Whatstandwell railway station

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

Whatstandwell is the nearest railway station to the National Tramway Museum at Crich. There is a steep uphill walk of about 1 mile 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 yd Whatstandwell Tunnel, behind the Derwent Hotel.

On 4 October 1853 a luggage train was on its way from Rowsley to Ambergate and at Whatstandwell 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 break down train which had come from Derby was standing on the wrong line for returning to Derby. Instead of continuing for 1/2 a mile to cross onto the correct line they 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 and the others got 12 months each.

The station was moved to its present location in 1894 when the 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.

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

Services
All services at Whatstandwell are operated by East Midlands Railway using DMUs.

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.

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, and a full range of tickets for travel for any destination in the country 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.