Churnet Valley Railway General Discussion

The then CVR Chair was also the owner of MCR but the MCR never had any interest in railways and now after having made it's money out of the SCQ3 (Leekbrook to Caldon line) it has disappeared into the sunset with the profit it made to possibly make even more money from disused railway land elsewhere. There was a story in the Evening Sentinel that he had got the local tory MP very exited about a possible new high speed line linking Newcastle -under-Lyme with Crewe and Liverpool by reopening the disused line from Madeley to Siverdale Colliery.

 

Tonight Churnet Valley has learned it’s lost part of its own heritage, with the death of one of its founding fathers at the age of 90.

Terry was 1x of 3 former footplatemen to join the embryonic NSRC, that went on to develop into the CVR. He helped with forming the steam operating department, and returned to footplate duties himself where he would soon become a traction inspector. Many of our drivers and fireman to this day wouldn’t have half of their knowledge if it wasn’t for the learnings offered by Terry over the years.

Sleep well old sausage, you maybe gone but your legacy will live on ❤️

https://www.churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk/news/terry-essery

 

Thank you. I had registered that MCR had gone quiet but had not picked up on the reasons, although some of their proposals did seem a tad optimistic !
Congratulations on the Leek extension, a big feather in your collective hats.

 

Hmm, except no Director of MCR has ever held the title of Chairman for CVR…

The Silverdale Colliery idea is actually to install a freight terminal at Keele if some stories are to be believed. Staffordshire seems to like a monthly 1st April.

 

Very sad news indeed, Terry's very informative books are a goldmine of footplate knowledge and railway lore, he will be sorely missed.

Cheerz,

Alan

 

Or whatever you call the leader of the CVR, I know he aint there now and has seemingly left the parish. The story i saw on Sentinel Online was definitely for a high speed line linking with HS2, the freight terminal was a proposal he came with to get his hands on Grange Yard where there was a site meeting and the NR Freight Manager discovered that their strategic freight site at Cauldron had had the track lifted all the way back to Ipstones. I was told this by the MOM who was present.

 

I was booked on to the ‘borders explorer’ just prior to Covid, never even asked for a refund in the hope it would still happen, just saw it in the end as an unofficial donation during the railway lockdown hard times. A lot of clearance work took place, if the CVR took money from punters for that excursion, then access permission had been signed off, and it could easily happen in the future unlesss attitudes on either side have changed…

 

Took my pooch for a walk Sunday, was very impressed with the leekbrook triangle, two questions:
-After coming through birchhall tunnel and when you cross over the new pedestrian crossing on the ipstones line where does the path on the left go? (It seems to follow next to the track as far as the eye can see, surely it doesn’t go as far as the main road overbridge?)

-is there plans (or theoretically space) for a path to leekbrook junction platform either side of the trackbed from the new footpath? Maybe when the construction yard becomes redundant? The detour I had to take through the industrial estate, onto the main road past the former dye works new housing estate and all the way to the level crossing at the other end, in that time I missed the last train, I was parked at Cheddleton so i was a bit miffed, wasn’t the end of the world but it’s quite annoying when you can see your destination but can’t get to it, from some Google maps sleuthing there seems to be space on the sewage works side for a path perhaps, if you can deal with the smell. I could see Security for the signal box being compromised though.

 

@FearOfManchester

The Borders was going to travel along everything that was signed off, and there was a plan in place to extend beyond what CVR controlled. COVID thwarted this (obviously) but once Leek is set up more the event will look to be run with an altered format.

The additional path goes to a viewing gallery that stops exactly where East Jcn SB once stood. We are expecting it to be hugely popular during galas.

No path is planned from Severn Trent to LBJ Hospital platform. Various legal issues exist that are too time consuming to go into on here, but there are irons in the fire for alternative solutions…

 

TotalGiving™ - Sealion Appeal - North Staffordshire Railway Company (1978) Ltd - Fundraising Page

Next small-scale Appeal launched. Please do help if you can, these little projects are going to make a huge difference to CVR which is in an exciting phase as the re-opening to Leek draws ever nearer.

 

https://www.railadvent.co.uk/2023/0...ordshire-railway-for-hands-on-experience.html

Some joined up working within preservation

 

With the Leekbrook triangle now operational (but not currently seeing passenger trains) it is important to keep the oldest side of the triangle in good nick. PWay have been changing sleepers and checking gauge on the tight east curve.

 

Sharing a couple of videos of the Leek extension that I recently came across:

 

Given requests for funding based on plans to expand lines and stations across north Staffordshire.

Exactly which lines and stations is this referring too?

 

In the short term you would imagine Leek.

Longer term there was always the idea of a station on the outside of Oakamoor where there were plans for a holiday place (moneystone quarry project) which would be both extending tracks and stations.

Then also track back up from Ipstones to Waterhouses, though i dont know how viable this really is

And finally i would guess if all the above were ever achieved then there is the possibilities of the stoke direction, but i dont hold out too much hope for those without major backing.

 

Leeks nearly finished, it implies it’s for after then.

As far as i know it’s moneystone and that’s it.

Endon, no go (track belongs to NR)
Oakamoor, no go (track belongs to staffs cc)
Cauldon Lowe, broadly speaking gone as far as it can.

It would be interesting to hear some concrete plans, and how politicians/public could help

 

With the scrapping of HS2 today, the government has announced what it will spend the money on instead.
Looking at the website (link below), one of the projects identified is re-opening the 'Stoke to Leek' railway line (another is Gobowen to Oswestry, which could impact Cambrian Heritage Railways).
I'm just wondering what implications this might have for the CVR's nearly completed Leek extension?
Perhaps NR services would run over CVR rails...?
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/find-out-about-every-new-transport-project-in-your-region

 

It won't happen

Jon

 

Probably had some bottom rung lackey look at potential railway reopenings and found those so scribbled in crayon for whatever bubble blowing MP is covering the transport minister post till it's given to another webbed toed monster who'll demand HS4 and 40mph zones at schools.

 

The proposal also included a suggestion of possibly extending the Manchester Metrolink to Manchester airport, seemingly unaware that this very extension opened nearly 10 years ago...