Category Archives: British Isles – Railways and Tramways

The Manchester and Leeds Railway – The Railway Magazine, December 1905 – Part 1

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An article in the Railway Magazine in December 1905 prompted a look at the Manchester and Leeds Railway. For a number of years my parents lived in sheltered housing in Mirfield which is on the line. Looking at the line as it appeared in 1905 and again in the 21st century seemed a worthwhile exercise! Part 1 of this short series provides a short history of the line and takes us from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge.

The featured image at the head of this article shows the Manchester & Leeds Railway locomotive ‘Victoria’, in about 1878-80. This locomotive was designed by Edward Bury and built at his works in Liverpool. It was one of a batch of 0-4-0 engines ordered in 1845, and later converted to an 0-4-2 wheel arrangement (c) Public Domain. [65]

In his first article in 1905, about the Manchester and Leeds Railway which was accompanied by a series of engravings included here, Herbert Rake wrote that on 11th September 1830 a committee tasked with improving communications between Leeds and Manchester, emboldened by the success of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, decided to hold a meeting to form a new railway company.

On 18th October 1930, the decision was taken. A board of directors was appointed, a survey was authorised and work was undertaken to prepare for an application to Parliament. It was based on a junction with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway at Oldfield Lane, Salford and at St. George’s Road, Manchester.

The route from Manchester to Sowerby Bridge was easily agreed, that from Sowerby Bridge to Leeds was more difficult to agree. The Bill prepared for Parliament focused on the Manchester to Sowerby Bridge length of the planned line and was presented on 10th March 1831. Opposition from the Rochdale Canal Company and others and then the dissolution of Parliament halted the progress of the Bill.

Resubmission was agreed on 8th June 1830 but once again failed in its progress through Parliament. In the end, the project was revised, the company was reorganised, and the capital fixed at £800,000 in £100 shares in a meeting in October 1935.

Rake tells us that this “new project abandoned the Salford junction line, but embraced a deviated extension beyond Sowerby Bridge, along the lower portion of the Vale of Calder, past Dewsbury and Wakefield, to Normanton, thence to Leeds, in conjunction with the North Midland Railway. … [The line was] intended to form a central portion of a great main line running east and west between Liverpool and Hull.” [1: p469-470]

The prospectus noted a few important facts, particularly:

  • The population density with three miles either side of the proposed line was 1,847 persons per square mile. The average for England was 260 persons per square mile.
  • Within 10 miles of the line there were 29 market towns, twelve with a population greater than 20,000.
  • Within 20 miles of the line there were 48 market towns with more than 10,000 inhabitants.

Rake tells us that “The Act of Incorporation received the Royal Assent on the 4th July 1836, and authorised a joint stock capital to be raised of £1,000,000, with an additional amount by loan of £433,000.” [1: p470]

Construction commenced on 18th August 1837. On 14th February 1838 it was decided to apply to Parliament for an Act authorising branch lines to Oldham and Halifax.

Victoria Station, Manchester, was first known as Hunt’s Bank Station. [1: p468]
Part of the original station at Manchester Victoria, as it appeared in 1989. In around 1860, the single storey station building was extended by the addition of a second floor. The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway sensitively incorporated the original building into the new 1904 facade of Victoria station, © Whatlep and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [2]

Late in 1838, “a modification of the original plan for effecting a junction of the Manchester and Leeds Railway with the Liverpool and Manchester Railway was proposed, by an extension of both to a joint terminus within 500 yards of the Manchester Exchange. … The Act of Parliament for this and other purposes received the Royal Assent on the 31st July 1839, authorising the sum of £866,000 to be raised for the purpose of constructing the Oldham and Halifax branches, for making a diversion in the railway at Kirkthorpe, for enlarging the station in Lees Street, and for constructing the line to join the Liverpool and Manchester extension.” [1: p470]

Rochdale railway Station as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey 0f 1908, published in 1910. [21]
View NE from south end of Rochdale Station. On the left, Hughes/Fowler 5P 4F 2-6-0 No. 42724 on the 11.58am Wakefield to Manchester; on the right, Stanier 4MT 2-6-4T No. 42653 on a local to Bolton, © Ben Brooksbank and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [22]

Rake explains that the railway ran through Miles Platting where the Ashton and Stalybridge branch diverges. At Middleton the Oldham branch connected to the main line. Mill Hills embankment (maximum height 75 feet) carries the line towards Blue Pits Station where the Heywood line joins the main line. The line runs on through Rochdale, Littleborough and Todmorden Vale before running in cutting (maximum depth 100 feet) to Summit Tunnel.

During construction, “Six contracts were awarded between the Manchester terminus and the Summit Tunnel and were progressing satisfactorily by August 1838.” [6]

The West Portal of Summit Tunnel is approached from Manchester through a deep cutting. [1: p469]
The same portal of Summit Tunnel in 20th century steam days. [3]

When built, Summit Tunnel was the longest in the world. It opened on 1st March 1841 by Sir John F. Sigismund-Smith.

“The tunnel is just over 1.6 miles (2.6 km) long and carries two standard-gauge tracks in a single horseshoe-shaped tube, approximately 24 feet (7.2 m) wide and 22 feet (6.6 m) high. Summit Tunnel was designed by Thomas Longridge Gooch, assisted by Barnard Dickinson. Progress on its construction was slower than anticipated, largely because excavation was more difficult than anticipated. … It … cost £251,000 and 41 workers had died.” [4]

Rake noted that the tunnel is “14 shafts were necessary, and the strata of rock shale and clay was of so treacherous a character that the brick lining of the roof, which is semi circular, consists in places of no less than 10 concentric rings.” [1: p471] He also comments that: the tunnel entrance is if an imposing Moorish design; 1,000 men were employed with work continuing day and night.

Beyond the tunnel, the railway “entered a cutting in silt, which required piling to secure a foundation. Continuing onwards, we pass through the Winterbut Lee Tunnel, 420 yds. in length, and across a viaduct of 18 arches, one of which is of 60 ft. span we then proceed over the Rochdale Canal, on a cast iron skew bridge 102 ft. in span, at a height of 40 ft. above the surface of the water.” [1: p471]

A colourised engraving of the bridge over the Rochdale Canal by A.F. Tait. [6]
The Manchester and Leeds Railway’s castellated bridge over the Rochdale Canal to the South of Todmorden on 16th September 2007, © Tim Green and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY 2.0 Generic). [5]
The railway bridge illustrated above as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905, published in 1907. [9]

“Tenders for work on the eastern section were advertised in 1838. … Contractors then worked fastidiously under the threat of heavy penalties should they over-run the set time limits. They were also forbidden to work on Sundays.” [6]

At Todmorden, “the railway is carried over almost the entire breadth of the valley by a noble viaduct of nine arches, seven of which are each of 60 ft. span, and two of 30 ft., at a height of 54 ft. above the level of the turnpike road.” [1: p471]

Todmorden Railway Station on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905, published in 1907. The viaduct which spans Burnley Road to the East of the Railway Station appears top left on this map extract and below on a more modern photograph. [8]
Todmorden Railway Station, seen from Platform 2, in the 21st century, © Ian Kirk and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC-BY 2.5). [20]
Todmorden – Railway Viaduct over Burnley Road: The railway viaduct reaching the station is a prominent feature and is here seen crossing Burnley Road with the bus station on one side of it and the local market on the other, © David Ward and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [7]
The junction with the Burnley Branch on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905, published in 1907. [10]
Looking West from Hallroyd Road Bridge in 2023. Hallroyd Road Bridge overlooks Hall Road Junction close to the right side of the map extract above. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
Looking East from Hallroyd Road Bridge. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

Quitting Todmorden, where the Burnley branch diverges, the line enters Yorkshire, passes through Millwood Tunnel (225 yards), Castle Hill Tunnel (193 yards), and Horsefall Tunnel (424 yards) and then arrives at Eastwood Station. Some distance further on is Charlestown. Afterwards the railway “crosses river, road, and canal, by a skew bridge of three arches, the canal being separately spanned by an iron bridge.” [1: p471]

Looking back West from Cross Stone Road across the western portal of Millwood Tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
Looking East from the corner of Phoenix Street and Broadstone Street, above the eastern portal of Millwood Tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

These next few images give a flavour of the line as it travels towards Hebden Bridge.

Lobb Mill Viaduct sits alongside the A646, Halifax Road between Castle Hill Tunnel and Horsefall Tunnel. [Google Streetview, June 2023]
Looking Southwest along the line towards Todmorden from E. Lee Lane. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
A little to the Northeast, Duke Street passes under the railway. This view looks West from Halifax Road [Google Streetview, June 2023]
Eastwood Railway Station as it appears on the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey. [63]
Thye approximate location of Eastwood Station as it appears on Google Maps satellite imagery in 2024. [Google Maps, October 2024]
A little further Northeast, this is the view Northwest along Jumble Hole Road under the railway. [Google Streetview, June 2011]
The view Northwest from he A646, Halifax Road along the Pennine Way Footpath which passes under the railway at this location. [Google Streetview, June 2023]
Again, looking Northwest from Halifax Road along Stony Lane which runs under the railway. [Google Streetview, June 2023]
The view Southwest along Oakville Road which runs next to the railway. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The view Northeast from the same location on Oakville Road. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

A short distance Northeast, the railway “crosses river, road, and canal, by a skew bridge of three arches, the canal being separately spanned by an iron bridge.” [1: p471] The location is shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905 below.

