Station Name: OVER & WHARTON

[Source: Paul Wright]


Date opened: 3.7.1882
Location: Wharton Park Road (A5018) runs through the west side of the station site.
Company on opening: London North Western Railway
Date closed to passengers: 16.6.1947
Date closed completely: March 1991
Company on closing: London Midland Scottish Railway
Present state: Demolished - part of the plateau on which the station and yard stood has been cut away and is now occupied A5018 dual carriageway. The east part of the site is occupied by rear gardens. Some brickwork, probably the end of the platform behind the buffer stop survives.
County: Cheshire
OS Grid Ref: SJ656665
Date of visit: 18.1.2010

Notes: Over and Wharton station was situated at the end of a mile long branch line that connected to the London North Western Railways (LNWR) premier west coast route just to the north of Winsford. The line was built to give access to the salt traffic for which Winsford was well known. Over and Wharton station was close to a Cheshire Lines Railway station called Winsford and Over. To avoid confusion the LNWR opted for the Over and Wharton name.

The station was provided with one platform on the east side of the line. A timber built single storey building provided booking facilities, waiting rooms and staff accommodation. The station had extensive goods facilities which is not surprising considering that the movement of freight was the lines primary purpose. There was a goods dock on the west side of the passenger platform, a large timber goods shed and a 1 ton 10 cwt crane. There were numerous sidings including private sidings for R Evans & Co. and Salt Union Ltd. The LNWR opened an engine shed on 1 June 1882. It was a single road brick built dead-ended shed with a gable style slate roof. Facilities included a water tank.

Passenger train services consisted of a shuttle which ran to Hartford Station. From Hartford passengers could connect into a variety of local and long distance services.


On 1 January 1917 Over and Wharton station was closed as a War time economy measure. It re-opened for passenger services on 17 July 1920. On 1 January 1923 the Station became part of the London Midland Scottish Railway (LMS). During the 1930s five shuttle trains ran in each direction on weekdays only. No trains ran on Sundays.

The branch was originally double track but then was worked as a single track line after the First World War. The original up line was not lifted but used as a long siding. This siding was later used for the storage of locomotives bound for the scrap yard. Over and Wharton station did not survive long enough to become part of the nationalised British Railways as it was closed by the LMS on 16 June 1947. The engine shed closed on 30 August 1947 however locomotives continued to be serviced on the shed road until 1964. The line remained in use for freight (mainly rock salt from the Winsford mines) traffic for many years many years after the closure of the station to passengers and did not finally close until March 1991, the track was lifted almost immediately.

Tickets from Michael Stewart, map drawn by Alan Young

See also: Winsford & Over


Over & Wharton station looking south in the early years of the 20th century. A single coach train is seen waiting to depart for Hartford on the main line.




Over & Wharton station shown on a 1890 map.


Little had changed at Over & Wharton station when this map was drawn in 1964. Despite the fact that it had closed to passengers seventeen years earlier.


Over & Wharton station and goods yard looking south in May 1950.
Copyright photo from John Alsop collection

The Over & Wharton station building in 1950.
Copyright photo from Stations UK

Over & Wharton station seen during the RCTS (West Midland Branch)
St. George Railtour on 23 April 1966.
Photo by Nigel Lester


Over & Wharton station on 5 August 1987. Train 6Z24 with class 37 number 37 113 prepares to depart for Inverness.
Photo by John Wilson


Over & Wharton station during track lifting in March 1991
Photo by Martin Potter


Looking north towards the site of Over & Wharton Station in January 2010. This view illustrates how the road on the left of the picture has cut into the embankment on which the station stood. In the middle right of the picture brickwork dating from the time of the station can be seen next to the advertisement.
P
hoto by Paul Wright

Last updated: Monday, 22-May-2017 10:39:46 CEST
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