derbyshire". Derbyshire Courier. England. 9 June 1849. Retrieved 26 January 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
2. ^ "Whatstandwell New Station". Sheffield Independent. England. 12 November 1894. Retrieved 30 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
3. "How To Find Us". Crich Tramway Village. Archived from the original on 2 March 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
4. ^ Rail Map online (Map). RailMapOnline.com. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
5. "Whatstandwell Station". Sheffield Independent. England. 12 March 1894. Retrieved 30 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
6. "The late collision near Whatstandwell Bridge Station". Derby Mercury. England. 22 March 1854. Retrieved 30 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
7. "Midland Circuit - Derby March 18". Morning Advertiser. England. 20 March 1854. Retrieved 30 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
8. ^ "1859-1866". Midland Railway Miscellaneous Depts: 83. 1914. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
9. ^ "1871-1879 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 249. 1871. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
10. ^ "1881-1898 Coaching". Midland Railway Operating, Traffic and Coaching Depts: 225. 1881. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
11. "Whatstandwell". Derby Mercury. England. 11 November 1896. Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
12. "New Stationmaster for Bakewell". Derbyshire Courier. England. 20 May 1911. Retrieved 13 February 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
13. "Midland Railway Notices". Railway News. England. 17 June 1911. Retrieved 30 December 2021 – via British Newspaper Archive.
14. ^ "Whatstandwell station". National Rail. Retrieved 12 March 2024.
15. "Timetables". East Midlands Railway. 2 June 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2024.

External links

• Train times and station information for Whatstandwell railway station from National Rail

• Map sources for Whatstandwell railway station
• "Picture the Past" Whatstandwell station 1900-10
• Pictures from the Wirksworth archives
• Friends of the Derwent Valley Line
• Peak Rail
• Derwent Valley Line East Midlands Trains Community Rail Partnership

53°05′00″N 1°30′15″W / 53.0832°N 1.5041°W / 53.0832; -1.5041

1. https://www.eastmidlandsrailway.co.uk/media/3150/download?inline

• Railway stations in Derbyshire
• DfT Category F2 stations
• Former Midland Railway stations
• Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1849
• Railway stations in Great Britain closed in 1894
• Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1894
• Railway stations served by East Midlands Railway
• 1849 establishments in England