The bridge mentioned above, as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1905. [11]
The same location shown on Google Maps satellite imagery in 2024. [Google Maps, October 2024]
Looking Northeast along Halifax Road, the three arches of the viaduct are easily visible. Beyond it there is a girder bridge which Rake does not mention. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

A little further East Stubbing Brink crosses the railway.

Looking West along the railway from Stubbing Brink Bridge. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The view East along the line from Stubbing Brink. [Google Streetview, April 2023]

The line next passes through a short short tunnel (Weasel Hall Tunnel (124 yards)) and arrives at Hebden Bridge Station.

Looking West-northwest from Shelf Road Bridge, it is just possible to make out the mouth of Weasel Hall Tunnel. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
The view East-southeast from Shelf Road Bridge towards Hebden Bridge Railway Station. [Google Streetview, April 2023]
This next extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey shows Hebden Bridge Station. [12]
Platelayers at work at Hebden Bridge Station in 1840. [1: p470]
Hebden Bridge Railway Station (Platform 2) in the 21st century, © El Pollock and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [18]

After Hebden Bridge Station, the line proceeds along the South bank of the River Calder, through two small stations (Mytholmroyd and Luddenden Foot) and by a number of riverside mills.

Mytholmroyd Railway Station as it appeared on the 1905 25″ Ordnance Survey. The Station is still open in the 21st century. [13]
The original station building at Mytholmroyd, seen from the North in 2006, with the line crossing New Road at high level, © Ian Kirk and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC By 2.5) . The building has since been renovated. [16]
Mytholmroyd Railway Station in the 21st century, © Rcsprinter123 and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY 3.0,). [19]

East along the line towards Luddendenfoot, Brearley Lane bridges the line.

Looking West from Brearley Lane Bridge towards Mytholmroyd Station. [Google Streetview, July 2009]
Ahead to the East, the line curves round towards the location of Luddendenfoot Railway Station. [Google Streetview, July 2009]
Luddenden Foot Railway Station. The station closed on 10th September 1962. The site has been developed since 2007 and the northern half is now occupied by the Station Industrial Park, which is accessible via Old Station Road. Two gate pillars from the original station flank the entrance to the road. [14][17]
The location of the erstwhile Luddendenfoot Railway Station as seen from Willow Bank, (c) Matt Thornton. [Google Streetview, February 2021]
Looking Southeast from Willow Bank. The arch bridge visible ahead carries Jerry Fields Road over the line, (c) Matt Thornton. [Google Streetview, February 2021]

To the Southeast, Ellen Holme Road passes under the line.

Ellen Holme Road passess under the railway to the Southeast of the old Luddendenfoot Railway Station. [Google Streetview, June 2023]

Passing other mills and traversing a deep cutting the line enters Sowerby Tunnel, (645 yards) and reaches Sowerby Bridge Station.

Class 101 At Sowerby Bridge Tunnel.
This image is embedded her from Flickr. It shows a Class 101 DMU entering Sowerby Bridge Tunnel from the East while working 2M14 10:31hrs York to Southport service on 8th May 1987, (c) Neil Harvey 156. [59]
Sowerby Bridge Railway Station – note the Ripponden Branch emerging from a tunnel and joining the Manchester and Leeds Railway at the East end of the Station. [15]
An early postcard image of Sowerby Bridge with the railway station in the foreground, © Public Domain. [23]
A colourised postcard view of the Station Forecourt at Sowerby Bridge around the turn of the 20th century. [60]
Sowerby Bridge Railway Station in 2006, (c) Ian Kirk and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons icence (CC BY 2.5). [24]

We complete this first part of the journey along the Manchester and Leeds Railway here at Sowerby Bridge Railway Station.

References

NB: These references relate to all the articles about the Manchester and Leeds Railway.

  1. Herbert Rake; The Manchester and Leeds Railway: The Origin of the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway; in The Railway Magazine, London, December 1905, p468-474
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Shrewsbury Railway Station in 1905

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The December 1905 Railway Magazine focussed on Shrewsbury Railway Station as the 34th location In its Notable Railway Stations series. [1]

The featured image above is not from 1905, rather it shows the station in 1962. [14]

Shrewsbury railway station was originally built in October 1848 for the Shrewsbury to Chester Line. The architect was Thomas Mainwaring Penson (1818–1864) of Oswestry. The building style was imitation Tudor, complete with carvings of Tudor style heads around the window frames to match the Tudor building of Shrewsbury School. It was operated jointly by the Great Western Railway (GWR) and the London and North Western Railway (LNWR). Drawn by I.N. Henshaw, © Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. [2]
Shrewsbury Station before the refurbishment and extension which was undertaken in 1901. [3]
Shrewsbury Station in 1901, partway through the excavation of the forecourt area. [4]
A postcard view of Shrewsbury Station after the completion of the 1901 extension and refurbishment. [5]

Lawrence begins his article about the relatively newly refurbished Shrewsbury Railway Station by remarking on the debt Shrewsbury Station owes to the construction of the Severn Tunnel: “it is to the Severn Tunnel that Shrewsbury owes the position it claims as one of the most important distributing centres in the country if not the most. In telephonic language, it is a “switch board,” and those on the spot claim that more traffic is interchanged and redistributed at Shrewsbury than even at York.” [1: p461]

At the Southeast end of the station site, rails predominantly from the South and West converge. At the Northwest end of the station lines predominantly from the North and East meet to enter the Station.

Lawrence highlights the origins of different trains by noting the “places in each direction to and from which there are through carriages.” [1: p461]

From the South and West: London, Worcester, Dover, Kidderminster, Minsterley, Bournemouth, Cheltenham, Portsmouth, Cardiff, Bristol, Swansea, Penzance, Torquay, Weston-super-Mare, Southampton, Carmarthen, and Ilfracombe.

From the North and East: Aberystwyth, Criccieth, Barmouth, Llandudno, Dolgelly, (all of which are more West than East or North), Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool. York and Newcastle, Glasgow and Gourock, Edinburgh, Perth and Aberdeen, Chester and Birkenhead.

Lawrence comments that “these are terminal points, and separate through carriages are labelled to the places named; but, of course, the actual services are enormous: Penzance, for instance, means Exeter, Plymouth, and practically all Cornwall; and London, means Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Leamington and Oxford. And the bulk of these through connections only came into existence – and, in fact, were only possible – after the opening of the Severn Tunnel.” [1: p461-462]

Before 1887, the Midland Railway “had something like a monopoly of the traffic between North and West, and Derby occupied a position analogous to that occupied by Shrewsbury today, but, of course, on a much smaller scale. In 1887, the North and West expresses were introduced by the London and North Western Railway and the Great Western Railway, and then Ludlow, Leo- minster, Hereford, and a host of sleepy old world towns suddenly found themselves on.an important main line.” [1: p462]

From Manchester and Liverpool, Lawrence says, “the new route not only saved the detour by way of Derby, but incidentally substituted a fairly level road for a very hilly one. There are now nine expresses in each direction leaving and arriving at Shrews-bury, connecting Devonshire and the West of England and South Wales with Lancashire and Yorkshire.” [1: p462]

Shrewsbury Station was erected in 1848, and was the terminus of the Shrewsbury and Birmingham Railway, constructed by Mr. Brassey. It was enlarged in 1855, and practically reconstructed in 1901.

The current Historic England listing for the Station  notes that it opened in 1849 and was extended circa 1900. The architect was Thomas Penson Junior of Oswestry. The building is “Ashlar faced with Welsh slate roof. Tudor Gothic style. 3 storeys, though originally two. 25-window range, divided as 4 principal bays, articulated by polygonal buttresses with finials. Asymmetrical, with tower over main entrance and advanced wing to the left. 4-storeyed entrance tower with oriel window in the third stage, with clock over. Polygonal angle pinnacles, and parapet. Mullioned and transomed windows of 3 and 4 lights with decorative glazing and hoodmoulds. String courses between the storeys, with quatrefoil panels. Parapet with traceried panels. Ridge cresting to roof, and axial octagonal stacks. Glazed canopy projects from first floor. Platforms roofed by a series of transverse glazed gables. The building was originally 2-storeyed, and was altered by the insertion of a lower ground floor, in association with the provision of tunnel access to the platforms.” [6]

Lawrence says that the building “possesses a handsome façade and is of freestone, in the Tudor Gothic style. Unfortunately, its imposing frontage is not shewn to the best advantage, as the station lies literally in a hole. Previously to 1901 there was direct access from the roadway to the platforms; but the principal feature of the 1901 alteration was the excavation of the square in which the station was built to a depth of 10 or 12 feet, in order to allow the booking offices, parcels offices, etc., to be on the ground floor, under the platforms, and passengers thus enter the station from a subway, wheeled traffic approaching the platform level by means of a slope. On one side frowns the County Gaol, on the other is the Castle, now a private residence. All around and in front are small shops, for the approach is only by way of a back street.” [1: p462]

A satellite image showing Shrewsbury Prison, the Railway Station, the River Severn and Shrewsbury Castle. [Google Maps, September 2024.

