Moorlands and City Railway

We split into 3 groups today. One doing the cvr line walk ready for the intensive service on Saturday. (Halloween) Another group did the walk from Ipstones to Apesford replacing a few broken and some wooden keys. Quite a few were surprisingly still in a good solid state but most were replaced anyhow. Some other small jobs were also done. The 3rd group removed some chairs off spare concrete sleepers to replace some that are chipped on the west side of Bradnop Tunnel. This looks like a job for next week. This group then went to Leekbrook to assist the signaling dept. with the point rodding ect. All in all a good days work. By the way looked in at the shed at Cheddleton good progress seems to be going on with both the 33 and the prairie tank.

 

...... and George Stephenson arrived at Froghall and was brought up to Chedleton by the 33 in the afternoon. It's all starting to come together!

 

Believe I saw the tender to George Stephenson on its low loader at Stafford northbound services on Tuesday afternoon.

 

Photos from today, A First! Class 104 up the Cauldon Lowe Line 28/10/10 - http://www.flickr.com/photos/fjr-47524/sets/72157624855125919/ !!!!

 

Is that the first ever DMU up the line? Apart from the 37s and 31s that went in '94 I cannot think of any non steam trips up the line with passenger/passenger capability stock. I was worried about it getting up there as it only has 3 working engines IIRC?

 

Yes we were pleased it got up, a 3-car set on 3 engines in the rain was certainly good test conditions. I know a lot of people had....."voiced their doubts" shall we say during messroom banter so I'm pleased it has proved those - who claimed it would slip to a stand after a drop of rain - wrong.

As for being the first, we're not sure. Someone mentioned that one may have gone up on a BR private job but I've not seen any evidence as yet. Is the answer out there?

 

Website update now up explaining more about the test run today. The website can be found here and the individual update is here.

I can say that the views of the line from the DMU were spectacular.

 

Due to several annoying reasons I have decided to move my photographs from fotopic.net to myphotoalbum.com. here is the link anyway.

http://adburgess1992.myphotoalbum.com/albums.php

I will need some time to work on it

 

What hasn't been mentioned on here about the dmu is that cuz it's only basically a bus on rails it tried to turn itself into a proper loco and become STEAM loco powered by fire!

 

Please elucidate?

 

There was a DMU rail tour on 24th Sept 1972 called the "Knotty Rambler" which ran to Caldon Quarry as part of the itinerary. It also called at Heath's Jnc on the Biddulph Valley line and at Oakamoor BIS sidings. I recollect that it was fine sunny day and also that we were able to get out at Oakamoor and Caldon and wander around.

The following website has the details: http://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/70s/720924br.html

 

Yes, I was on that trip wth my father. I remember lots of people out in their back gardens, waving, as we went along the Biddulph Valley Line. It was two 3-car sets, if I remember correctly and was pretty well-filled.

 

Have just updated our site to include that useful information!

 

Thank you for that info. When did the Biddulph line close, was it about 1977 ish?

 

Yes, 1977 was the year that Norton Colliery closed and the BiddulphValley section between Milton Jnc and the colliery subsequently closed. The section between Stoke Jnc and Milton junction which is part of the original BV line is of course still in situ and now part of MCR.

The section of the BV line north of Milton Jnc closed in stages from 1963 when the link between Congleton Lower and Congleton Upper Jncs which joined the BV line to the NS main line to Manchester was closed.

Congleton Brunswick Wharf closed in 1968 and the track was lifted from Brunswick as far as Heath’s Jnc which served Victoria Colliery at Biddulph.

Thereafter all traffic was generated by output from the 3 collieries, Victoria, Chatterley Whitfield and Norton and it remained very busy with trip freights. In the early ‘70s I remember seeing a daily procession of light engines, coal empties and full trains made up of 16T mineral wagons nearly always pulled by Sulzer class 24’s with the occasional class 47 for variety.

In 1976 Victoria and Chatterley Whitfield mines were connected underground to Wolstanton Colliery and coal drawing ceased although the collieries themselves remained active for a while. As a result the section between Heath’s junction and Norton Colliery sidings closed. When I walked the line in May1976 the track had been lifted from Heath’s Jnc to Chatterley Whitfield and work was underway between there and Ford Green.

Norton Colliery ceased production the following year and the section to Milton Jnc was closed and dismantled. This part of the line was subject to serious mining subsidence and was often flooded and I’ve seen photos of coal trains running through the flood water. Its now appropriately part of a wetland nature reserve!

 

My memories are similar to yours, but start about 15 years earlier. We moved to Sneyd Green in 1961 and Milton Junction was the nearest place I could find steam
It was not uncommon to see four coal trains standing on the Biddulph Valley line, awaiting paths to Stoke, with a sand train from Oakamoor and a stone train from Caldon Low standing on the Milton line. I assume they were working on Permissive Block as they were often engine to brakevan with a few feet between the trains. Engines were 8Fs, 4Fs and G2s, with the odd Black 5 thrown in. I wish I'd appreciated it more at the time, but my thoughts were at Crewe!

I really look forward to seeing this line (Stoke to Leekbrook) back in operation , and the Caldon Low section of course, although, I must admit, when I saw they planned to run 71000 up there, my first thought was "Good Luck with that!" That line was not built with Class 8 Pacifics in mind. I do wish them well, though and I am wildly impressed with the progress I have seen.

Regards,

jtx

 

That must have been an amazing sight - I feel extremely envious

 

It was, although, at the time, it was "normal." I was much more excited seeing your namesake and its contemporaries batting through Doncaster on my occasional trips to the ECML. 60091 was fitted with the German-style smoke deflectors, like my favourite A3, 60051, "Blink Bonny," which, to veer back to topic, I saw bring a special through Stoke one Sunday morning in the 60s. As I wasn't really knowledgeable about specials, you can imagine, it was a bit of a surprise!

Getting back to the line from Stoke to Leekbrook, I don't know if it is generally known, but, during the fifties, school specials used it occasionally. I have clear memories of walking down to Bucknall Station, by then long closed, and seeing it crowded with schoolchildren, parents and teachers, several hundred from various local primary schools. The train, usually ten ex-LMS coaches would rattle through at speed towards Milton, where the engine would run round, reverse into Milton Station and pick up there, before returning to Bucknall and picking up our lot. The engine was usually a 2-6-4 Tank, which would take the train to Stoke, where something bigger, often a Patriot, or a Scot, would take over and take us to Chessington Zoo or somewhere. I don't recall any railway staff at these closed stations, just the train crew, teachers and parents. Imagine that today!

I look forward to possibly seeing those stations back in use.

Regards,

jtx

 

In a posting on the galas pages it was pointed out that there are open culverts on the Cauldon line, are there any others on preseved railway or even the national railway.