The land from Leek Brook Junction to Ipstones was opened by Moorland & City Railways (MCR) in 2010 after they took a lease out from Network Rail.

The 'Cheshire and Staffordshire Railway Society (C&SRS) was formed in the 1970s by Ken Simpson and others to try to save some of the lines built by the old NSR, which first began to close in 1964.

The council intended to demolish the station at Cheddleton in April 1974, but local businessman and parish councillor Norman Hancock parked his car on the level crossing in front of the bulldozers, preventing the demolition.

[11] This delay allowed the building to be Grade II listed on 14 May 1974 after a campaign by the C&SRS, Sir John Betjeman and the Victorian Society.

The plans for the Oakamoor to Alton Towers track were put on hold, the old siding and goods yard at Cheddleton was purchased, and workshops were created with the first locomotives arriving in 1977.

The bay platform area at Cheddleton was acquired in 1984 and the former NSR signal box from Clifton was put into use at the site, allowing demonstration runs to operate around the former goods yard.

British Rail ceased using the remains of the former Churnet Valley Line in 1988, and the NSRC sought to purchase the stretch from Oakamoor to Leek Brook Junction.

In 1996, the company was granted a Light Railway Order to run 7 miles (11 km) between Leek Brook Junction to Oakamoor Sand Sidings.

The track was then made ready for passenger trains, and on 24 August 1996 LMS Fowler Class 3F 47383 departed Cheddleton for Leek Brook Junction, a distance of roughly 1 mile (1.6 km).

Share issue 2 in 1998 aimed to raise £160,000 to upgrade the line south from Cheddleton to Consall for passenger services, which was successfully achieved on 11 July 1998.

Shortly after this, the next two-mile (3.2 km) section south to Kingsley & Froghall station was rehabilitated to provide an alternative to Cheddleton for visitors' car parking, and thus allow the business to expand.

The third share issue was launched in the summer of 2000 in order to raise £185,000, and on 14 October 2000 "top and tailed" diesel-hauled passenger specials ran.

[15] In 2010, the 8+1⁄2 miles (13.7 km) of track from Leek Brook Junction to Cauldon Lowe was restored to passenger-carrying standards, allowing services to run by November.

Cheddleton is the operational headquarters and site of the motive power depot, engine shed and the carriage and wagon restoration workshops.

The track to the sidings requires upgrading for passenger use, and work on the tunnel and the rebuilding of the station site would be necessary to extend further than the former quarry, although it is considered viable.

Whilst the railway owns the track as far as the sand sidings, the bridge, tunnel and trackbed beyond this is in the hands of Staffordshire County Council.

This 4-mile (6.4 km) section (from Froghall-Alton Towers) is in principle regarded as commercially viable to reopen, and has been stated as a longer-term expansion aim of Moorland & City Railways.

In January 2012 the CVR publicly announced they were involved in the restoration of the 4 miles (6.4 km) from Leek Brook Junction to Endon Station in collaboration with Moorlands & City Railways.

In 2011 vegetation was cleared on the section to allow a comprehensive survey of the track to be undertaken, and in 2012 extensive sleeper replacement began in order to bring the route up to passenger carrying standards.

[40] Meanwhile, negotiations continued between MCR (plus CVR) and Network Rail to instate a heritage service on a restricted number of dates to Endon.