Shrewsbury Gaol is more normally referred to as Shrewsbury Prison, but you may hear it called ‘The Dana’. It was completed in 1793 and named after Rev Edmund Dana. The original building was constructed by Thomas Telford, following plans by Shrewsbury Architect, John Hiram Haycock.

“William Blackburn, an architect who designed many prisons, also played a part in drawing up the plans for a new prison. It was Blackburn who chose the site on which the prison is built. Blackburn was influenced by the ideas of John Howard, … a renowned Prison Reformer. … Howard visited Shrewsbury in 1788 to inspect the plans for the new prison. He disliked some aspects of the designs, such as the size of the interior courts. … Consequently, redesigns were undertaken by Thomas Telford who had been given the position of Clerk of Works at the new prison the previous year. Shrewsbury Prison was finished in 1793 with a bust of John Howard sitting proudly above the gate lodge. He gives his name to Howard Street where the prison is located.” [7]

The gatehouse of Shrewsbury Prison with the bust of John Howard above. [7]

Shrewsbury Castle was commissioned by William the Conqueror soon after he claimed the monarchy and was enlarged by Roger de Montgomery shortly thereafter “as a base for operations into Wales, an administrative centre and as a defensive fortification for the town, which was otherwise protected by the loop of the river. Town walls, of which little now remains, were later added to the defences, as a response to Welsh raids. … In 1138, King Stephen successfully besieged the castle held by William FitzAlan for the Empress Maud during the period known as The Anarchy [and] the castle was briefly held by Llywelyn the Great, Prince of Wales, in 1215. Parts of the original medieval structure remain largely incorporating the inner bailey of the castle; the outer bailey, which extended into the town, has long ago vanished under the encroachment of later shops and other buildings. … The castle became a domestic residence during the reign of Elizabeth I and passed to the ownership of the town council c.1600. The castle was extensively repaired in 1643 during the Civil War and was briefly besieged by Parliamentary forces from Wem before its surrender. It was acquired by Sir Francis Newport in 1663. Further repairs were carried out by Thomas Telford on behalf of Sir William Pulteney, MP for Shrewsbury, after 1780 to the designs of the architect Robert Adam.” [10]

A late 19th century view of the Station forecourt with Shrewsbury Castle beyond. This photograph was taken before the refurbishment of the station and the lowering of the forecourt. [1: p467]
A colourised postcard view of Shrewsbury Castle, seen across the Station forecourt early in the 20th century, © Public Domain. [8]

At the time of the writing of Lawrence’s article in The Railway Magazine, the castle was owned by Lord Barnard, from whom it was purchased by the Shropshire Horticultural Society. The Society gave it to the town in 1924 “and it became the location of Shrewsbury’s Borough Council chambers for over 50 years. The castle was internally restructured to become the home of the Shropshire Regimental Museum when it moved from Copthorne Barracks and other local sites in 1985. The museum was attacked by the IRA on 25 August 1992 and extensive damage to the collection and to some of the Castle resulted. The museum was officially re-opened by Princess Alexandra on 2 May 1995. In 2019 it was rebranded as the Soldiers of Shropshire Museum.” [10]

Shrewsbury Castle in the 21st century, © Julian Nyča and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [9]

Lawrence continues to describe the Railway Station building: “Inside, one notices how the prevailing style of architecture of the front is carried into every detail of the interior. All the windows of waiting room and other platform offions are in the peculiar Tudor style, and the whole interior is graceful and handsome. The excavation of the station square involved the removal of a statue erected to the memory of one of the foremost citizens, Dr. Clement, who lost his life in combating the cholera in the early [1870s]. It was removed to the ‘Quarry’, a place of fashionable public resort.” [1: p462]

An extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of the turn of the 20th century showing Shrewsbury Railway Station, Castle and Prison, and the River Severn in 1901 after the construction of the bridge widening but before new track laying commenced. [11]
A first internal view of Shrewsbury Railway Station which shows the length of the covered roof and platforms. The camera is facing North. The windowed structure to the right is the signal cabin referred to in the text. [1: p464]
This second internal view of the station looks Northwest along Platform 7 and shows the bookstall on that platform with its shutters open. The signal cabin is just off the photograph to the right. [1: p465]
Looking Southeast through the interior of Shrewsbury Railway Station. [1: p466]
The waiting room, Platform 1 & 6. [1: p466]
Shrewsbury Station looking South in October 2016. Shrewsbury Abbey is just visible beyond the Station site, © John Lucas and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [19]
The Southeast end of Shrewsbury Station. View northward on Platform 5, towards Crewe, Chester etc. The train on the left, headed by Stanier 5MT 4-6-0 No. 45298, is the 12.00 to Swansea (Victoria) via the Central Wales line. Stanier 4P 2-6-4T No. 42488 is at Platform 6, © Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [14]
View northward from the south end of the station. The train is for Wolverhampton (Low Level) by the ex-Great Western & London & North Western Joint main line via Wellington and is headed by Hughes/Fowler 5P 4F 2-6-0 No. 42924. Over on the right is Shrewsbury Prison, © Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [15]
The South end of the Station again, with a train arriving from Aberystwyth in June 1962. To the left, the main line to Wellington (thence Stafford), Wolverhampton, Birmingham etc.; to the right is the Welsh Marches Joint line from Hereford etc., which has been joined about a mile beyond at Sutton Bridge Junction by the Joint line from Welshpool etc. and the GW (Severn Valley) line from Bewdley via Bridgnorth. The massive signalbox in the background is Severn Bridge Junction, beyond which is the Shewsbury Curve connecting the Birmingham with the other routes south and west. The train is the 07.35 stopping service from Aberystwyth, with Collett ‘2251’ 0-6-0 No. 3204 (built 10/46), it is arriving after taking three hours for the 80 miles via Machynlleth and Welshpool, © Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0).[17]

“The two main platforms are of considerable length, 1,400 and 1,250 ft. respectively, and each of them can accommodate two trains at once. The station was designed with this object in view, being divided into two block sections by a cabin, from which the whole of the station traffic is controlled. There are seven cabins in all, the most important of which contains 185 levers.” [1: p462-463]

Shrewsbury’s large signal box stands above the triangle of lines which are beyond the River Severn at the Southeast end of the station site. [1: p462]
The same signal box in the 21st century (1st May 2024) – Severn Bridge Junction Signal Box. The church to the right is Shrewsbury Abbey which sat directly across the road from the Shrewsbury  terminus of the Shropshire & Montgomeryshire Light Railway, © Foulger Rail Photos and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [16]

“The lines approaching the station are laid out in curves of somewhat short radius, and the system of o guard rails is deserving of notice. Instead of being in short lengths, as is frequently the case, they are in apparent continuity with the respective facing points, and any derailment seems to be impossible. The new station is built over the river, and consequently the bridge which formerly carried only the permanent way was considerably widened – more than trebled in width, in fact. The platforms are supported by piers driven 25 ft. below the bed of the river by hydraulic pressure.” [1: p463]

The station straddled the join between two 25″ OS map sheets. The two extracts above come from the revision in the 1920s. They show the development of the station since the turn of the century. [12][13]
The bridge over the River Severn on 10th January 2020, © Tom Parry and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [18]

Lawrence continues: “Looking across the river, the stationmaster’s house, ‘Aenon Cottage’ it is now called, is seen on the opposite bank, a house which has had a very chequered history. It started life as a thatched cottage; then it became a public house; then a ‘manse’, the residence of the Baptist minister. Then it was altered and enlarged and afforded house room for the Shropshire Union Railway and Canal Offices, and has now entered upon another phase of its railway history as the residence of Mr. McNaught, the stationmaster.” [1: p463] I have not been able to determine the exact location of this property.

Lawrence shares details of McNaught’s employment history with the railways, including periods as Stationmaster at Craven Arms and Hereford before arriving at Shrewsbury in 1890. Under McNaught at Shrewsbury were a joint staff of 160, including 16 clerical and 25 signalmen. Additional non-joint staff included clerical staff in the Superintendent’s office and the carriage cleaners.

At Shrewsbury there were locomotive sheds of the LNWR (57 engines and 151 staff) and the GWR (35 locomotives and about 110 staff).

The station was 171.5 miles from Paddington, the fastest scheduled journey was 3 hr 28min. The route via Stafford to London was 9 miles shorter than the GWR route, the fastest scheduled train in 1905 did that journey in 3hr 10min.

