Churnet Valley Railway General Discussion

Essential work but the photo isn't up to Frank Richards' standards.

 

That's true but only really do it for my pleasure. Should have gone further back but it was to dark. lol

 

Evening all,

Photographs from today's Volunteer's Open day are now online at Featuring 6046 on the Army Demo Freight: https://www.flickr.com/photos/frank47524/albums/72157665695112962

 

Probably the last day of tree work before the bird nesting season. Just about finished the section south of Podmore now. It was just one tree that took most of the day - but it had more than 12 trunks. A bonfire consumed most of the tops but we left enough for Lil Bear to burn tomorrow. Started with just a small team of four but the rest joined after lunch once they had finished some track work. The line walk three passed by and stopped for lunch. Nice cake Jeff.

 

The 2x big piles are now burnt, sadly no photos but Cherry Eye looking a lot better.

 

Evening all,

Shots from Sunday's running day (3rd April) on the CVR 'Sci-Fi Weekend': https://www.flickr.com/photos/frank47524/albums/72157666774085525

 

Hi, wondering if you CVR folks could help me. Part of my model railway will feature Consall station; does anyone know of differences to the scene up to and including the black lion pub (was it there then?) between the early 20th century (pre-grouping) and today? I understand no signal box and plain double track straight through, and the platform overhanging the canal looks like it was just wooden planks on top from the historic photo on wiki, but what else - were there any signals around for instance? Thanks in advance.

 

If you haven't seen it already, you may find the following page useful:

http://home.btconnect.com/cvrailway/historical pictures/consall/gallery.htm

There is a fair collection of pictures featuring Consall both in BR days and during Victorian times.

There used to be a single siding running back off a trailing point on the Down Line, which went behind the station building, but no signals as far as I know.

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That's brilliant thanks, I hadn't found that. Any idea what the siding was for?

 

Ahh, this was brought up in a recent NSRC Board Meeting.

Whilst the general belief is that there was a siding, no photographic record - or indeed any record - exists to confirm this.

What is thought is that the space was provided for such, but it wasn't actually installed at the time of opening (1902?).

Due to the expected level of service never materialising though, it was found that stopping to load from the Crane alongside the canal was sufficient for the traffic levels that did operate. This meant the siding never actually got installed until preservation days.

Now if anyone can provide evidence of the siding fine, but the only other one was the Podmore Mill off the UP Line South of Consall.

 

I'm not sure if it counts as hard evidence, but a (Crown copyrighted) map from 1909 shows the station siding in situ. Basil Jeuda's book on the Churnet Valley shows this map and describes the siding as being constructed post opening (circa 1907). He goes on to say that the siding was controlled by an eight lever ground frame but was seldom used. I do not know what Basil's sources were that provided this information. Returning to previous queries, there are photographs dated 1908 showing a tall signal just south of the station in the Down Line (controlled by the ground frame mentioned perhaps?) and in another photo in 1908 the Black Lion is there suggesting that the boozer has been watering the passers by for many many years!

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If it works, I have tried to attatch an image showing the 1909 map that dipicts the siding.

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This image (hopefully) shows the signal, just off the Down platform.

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Many thanks for that, looks like a forked yellow distant signal at the top? I've got some good photos of that lovely type of ridiculously tall NSR signal post. Meandering off slightly, was there any particular reason, as some seemed awfully high for no apparent reason - I'm looking at pictures of the signal in front of a tunnel with the caption "Normacott west end" and the toe of the island platform at Stone at the moment, no visibility reasons that I can see, so was it just a design thing? And if so, why only some?

 

Can only think it would be for sighting? I presume a driver could see the top signal over the top of London Road bridge (which is also in the picture) as he approached round the curve. Impossible today what with all the trees that have grown up, but lil bear is doing a smashing job changing that fact!!

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Black Lion was a temporary pub, built to serve the naval navvies constructing the system in whatever year it was. Just it managed to survive a little longer than expected...

Are the photos you mention in Basil's Green CVL book? I'll dig it out and have a look myself if it is...

 

Correct, I have always used this green book as my "CVR Bible"!

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This plan suggests that the siding would be leading to a freight yard and is possibly one that has (a) been truncated and (b) the remainder is the location of the coach currently stabled on a piece of rail no longer connected to the "main" line.

 

You're not the only one. Mine is still wrapped in the bubblewrap it arrived in to keep it in good nick!