The restoration of Kingsley & Froghall  'up' Platform

and

Waiting Shelter

 Last updated 07/05/2008
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Kingsley & Froghall Station in its heyday in the 1950s

How it started

"I am very pleased to announce that NSRC have been awarded the maximum grant of £10,000 from Awards for All for the creation of a Heritage Trail from Consall to Froghall. This money, added to the proceeds from last year's raffle and a top-up from NSRC funds (from Gift Aid), will totally finance the re-building of the Up Platform at Froghall, the rebuilding of the waiting shelter on that platform, the creation of a barrow crossing at the South end of the running platforms and the provision of information boards in the shelters at Consall and Froghall Stations and an additional board on the turn-over bridge on the Caldon Canal south of Consall. The total project cost is estimated to be £13,250, which includes the provision of scaffolding behind the platform up from the river, all materials to construct the waiting shelter to match the picture below, the rebuilding of the retaining wall from the road bridge to the shelter and the replacement, with metal fencing and wooden boards, of the platform where it overhangs the river and partial resurfacing of the tarmac platform. Contractors will be used only for the tasks which CVR/NSRC volunteers cannot accomplish, namely the erection of the scaffolding and the laying of the tarmac. The heritage trail is based upon the NSR habit of re-using redundant rail to make steel structures such as the Up platforms at Consall and Froghall and the turnover bridge on the Canal. An even better example of this can be seen at Rudyard Lake where a footbridge crosses the former NSR (CVR) line the framework of which is entirely constructed from redundant rail." 

Peter Green, Chairman, North Staffordshire Railway Company (1978) LTD, April 2007.

The above statement from Pete Green is where the work really began although this wasn't actually the start at all - that was months earlier when the painstaking process of applying for grant funding was started by David Gaskin and colleagues. Much form filling, surveying, costing and yet more form filling ensued as a case was built to promote rebuilding Kingsley & Froghall Platform 2 as a worthwhile and viable project for funding.

The grant application was successful and it was then that the real work could begin. The following seven pictures show Kingsley & Froghall Platform 2 over the years as it was. The task is now to recreate that scene in exact detail.

An 'up' train about to depart for Oakamoor

The 'up' waiting shelter

The overall station scene

Overall view taken very shortly after closure

Again, taken shortly after closure, this picture from the A52 road bridge

Demolition begins on the opposite ('down') platform

The work begins

The original platform overhung the river Churnet about a third of the way along its length. By 2007 all that remained of this part of the platform was the original steel supports (made from scrap rail), the decking having been long since removed. Although the steel work looked to be in poor condition, it was decided that it was still able to offer some support so it was left in situ and new supports placed alongside each of the originals.

Original steel supports from 1849, made from scrap rail

The new supports were placed alongside the originals and then a substantial length of rail placed across the front at 90 degrees, this being welded in place. Finally, the whole structure was concreted in place to ensure that it should last another 150 years or so.

The Civils Department inspect the steel work prior to concreting

The concrete arrives and is pumped across the tracks to reach platform 2

Bob and Mark (wearing orange jackets) ensure that it is evenly distributed

A final leveling and the job is done

The scaffolding arrives and now attention can turn to preparation for the platform overhang decking

It's a fair drop to the river below

Head of Department, Dave Gaskin, looks on whilst the timbers are cut to size by Mark

And then the first of many timbers go in place

The other main part of the project is to rebuild the wooden waiting shelter, as per the original 1849 design. The brick foundations have survived intact and were deemed to be in sufficiently good order to re-use, subject to some localised repairs. The wooden structure was fabricated off site to exact measurements and then assembled on the existing base.

The structure of the waiting room being assembled

Another view, this time to the North

And again from platform 1

The scale of the project can be appreciated from this picture

80098 arrives from Consall

Work stops whilst 80098 runs around its train ready for the journey back to Cheddleton

A couple of weeks later and work on the roof structure has begun

Most of the structural timber is now in place

Ready for the timber cladding and slates

The decking starts to go down on the overhanging part of the platform

And soon virtually an entire length is in place

The scaffolders reposition the scaffolding

Allowing Mark to weld the railing brackets in place

And then to start erecting the replica railing, watched by Richard

Meanwhile, work on the shelter continues with the roofing felt going on

Looking good from inside

And from out

Four days later and the cladding is being fitted

And a couple of days later the cladding is complete

1 week later, fence supports being put in place by Bob and Chris

Eventually extending the length of the platform overhang

Which then enabled the long awaited fitting of the panels themselves

Allowing attention to turn to rebuilding the wall on its original foundations

And fixing the slates to the roof

The roofing job is nearly completed a couple of week later

The Civils celebrate the roof completion ("topping out" in building parlance)

another brick in the wall...

Keith Tunney, on loan from the Permanent Way Gang, seen here laying the coping stones

Civils work on under a (Santa) smoke screen!

16/12/07 The wall is now about half way down the platform

19 December 07 - First coat of paint on the shelter

13 Jan 2008 - The wall is nearing completion and the shelter receives it's first coat top coat

15 Jan 2008 - Seeing red, the external finish takes shape - Photo Nigel Shaw

15 Jan 2008 - 5,000 bricks later and the wall is finished with just the cap for the pillar to cast

6th February 2008 - The pillar is capped and work on a new wooden fence begins

Froghall Waiting Shelter in 1950 and again in 2008

6th February 2008 - Then and Now or spot the difference! - Photos NSRCo archive and Dave Gibson

6th February 2008 - The railway's official photographer lends a hand?
Not really, Dave has decided it is quicker to remove the scaffold than have to air brush it out after!
Candid phone photo Nigel Shaw

19th March 2008 - The framework for the new running in board is erected in the same position as the original.
Mouse over the photograph to see the photographer's impression of what the finished board will look like.

3rd May 2008 - The shelter's bench and lamps are now installed

That is the story to date. Pictures and further commentary will be added as the project progresses. Re-visit this page for any updates or, better still, come down to the railway, go on the train and see the work for yourself.

Grateful thanks to official photographer Dave Gibson for the pictures.

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