Lawrence notes that “the really fast running in this neighborhood is that to be found on the Hereford line, the 50.75 miles being covered in 63 min.” [1: p464]

Lawrence comments that beyond the station site, “The town of Shrewsbury is not the important place it once was. … Shrewsbury was the centre whence radiated a good deal of warlike enterprise. All this glory has departed, and Shrewsbury has not been as careful as its neighbour, Chester, to preserve its relics of the past. The walls have almost gone, railway trucks bump about on the site of the old monastic buildings, public institutions of undoubted utility but of very doubtful picturesqueness have replaced abbey and keep and drawbridge and its very name has disappeared into limbo. … (‘Scrosbesberig’).” [1: p465]

But, it seems that its importance as a railway hub in someway makes up for other losses of status: During a typical 24 hour period, “there are 24 arrivals from Hereford, 21 from Chester, 18 from Crewe, 18 from Wolverhampton, 13 from Stafford, 7 each from Welshpool and the Severn Valley, 4 from Minsterley, and 2 local trains from Wellington. There are thus 114 arrivals, and the departures are 107, making a total of 221. But a considerable number of these trains break up into their component parts when they reach Shrewsbury, and are united with the fragments of other trains in accordance with the legend on their respective destination boards, so that the total number of train movements is a good deal in excess of the nominal figure.” [1: p465]

Lawrence talks of Shrewsbury as the starting point for GWR trains to make a vigorous attack upon North Wales and similarly as the starting point for their rivals to make a descent upon South Wales. For 115 miles, all the way down to Swansea, the they had local traffic to themselves. Trains ran on the Shrewsbury and Hereford Joint line for twenty miles, as far as Craven Arms, a journey which took about half-an-hour. Trains then commenced on a leisurely run of 3 hours 5 min to 4 hours 40 min. Much of the line was single and stops were numerous. Lawrence remarked that, in the early part of the 20th century, “the fastest train from Swansea stops no less than fourteen times, eight booked and six conditional. This is the favourite route from the north to Swansea, for the scenery along the line is pretty, and, as far as alignment goes, it is much more direct than any other, although the Midland obligingly book travellers via Birmingham and Gloucester.” [1: p466]

Lawrence continues: “The only purely local service in and out of Shrewsbury is that to the little old-world town of Minsterley, 10 miles away, served by four trains each way daily. … The Severn Valley branch connects Shrewsbury with Worcester. The latter city is 52.25 miles away, but there is no express running. It forms no part of any through route. … Two hours and a half is [the] … allowance for 52 miles.” [1: p466-467]

Of interest to me is the time Lawrence quotes for the 63 mile journey from Manchester to Shrewsbury, 1 hour 45 minutes. The shortest train journey from Manchester to Shrewsbury in the 21st century is from Manchester Piccadilly to Shrewsbury, which takes about 1 hour and 9 minutes, although a more typical journey would take more like 1hour 40 minutes. The distance is, today, quoted as 57 miles. There are currently 20 scheduled services on a weekday (15 of which are direct) from Manchester to Shrewsbury. In the opposite direction, there are 37 scheduled rail journeys between Shrewsbury and Manchester Stations (with 17 being direct).

Improvements to Shrewsbury Station Quarter

In 2024/25 Shropshire Council is undertaking work in front of Shrewsbury Railway Station. Work began in June 2024. [20]

Two artists impressions of the work being done in 2024/25  conclude this look at Shrewsbury Station at the start of the 20th century.

Two drawings showing the improvements underway at the time of writing. [20]

References

  1. J.T. Lawrence; Notable Railway Stations, No. 34 – Shrewsbury: Joint London and North-Western Railway and Great Western Railway; in The Railway Magazine,London, December 1905, p461-467.
  2. https://artuk.org/discover/artworks/railway-station-shrewsbury-338500, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  3. https://es.pinterest.com/pin/shrewsbury-railway-station-before-extension-in-2024–608830443403748397, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  4. https://walkingpast.org.uk/the-walks/walk-1, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  5. https://parishmouse.co.uk/shropshire/shrewsbury-shropshire-family-history-guide, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  6. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1246546?section=official-list-entry, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  7. https://www.shrewsburyprison.com/plan-your-day/history, accessed on 29th September 2024.
  8. https://www.ebid.net/nz/for-sale/the-castle-shrewsbury-shropshire-used-antique-postcard-1907-pm-215879875.htm, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  9. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shrewsbury_Schloss.JPG, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  10. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrewsbury_Castle, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  11. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.71185&lon=-2.74940&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  12. https://maps.nls.uk/view/121150019, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  13. https://maps.nls.uk/view/121150052, accessed on 20th September 2024.
  14. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2202736, accessed on 22nd September 2024.
  15. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2165363, accessed on 22nd September 2024.
  16. https://www.flickr.com/photos/justinfoulger/53692950655, accessed on 22nd September 2024.
  17. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2540220, accessed on 22nd September 2024.
  18. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6374074, accessed on 22nd September 2024.
  19. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5153766, accessed on 22nd September 2024.
  20. https://newsroom.shropshire.gov.uk/2024/06/work-to-begin-to-improve-shrewsbury-railway-station-area, accessed on 22nd September 2024.

Light Railways in the UK – the early years after the 1896 Act – The Railway Magazine, August 1905. …

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A note in the August 1905 edition of The Railway Magazine mentions a 1904 report from the Light Railway Commissioners and comments from the Board of Trade in 1905. [1: p170]

The Regulation of Railways Act 1868 permitted the construction of light railways subject to ‘…such conditions and regulations as the Board of Trade may from time to time impose or make’; for such railways it specified a maximum permitted axle weight and stated that ‘…the regulations respecting the speed of trains shall not authorize a speed exceeding at any time twenty-five miles an hour’. [2]

“The Light Railways Act 1896 did not specify any exceptions or limitations that should apply to light railways; it did not even attempt to define a ‘light railway’. However, it gave powers to a panel of three Light Railway Commissioners to include ‘provisions for the safety of the public… as they think necessary for the proper construction and working of the railway’ in any light railway order (LRO) granted under the act. These could limit vehicle axle weights and speeds: the maximum speed of 25 miles per hour (mph) often associated with the Light Railways Act 1896 is not specified in the act but was a product of the earlier Regulation of Railways Act 1868. … However, limits were particularly needed when lightly laid track and relatively modest bridges were used in order to keep costs down.” [2]

Sir Francis Hopwood’s report to the Board of Trade on the proceedings of the Light Railways Commission during 1902, indicated “a growing tendency to embark on private and municipal light railway schemes all over the country. Thirty-one fresh orders, of which only two for steam traction, were submitted, eighteen being confirmed, making a total of thirty-five for the year. No order was rejected. Since 1896, 420 applications [had] been made, more than half being confirmed. They represented 3,900 miles of line, with a capital expenditure of £30,371,193. The total mileage sanctioned during 1902 amount[ed] to 1,500 miles, with a capital expenditure of £10,148,900, or over a third of the aggregate for five years.” [10]

The short report in the August 1905 Railway Magazine highlighted the “number of applications made to the Commissioners in each year since the commencement of the Act, the number of orders made by the Commissioners, and the number confirmed by the Board of Trade, with mileage and estimates.” [1: p170]

Applications for Light Railway Orders (*From 278 applications. + From 237 Orders submitted). [1: p170]

Railways built under the Light Railways Act 1896 struggled financially and by the 1920s the use of road transport had put paid to the majority. Some survived thanks to clever management and tight financial control.

“The Light Railways Act was repealed in 1993 for England and Wales by the Transport and Works Act 1992 and no new light railway orders were allowed to be issued for Scotland after 2007. … Until the Transport and Works Act 1992 introduced transport works orders, heritage railways in the UK were operated under light railway orders.” [2]

Among many others, Light Railways which were built under the Act include these examples:

Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, opened in 1903, closed in 1956, reconstructed and reopened between 1963 and 1981 on the entire route except Welshpool town section. Articles about this line can be found here, here and here.  [3]

Tanat Valley Light Railway, articles about the line can be found here and here. [4]

Shropshire & Montgomery Light Railway, five articles about this line and its rolling stock can be found here, here, here, here and here. [5]

Kelvedon & Tollesbury Light Railway, an article about this line can be found here. [6]

Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway is referred to in this article. [7]

Bere Alston and Calstock Light Railway, the East Cornwall Mineral Railway and this line are covered in three articles which can be found here, here and here. [8]

Ashover Light Railway, is covered in three articles which can be found here, here and here. [9]

A parallel act governed light railways built in Ireland.

References

  1. The Railway Magazine, London, August 1905.
  2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_Railways_Act_1896, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  3. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/24/the-welshpool-llanfair-light-railway/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/09/23/the-welshpool-llanfair-light-railway-an-addendum/.
  4. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/09/18/the-tanat-valley-light-railway-and-the-nantmawr-branch-part-1/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/03/17/the-tanat-valley-light-railway-and-the-nantmawr-branch-part-2/.
  5. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/05/18/the-shropshire-and-montgomeryshire-light-railway-and-the-nesscliffe-mod-training-area-and-depot-part-1/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/07/21/gazelle/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/07/27/gazelles-trailers/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/08/02/ford-railmotors-on-colonel-stephens-lines-in-general-and-on-the-smlr/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/08/12/the-shropshire-and-montgomeryshire-light-railway-and-the-nesscliffe-mod-training-area-and-depot-part-2/.
  6. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/29/the-kelvedon-and-tollesbury-light-railway/
  7. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/08/08/water-troughs-major-works-campbeltown-machrihanish-light-railway-welsh-highland-railway-and-other-snippets-from-the-railway-magazine-january-1934/.
  8. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/03/26/the-east-cornwall-mineral-railway-part-1/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/03/28/the-east-cornwall-mineral-railway-part-2/ and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/04/02/the-bere-alston-to-callington-branch/.
  9. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/15/the-ashover-light-railway-part-1/; and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/19/the-ashover-light-railway-part-2/ ; and https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/01/19/the-ashover-light-railway-part-3/
  10. The Railway Magazine, London, July 1903.

‘Demountable Flats’ – The Railway Magazine – February 1922 – and developing methods of reducing freight handling costs in the 20th century. …

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The Railway Magazine of February 1922 introduced its readers to the advantages of ‘demountable flats’. ‘Demountable flats’ significantly improved the loading and unloading of consignments of goods on railways and road motor vehicles. ‘Demountable flats’ made it possible to transfer a load from one to the other or vice versa in a few minutes. The result was a significant “saving in time and labour. … The system, which [was] capable of considerable extension, [was] finding favour on several railways. It [had] recently been adopted by the London and South Western Railway with great advantage and two illustrations [were] reproduced [in their article] showing the arrangements employed.” [1: p137-138]

Demountable flat in position on stand-dray, London & South Western Railway. [1: p137]

“The old method of collecting goods was to despatch a pair-horse van with two men at 9 a.m. each day to pick up a load. The horses and men were compulsorily kept idle while the goods were loaded piecemeal, the van eventually returning to the goods yard with its load and frequently being unable to perform more than one return journey in the day. Under the new arrangement a motor lorry leaves the depôt at 9 a.m. with an empty demountable flat to pick up a load. Upon arrival the flat is pushed or lifted off the chassis and a loaded one transferred thereto by similar means. The lorry is able to return with this load at 10 a.m., the load being then transferred to the stand-dray, after which the motor sets out again on another trip at about 10.15 a.m., carrying an empty flat as before.” [1: p138]

Two men transferring a load of 50 barrels of apples (weight: 4 tons), London & South Western Railway. [1: p138]

“Horses are harnessed to the stand-dray to which the first load was, as stated, transferred, and haul it to the goods siding ready to load it on to a wagon of the goods train. By this means loads collected late in the afternoon can be delivered at far distant points early the following day per goods train. Also six return journeys can be accomplished in a day, whereas previously this might necessitate the employment of twelve men and six pairs of horses. The inward traffic or goods delivery is conducted on the same lines and with the same saving of time and labour. The wheels of the demountable flats illustrated are fitted with self-aligning ball bearings, which considerably facilitate the ease of handling of the flats, especially in their loaded condition.” [1: p138]

These revised methods of working were relatively novel in 1922. As can be seen in the text above,, working patterns were changing and manual labour was becoming less important as more mechanised operations were undertaken. No doubt, the reduced number of men required for these operations eventually saw redundancies.

“The larger the unit loads the greater the reduction in handling time for a given quantity of cargo. To make economic sense any container system has to be widely adopted, prior to the 1930s this meant that the majority of containers used were for bulk flows of minerals.” [4]

The presence of an article focussing on the use of ‘demountable flats’ in The Railway Magazine might suggest that they were a relatively early form of ‘unit load’ used on the railways. Their use was certainly a development in a flow of innovation in the movement of goods across different modes of transport. They were, though, effectively, but loosely, a form of ‘containerisation’. And containers had, by 1922, been around for some time, “various kinds were in regular use on the canals from the 1780s and wooden containers were adopted by the Liverpool & Manchester line in the 1830s for both coal and general goods.” [4]

“The Liverpool & Manchester Railway built open frame ‘skeliton (sic) wagons’ to carry rectangular bottom-door coal containers already in use of the canals but used their standard flat wagons to carry Pickfords general goods containers.” [4]

Although some of the mineral ‘containers’ “travelled on specially built wagons a lot were carried in three and four plank standard open wagons.” [4]

In 1841 Brunel introduced iron mineral boxes/containers in South Wales to protect friable coal. Cranes then lifted these containers into the holds of ships at Swansea docks. They were then emptied using bottom doors. 8ft long by 4.5ft wide, these containers were carried four to a wagon. [4]

During the pre-grouping era, containers were also used for passenger luggage where that luggage needed to be loaded onto boats travelling to the continent. Certainly, both the Great Eastern Railway and the South East & Chatham Railway provided this service. [4]

“By about 1900 road furniture vans were fitted with removable wheels so they could be moved on standard railway wagons, these evolved into covered furniture containers by the time of the First World War. Building on the work done by the pre grouping (pre 1923) companies railway container designs were standardised during the later 1920’s. The new RCH approved standard containers were based on the existing designs of the time. This move was mainly lead by the LMS who began promoting containers in 1928 in order to counter the competition from road haulage companies for door-to-door services.” [4]

By the 1930s, furniture and some high value items were being carried in containers. In the late 1930s almost all meat transportation by rail was undertaken using dedicated containers.

“British railways built many thousands of containers, mainly to the standard pre-war ‘van’ type designs. Up to the 1960’s it was usual to send containers through the system as single loads, hauled in standard mixed goods trains but under British Railways all-container ‘liner’ services began to emerge in the late 1950s.” [4]

The breweries used tank wagons of both the fixed and ‘demountable’ kind for beer and spirits. “Guinness developed a steel tank in the 1940s that could be carried in ordinary open wagons but demountable beer tanks were in effect containers and ran on purpose built chassis. Bass built up quite a fleet of these tanks, some of which were later used for other work, one example being the movement of glue to chipboard factories. This latter traffic was carried throughout the 1950s and 60s but … transferred to road in the 1970s. There were a few demountable tanks carried in pairs on a single wagon, Scottish and Newcastle had two of these and Truman’s had one (which could carry either two tanks or a single tank mounted … centrally).” [2]

‘Conflats’ were developed, in the era before nationalisation of the railways. ‘Conflat’ was the telegraphic code within the GWR’s “coding of railway wagons for a container wagon. Unlike normal wagon loads, containers were only listed to carry furniture or goods (unless they were refrigerated containers, which carried frozen products kept cold by ice) which needed to be placed on a specialist flatbed wagon which had train braking capability due to the fragile nature of the products carried.” [3]

These “wagons were removed from service (as were the containers themselves) when more modern containers came into use.” [3]

Two Conflats at Ruddington in 2008, © Thomas H-Taylor at English Wikipedia and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 3.0). [3]

“British Railways used several standard types of wagon. The Conflat A, which could carry one type ‘B’, or two type ‘A’, containers, was the most common. It was regularly used to carry AF (frozen food) containers: while the Conflat L, which could carry three smaller containers for bulk powders, was also produced in large numbers. … The Conflat B wagon could carry 2 AFP (frozen food) containers. These were slightly wider than the standard AF containers, and were designed to carry loads on pallets.” [3]

Innovation continued through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, but this discussion has taken us quite a distance from the ‘demountable flats’ of the 1920s and their dramatic impact on goods handling.

References

  1. The Railway Magazine, February 1922, p137-138.
  2. https://www.igg.org.uk/gansg/7-fops/fo-grain.htm, accessed on 3rd September 2024.
  3. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflat, accessed on 3rd September 2024.
  4. https://igg.org.uk/rail/5-unit/unitload1.htm, accessed on 16th September 2024.

The Wenlock Branch from Harton Road Station to Marsh Farm Junction and Craven Arms

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This article follows on from seven other articles which covered the Wellington to Severn Junction Railway and this line from Buildwas to Harton Road Station. The first three articles can be found by clicking on these links:

Wellington to Horsehay [8]

Horsehay to Lightmoor Junction [9]

Lightmoor Junction to Buildwas [10]

The most recent articles cover this line between Buildwas and Harton Road Station and can be found on these links:

Buildwas to Much Wenlock [11]

Much Wenlock to Presthope [12]

Presthope to Longville-in-the-Dale [13]

Longville Railway Station to Harton Road Railway Station [14]

We noted in the last three articles that from the commencement of the building of the line between Buildwas and Much Wenlock, the directors hoped that the line could be extended to Craven Arms via Presthope on Wenlock Edge (linking with the limestone quarries/works at that location).

The directors of the Wellington & Severn Junction Railway were, however, fully occupied with the line from Wellington to Buildwas. Another company was set up to build the ‘Wenlock & Craven Arms and Coalbrookdale Extension Railway‘. The bill went through the parliamentary process unopposed and authorised the ‘Wenlock Railway Company‘ to construct the line. Work started on 23rd October 1861.

By 5th December 1864, the line was open from Much Wenlock to Presthope. (That length is covered in the last but one online article listed above.) At this time, because it was a freight-only line, the Board of Trade saw no need for an inspection of the line. It had already been agreed at a meeting held on 4th December 1863 not to proceed with the line from Presthope to Craven Arms for the time being. It was to be three years after the line reached Presthope before the connection to the Shrewsbury & Hereford Railway close to Craven Arms was completed. It was finally opened on 16th December 1867.

Harton Road Station to Craven Arms

Harton Road Station to Marsh Farm Junction as shown on the Ordnance Survey Landranger Series mapping. [20]

We start our onward journey at Harton Road Station which is now a private dwelling. The station building and platform were on the North side of the line. There was a loop to the West of the passenger facilities which could act as an unloading/loading point for goods or even, possibly, as a passing loop if required.

Harton Road station building and platform. [6]
An enlarged extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1882 9published 1883. [15]
An extract from the precontract plans held at the Shrewsbury Archive shows the original road alignment at this location, lined in red, before the advent of the railway and its necessary diversion to accommodate the railway. These precontract plans were orientated in respect to the North point so as to get the greatest possible length of the proposed railway onto each sheet, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]

Ken Jones deals with much of the length towards Marsh Farm Junction by telling us that, “Shortly after leaving Harton Road there [was] a long straight stretch across Henley Common, this was once part of the common field system attached to the small hamlet of Henley. Across the common and into a tree-lined deep cutting; as the train weaves in and out of the trees and cuttings between Harton Road and Marsh Farm Junction brief glimpses can be seen of a tower rising well above the trees to the left of the line; this is the well known Shropshire landmark Flounders Folly, a mid-19th century folly. After negotiating its stone staircase tourists would be rewarded with commanding views of the surrounding Shropshire and Border countryside.” [1: p109]

After leaving Harton Road Station trains for Craven Arms ran West towards Marsh Farm Junction across Henley Common. This extract comes from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [16]
A very similar area as it appears on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. [3]
Just a short distance West along the line from Harton Road Station and looking West on 12th April 2016, © Richard Webb and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [7]
Looking back towards Harton Road Station from a couple of hundred metres East along the route of the old railway where a public footpath crosses the line of the Wenlock Branch. The chimney of the station building can just be seen beyond the barn in the distance. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
Some distance further West along the line of the old railway and looking West. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
Looking West from the point a second footpath crosses the old railway. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
At the location of the tree in the centre of the image above a permanent fence crosses the line. This is the view West from that fence line. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]

From this point on, the line crosses private land and for some distance the formation has been ploughed into the fields. After some distance, to the South side of the line there is a large Solar Farm. The access track to the solar farm runs West from the farm towards the A49.

Continuing West the line crossed a farm access track and stream in close proximity. An enlarged extract from this 25″ Ordnance Survey is shown below. [17]
A similar length of the line as shown on railmaponline.com satellite imagery. Note the solar farm at the bottom left of this image. East of the solar farm the route of the old railway runs over private land. West of the solar farm its access track follows the route of the old railway. [3]
The old line crossing a stream and an access track! This enlarged extract shows an area about the third point in from the right side of the Ordnance Survey above. [17]
The same location as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]
The remaining length of the line to Marsh Farm Junction. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [18]
A similar area to that shown on the 25″ OS map extract above, as it appears on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery. [3]
The access track to the solar farm follows the old railway line seen from close to its western end. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
Looking West towards the bridge carrying Henley Lane over the Wenlock Branch. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
The route of the old line continues to be marked by the lines of trees, nearing March Farm Junction. [Google Maps, August 2024]
The view East from Henley Lane Bridge, back along the old line towards Harton Road Station. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
Looking West from Henley Lane Bridge along the old line to Marsh Farm Junction. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
Looking East towards Henley Lane Bridge. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
Henley Lane Bridge as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]
The next length of the line which crossed the main Shrewsbury to Hereford road as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]
Looking West towards the A49 along the line. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
The approach to the Shrewsbury to Hereford main line at what was Marsh Farm Junction. The Wenlock Branch is again marked by the line of trees which enters top right. The line brushed the Shrewsbury to Hereford road as it approached Marsh Farm Junction. [Google Maps, August 2024]
The view South along the A49 close to Marsh Farm at the point where the Wenlock Branch bridged the road. An abutment remains on the East side of the road. The Shrewsbury to Hereford main line is just off to the right, © Jeremy Bolwell and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0) [23]
The view North along the A49 showing the same abutment. [Google Streetview, June 2024]
The length of the line between the Shrewsbury to Hereford road an the junction with the Shrewsbury to Hereford main line, as shown on the pre-contract drawings, © Shropshire Archives Ref. No. 6008/26 copyright reserved, used by kind permission. [5][My photograph of the plan, 5th August 2022]
Marsh Farm Junction as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [19]
A modern satellite image showing the main line over the length of the junction and to the South.  [Google Maps, August 2024]
The next length of the main line as shown on the 25″ OD map of 1901. [21]
The next length of the main line as it appears on modern satellite imagery. [Google Maps, August 2024]
The first significant structure South of March Farm Junction. This girder bridge carries the main line over the road between the A49 and Bushmoor. This photo shows the West elevation of the structure with the A49 beyond. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
The view North from Gates Lane Bridge. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
The view South from Gates Lane Bridge. [My photograph, 13th August 2024]
Gates Lane crossing the Shrewsbury to Hereford main line. [Google Streetview, May 2024]
The next length of the main line running past Wistanstow. [22]

 Not long after joining the main line branch trains stopped at Wistanstow Halt, the village being to the West of the Halt.

In 1901, there is no sign of Wistanstow Halt. The Halt opened in 1934 and closed in 1956. [26]
The bridge over the main line on the minor road between the A49 and Wistanstow, seen from the West. The Halt was on the Northside of the bridge on the length of track visible to the left of this image. [Google Streetview, September 2021]
This is the only picture of the halt that I have been able to find. It is unattributed in John Hodge’s second volume about the North & West Route. [27: p66]
Just South of Wistanstow the line crosses the A489 very close to its junction with the A49. [Google Maps, August 2024]
The same location as it appeared on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [28]
The A489 passes under the line from Shrewsbury to Hereford close to Craven Arms. [Google Streetview, May 2024]

Before entering Craven Arms station, on the right was Stretford Bridge Junction, for the Bishop’s Castle Railway. In the early 1930s the Wenlock branch train could be brought to a stand here, whilst a Bishop’s Castle Railway mixed train was allowed to pass, with its former GWR ‘517’ class engine and its chain-braked ex-LNWR four-wheeled coaching stock, an open-planked wagon, a cattle truck and a Bishop’s Castle brake van.

Within a very short distance the line crosses the River Onny, ran on through what was once the junction for the Bishop’s Castle Railway (Stretfordbridge Junction and under and [29]
The same area on Google Maps. Earthworks associated with the Bishop’s Castle Railway are visible at the West side of the line. [Google Maps, August 2024]
The view from the West along the minor road which crosses the railway at the bottom of the extract from Google Maps above. {Google Streetview. May 2024]

After passing Stretford Junction, the line crossed Watling Street, the old roman road at an oblique angle.

The railway crosses Watling Street. The 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [30]
The railway crosses Watling Street. [Google Maps, August 2024]
Long Lane Crossing. 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1901. [31]
Long Lane Crossing in 2024. [Google Maps, August 2024]
The crossing-keeper’s cottage at Long Lane Crossing just North of Craven Arms Railway Station in 1979, © John Mann Collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]
Long Lane Crossing seen from the West [Google Streetview, June 2024]

After passing Stretford Junction, Watling Street and Long Lane Crossing, to the right was the carriage and engine shed, and to the left the goods shed and yard.

Looking North from the footbridge at Craven Arms. The crossover which allows access to the Heart of Wales Line is seen in the centre of the view. The much reduced station yard is on the left and Long Lane Crossing is in the distance before the line can be seen curving to the East, © John Lucas and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [24]

The train pulled in on the down platform at Craven Arms, and after taking water the engine ran round the two coaches, and backed into the bay at the north end of the platform, this also being used by the Bishop’s Castle trains.

Craven Arms and Stokesay Station in 1901 as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey. [32]
Craven Arms Railway Station. [Google Maps, August 2024]
The bay and the down platform road are marked on this enlarged extract from the 25″Ordnance Survey. [32]
The view North from the station footbridge at Craven Arms Station in June 1979. Much of the station track work had been removed by 1979. The platform on the left is the down platform with the bay to its left, © John Mann Collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]
Craven Arms & Stokesay Station in August 1949: ex-LNWR 1P 2-4-2T No.46727 used for local work sits in the goods yard. View Southwest, towards Hereford, Knighton and the Central Wales Line, © Copyright Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [35]
The bay platform used by Much Wenlock and Bishop’s Castle trains in 1910. A goods train can be seen travelling South on the main line, © John Mann collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]
Craven Arms station looking north from the up platform c. 1950s. The bay platform is on the left beyond the footbridge, protected by a short section of ridge-and-furrow canopy at its south end. Note the lengthy running-in board, © John Mann collection, used by kind permission of Nick Catford. [33]

Craven Arms owes its existence to the coming of the Shrewsbury and Hereford Railway in 1852. It is truly a railway town created out of the hamlet of Newton. The S&H line passed through the Onny Valley, its route taking it past Shropshire’s famous beauty spot Stokesay Castle, and past a coaching inn named after the Lord of Manor the Earl of Craven, prompting the S&H to give the station the name of Craven Arms. The station was opened for traffic on 20th April, 1852. The parish name of Stokesay was added to the station’s name a little later.

The importance of Craven Arms as a railway centre was given added impetus by the opening of the Knighton Railway in 1861. Although only a branch it was in reality to be the embryo of the LNWR’s march upon Swansea. Various small companies were involved in the construction of the line between Craven Arms and Swansea, these later being absorbed into the LNWR or operated jointly by the LNWR and GWR.

On 1st July, 1862 Craven Arms station came under the joint ownership of the LNWR, GWR and West Midland Railway. The station consisted of up and down main line platforms, with booking office, general and ladies waiting room, together with refreshment rooms on the down side. Also on the downside was the station master’s house. The up side consisted of general and ladies’ waiting rooms only. The north and south end bays were on the down side. The North [1: p109] end bay was utilised by the Bishop’s Castle and Wenlock branch trains. [1: p114]

An aerial photograph from the South of Craven Arms and Stokesay Railway Station in 1948. Found on eBay on 12th August 2024. [25]
Craven Arms in the 21st century is much reduced. [34]

This brings us to the end of our journey from Wellington to Craven Arms along the Wenlock Branch.

References

  1. Ken Jones; The Wenlock Branch; The Oakwood Press, Usk, Monmouthshire, 1998.
  2. The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
  3. https://railmaponline.com/UKIEMap.php, 2nd July 2024
  4. Adrian Knowles; The Wellington, Much Wenlock & Craven Arms Railway; Lightmoor Press, Lydney, Gloucestershire, 2022.
  5. The photographs of the pre-contract drawings for the line were taken by myself and show extracts from the construction plans held in the Shropshire Archive. There is a standard charge of £10 per visit for taking photographs of their records.
  6. https://housesforsaletorent.co.uk/houses/to-rent/shropshire/harton.html, accessed on 17th July 2024.
  7. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5209903, accessed on 17th July 2024.
  8. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/07/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-1-wellington-to-horsehay
  9. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/12/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-2-horsehay-to-lightmoor-junction
  10. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2022/07/18/the-railways-of-telford-the-wellington-to-severn-junction-railway-wsjr-part-3-lightmoor-junction-to-buildwas
  11. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2023/10/19/the-railways-of-east-shropshire-and-telford-the-much-wenlock-and-severn-junction-railway-buildwas-to-much-wenlock
  12. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/01/13/the-wenlock-branch-from-much-wenlock-to-presthope/
  13. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/06/27/the-wenlock-branch-from-presthope-to-craven-arms/
  14. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2024/07/25/the-wenlock-branch-from-longville-in-the-dale-to-marsh-farm-junction-and-craven-arms/
  15. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49958&lon=-2.76636&layers=257&b=1&o=100, accessed on 25th July 2024.
  16. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49768&lon=-2.77032&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 25th July 2024.
  17. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49402&lon=-2.79190&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 25th July 2024.
  18. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.49025&lon=-2.81301&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 26th July 2024.
  19. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.48445&lon=-2.81728&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  20. https://www.geograph.org.uk/showmap.php?gridref=SO4386, accessed on 12th August 2024.
  21. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.47950&lon=-2.82157&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  22. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.0&lat=52.47054&lon=-2.82915&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 12th August 2024.
  23. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6466763, accessed of 12th August 2024.
  24. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/4787720, accessed on 12th August 2024.
  25. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/195647213680?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=xRk1_MAMSum&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=afQhrar7TGK&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY, accessed on 12th August 2024.
  26. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.0&lat=52.46474&lon=-2.83404&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  27. John Hodge; The North and West Route, Volume 2 – Shrewsbury and Hereford; Wild Swan Publications, Didcot, 2008.
  28. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18.0&lat=52.45831&lon=-2.83692&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  29. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.45628&lon=-2.83934&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  30. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=18.0&lat=52.45053&lon=-2.84005&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  31. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.44778&lon=-2.83949&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  32. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=52.44313&lon=-2.83870&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  33. http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/craven_arms, accessed on 14th August 2024.
  34. https://railways-of-britain.fandom.com/wiki/Craven_Arms_railway_station?file=Craven_Arms.jpg, accessed on 15th August 2024.
  35. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/2211737, accessed on 29th September 2024.

Railway Statistics – The Railway Magazine, July 1903 and a brief look at modern figures. …

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J. Holt Schooling produced a series of articles in The Railway Magazine after the turn of the 20th century. I came across the third of these in the July 1903 edition of the magazine. [1: p20-28] Elsewhere in the same magazine, there was a short note which highlighted the total net receipts of all Britain’s railways companies with the figures tabulated. [9: p59]

Headline figures for Britain’s railway companies for 1901 and 1902. [9: p59]

The figures show a small but significant increase between 1901 and 1902.

Holt Schooling’s article looked at some detailed statistics relating to British railways, with some comparisons made with statistics relating to the railways of the USA. …

Accidents

Holt Schooling highlighted the decrease in the chance of death or injury to railway passengers over the period from 1877 to 1901. Accidental deaths fluctuated over the period, injuries fell significantly in absolute terms (4,330 injured between 1877 and 1881 and 2,988 in 1897 to 1901)  during the same period, the number of passengers carried rose significantly (2.9 billion to 5.5 billion). In relative terms, the number of deaths and injuries improved dramatically. The proportion killed, reducing from 1 in 17.9 million to 1 in 75.6 million, and the proportion injured refusing from 1 in 700 thousand to 1 in 1.2 million.

Passenger accident statistics on British railways. [1: p20]

Comparable figures in the USA show that the chance of death or injury while travelling by rail in the USA is very much higher, close to eight times higher.

Passenger accident statistics on railways in the USA. [1: p20]

Holt Schooling notes that “This result, unfavourable to the United States, is partly qualified by the fact that American railway journeys are of greater duration than English railway journeys, American passengers thus being exposed to risk of accident for a longer time than the British pas- senger, and also the American returns do not explicitly state whether or not the accidents to passengers are ‘from causes beyond their own control’ – a condition that applies to the foregoing accident facts for British railways.” [1: p21]

Holt Schooling produced a 10 year summary of the causes of accidents. …

Causes of accidents in the British Isles during the ten years 1802-1901. [1: p21]

He notes that, “collisions account[ed] for 60% of all train accidents that happened, and that only two other causes of accidents had any material degree of frequency.” [1: p21] These were defects in the permanent way and trains entering stations at too great a speed.

Rates of Dividend on Ordinary Stock

In 1901, over £454 million was invested in railway companies ordinary stock. Schooling focuses on Ordinary Stock because it is the largest of the stocks under which railway capital is grouped. He explains that Guaranteed and Preference Stock amounted to more than £425 million, and Loans and Debenture Stock, just over £316 million.

Rates of Dividend Paid in 1901. [1: p22]

31% of Ordinary Stock paid a dividend between 2 and 3%. Interestingly, nearly 20% of the stock paid a dividend from 5 to 6%. [1: p22]

Working Expenditure

Railway costs per 1000 train-miles all rose between 1900 and 1901, with the exception of the cost of compensation which marginally decreased.

Railway Expenditure 1900/1901. [1: p22]

In absolute terms, the pattern is similar. Railway costs rose by just over £2.7 million between 1900 and 1901.

Railway Expenditure 1900/1901. [1: p23]

That increase in costs was only partially matched by a £1.5 million increase in gross receipts.

Train Mileage

Holt Schooling compared British and American figures for the year 1900 which was the latest year he had figures for. …

USA passenger train miles were 363.5 million, goods train miles were 492.6 million. A total of 856.1 million miles. The figures for the UK were respectively, 220 million, 180 million and a total of 400 million miles.

It is worth noting that freight mileage in the USA was considerably higher than passenger mileage. In the UK passenger mileage exceeded freight mileage. Train mileage in total in the USA was more than double that in the UK.

It is interesting, however, to consider the intensity of use of lines in the USA and the UK. This provides a very different picture. …

Train mileage per mile open for traffic. [1: p24]

Holt Schooling comments that on “average, each mile of American railroad is passed over by a train 4,400 times in the year, or twelve times per day. But each mile of British railroad is passed over by a train 18,300 times in the year, or fifty times per day. This is a striking fact, and it is another of those fundamental differences between the railway systems of the two countries …  Our railways are used more than four times as often as the American lines are used, and this fact necessarily carries with it many other important differences between the two railway systems and the methods by which they are worked.” [1: p24]

Classes of Passengers

Three different classes were used on Britain’s railways. Holt Schooling tabulates the figures for each class in 1901.

Patronage of British railways passenger trains by class in 1901. [1: p24]

Holt Schooling notes “the overwhelming preponderance of the third-class passenger … 91.2 per hundred. The [highest] proportion of third-class passengers [was] in Scotland; and the lowest proportion of third class passengers [was] in Ireland, 81.4 per 100.” [1: p24-25] It is worth reminding ourselves that the whole of Ireland, at this time, was still considered to be part of the UK.

Holt Schooling goes on to note that the highest proportion of second- and first-class passengers in the UK was in Ireland and then comments that these figures suggest that Irish travellers do not feel the need for thrift in the way others in the UK do. He seems to suggest that his figures show that Ireland was not as poverty-stricken as was currently being made out in 1903.

It seems to me that this is only one way of interpreting the figures. Surely it is, at least, just as possible that these figures suggest that relative poverty was greater in Ireland given that a lower proportion of people were able to afford to travel third-class. It is also possible to infer from the figures that there was a greater disparity between rich and poor in Ireland than in the rest of the UK.

Receipts from Passenger and Goods Traffic

Gross receipts of British railway companies in 1901 were £106.5 million of which over £99.5 million were traffic receipts (passenger and goods combined). Holt Schooling notes that “Goods Traffic yielded more than one-half of this amount namely, £53 million, and passenger traffic, £46.5 million.” [1: p25-26] He goes on to state that over the 10 years (1892-1901), passengers receipts had increased in relation to goods receipts as shown in the table below.

Traffic Receipts of the Railways of Britain. [1: p26]

Overall receipts had increased year on year from £78.6 million in 1892 to £99.6 million in 1901. Despite the slight discrepancy in figures between Holt Schooling’s narrative and the table above, it is clear that the relative proportion of income changed over the 10 year period from 45% passenger/55% goods, to 47% passenger/43% goods.

Holt Schooling looks behind these overall figures and notes that close to 77% of passenger receipts came from third-class passengers! The figures were: 76.8% third-class; 10.7% second-class; 12.5% first-class.

Comparison of some Individual Railway Companies

Holt Schooling provides some details of individual railway company receipts/expenditure in 1901. [1: p26]

The lowest percentage of expenditure to receipts that he quotes is for the Furness Railway, 51%, closely followed by the Great North of Scotland Railway (52%), the North British Railway (53%), the Caledonian Railway (56%), the Great Northern Railway of Ireland (56%), the Taff Vale Railway (58%), Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland (59%) and the Glasgow and South Western Railway (61%).

The average of all British railways was 63%, a figure which also applied to the GWR, the L&Y and the LNWR. Those with higher percentage of expenditure included: the Great Southern & Western Railway of Ireland, the London & South Western Railway and the Midland Railway (64%), the North Eastern Railway (65%), the Great Eastern Railway (66%), the Great Northern Railway (67%) and the Great Central Railway (70%)

Holt Schooling suggests that these figures are counterintuitive. Rather than the larger companies being the most efficient, it seems that it was the smaller companies for whom this was true. There also appears to be a Northwest/Southeast divide with the least efficient companies being to the South and East of the country, while the more efficient were in the North and West, including Ireland!)

Holt Schooling also looks at receipts per train mile in pence/mile. …

Railway company receipts per train-mile. [1: p27]

Holt Schooling comments: “Here, again, are very large differences. The Taff Vale Railway received nearly 7s. per train-mile run from passenger and goods traffic, while the Great North of Scotland Railway received little more than 4s., the mean result for all railways in the United Kingdom being almost exactly 5s. per train-mile run. There are many important railways in the above list whose receipts per train-mile run are appreciably below the average, although upon general considerations, one would expect them to be above rather than below the average.” [1: p27]

Delayed Arrival of Trains

The most recent figures available to Holt Schooling, issues by the Board of Trade, related to some companies’ long-distance train arrivals in London in the 3 month period, June-August 1895. …

Punctuality of Railway Companies’ Trains at London termini in June to August 1895. [1: p27]

Figures for trains originating more than 50 miles from London may well feel comparable for the first four companies in the table above. Given the greater distances travelled by trains in the GWR, it is to be expected that a smaller percentage would have arrived within 5 minutes of the scheduled time than other companies in the list.

Rail Usage, January to March 2024 and earlier.

How do the statistics from 1903 compare with modern figures? The Office of Rail and Road produces quarterly statistics about rail usage. At the time of writing, the latest statistics cover the period from January to March 2024. [2]

The ORR report is dated 13th June 2024.

“A total of 1,610 million journeys (1.61 billion) were made by rail passengers in Great Britain in the latest year (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024). This is a 16% increase on the 1,380 million journeys (1.38 billion) in the previous year (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023). There were 405 million journeys in the latest quarter (1 January to 31 March 2024). This is a 13% increase on the 359 million journeys made in the same quarter in the previous year (1 January to 31 March 2023).” [2]

“Total passenger revenue was £10.3 billion in the latest year. This is a 13% increase on the £9.1 billion in the previous year (when adjusted for inflation). In the latest quarter, total passenger revenue in Great Britain was £2.6 billion. This is 13% more than the £2.3 billion generated in the same quarter in the previous year (when adjusted for inflation).” [2]

Included within the ORR report was a graph showing passenger numbers since 1946.

Passenger numbers on British railways since 1946 [2]

In 1946, passenger numbers were 1,270 million. A nadir was reached in 1982, just 630 million passengers. The peak since then was reached at the end of the 2010s, 1,740 million. At the turn of the 20th century Holt Schooling reported annual passenger numbers as 1,712 million, almost the same as the figure for 2019/20. The effect of the pandemic was marked. In 2020/21, passenger numbers fell to 388 million, recovering to 990 million in 2021/22, 1,380 million in 2022/23 and 1,610 million in 2023/24.

Before 1946, figures were interrupted by the two world wars. It is possible, however, to produce a similar graph to that above covering the period prior to 1946. The ORR has done so and an extract from another of their regular reports is below.

Passenger numbers on British railways from 1872 to 1947 and beyond. [8]

Peak patronage of the country’s railways occurred in 1920 when the railways carried 2,186 million passengers.

Passenger train kilometres: distances are recorded in kilometres in 2024. Between January and March 2024, “there were 126 million passenger train kilometres travelled, … an 8% increase on the 117 million recorded in the same quarter in the previous year. However, this is 93% relative to the 136 million in the same quarter five years previously (January to March 2019).” [2] These figures record full train movements.

Passenger vehicle kilometres: “include both the distance covered by locomotives and the carriages they transport. In the latest quarter (January to March 2024), there were 764 million passenger vehicle kilometres operated. This is a 6% increase on the 722 million kilometres in the same quarter in the previous year. However, this is still slightly below prepandemic levels, at 96% relative to the 800 million five years ago (January to March 2019).” [2]

The ORR report summary says that the key results of their statistical work are:

  • A total of 1.61 billion journeys were made by rail passengers in Great Britain in the latest year (1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024). This is a 16% increase on the 1.38 billion journeys in the previous year (1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023).
  • There were 405 million journeys in the latest quarter (1 January to 31 March 2024). This is a 13% increase on the 359 million journeys made in the same quarter in the previous year (1 January to 31 March 2023).
  • Total passenger revenue was £10.3 billion in the latest year. This is a 13% increase on the £9.1 billion in the previous year (when adjusted for inflation).
  • A total of 60.1 billion passenger kilometres were travelled in the latest year. This is a 13% increase on the 53.0 billion passenger kilometres travelled in the previous year.

Rail Accidents to 2024

Annual rail safety statistics on mainline rail, London Underground, and other non-mainline networks (trams, metros, other light rail, minor and heritage railways) are provided by the ORR, “reporting on fatalities and injuries to passengers, members of the public and workforce in Great Britain. It also covers train accidents and (annual and quarterly) number of signals passed at danger (SPADs). These incidents are reported to the Office of Rail and Road under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation (RIDDOR).” [4]

The ORR reports on rail safety at the end of September each year, at the time of writing the latest report was published on 28th September 2023. [5]

“There were eight non-workforce fatalities (passenger or public) in the latest year (April 2022 to March 2023), a decrease from 11 in the previous year. These included five fatalities which occurred in mainline stations and at the platform-train interface, two passenger fatalities at stations on the London Underground and one fatality from a collision between a member of the public and a tram.” [5] The 8 fatalities in the year are lower than those reported by Holt Schooling. The total number of passenger fatalities in the years 1887 to 1901 was 520 people. The average number of fatalities per annum during that time was close to 35. But the network in the 21st century is much smaller.

“As of August 2024, the UK’s National Rail network is 10,072 miles (16,209 km) in Great Britain and 189 route miles (303 route km) in Northern Ireland. This network includes 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels, and viaducts, and around 2,500 stations.” [6]

By 1914, “the country had 23,000 miles of rail track and 4,000 stations, according to industry body Rail Delivery Group.” [7] Assuming the parameters are consistent, this means that the network in 2024 is less than 45% of that serving the country in 1914. If the network were of a similar size to that in 1914, the 8 fatalities in 2022/23 would equate to nearer to 15 fatalities after the turn of the 20th century. It is reasonable to think that, at least as far as fatalities are concerned, the modern rail network is safer than that operating in the early 20th century.

Conclusions

The statistics quoted and reviewed by Holt Schooling, provide an insight into the activities of railway companies at the turn of the 20th century. Passenger numbers were to increase further over the years and hit a peak in 1920 but then dropped to a low point in 1982 before recovering strongly. Only to see a drastic temporary reduction as a result of the pandemic.

Both passenger numbers and accidents are reported differently in the 21st century. However, as much as it is possible to compare figures from times more than a century apart, and as limited as this analysis has been, we can tentatively say that modern railways are comparably well patronised and safer than they were early in the 20th century.

References

  1. J. Holt. Schooling; Lessons from Railway Statistics; The Railway Magazine, London, July 1903, p20-28.
  2. https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:57cdd71b-c52f-4e61-904f-41747a63401c, accessed on 17th August 2024.
  3. https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/usage/passenger-rail-usage, accessed on 17th August 2024.
  4. https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/health-and-safety/rail-safety, accessed on 17th August 2024.
  5. https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:c4f6f4fb-bdf4-451b-8449-54a9c3535b95, accessed on 17th August 2024.
  6. https://www.networkrail.co.uk/who-we-are/about-us, accessed on 17th August 2024.
  7. https://www.networkrail.co.uk/stories/wwi-and-the-railway, accessed on 17th August 2024.
  8. https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:4dbd5c90-5246-4d60-b948-9530c728c4ec, accessed on 17th August 2024.
  9. The Railway Magazine, London, July 1903, p59.

The Border Counties Railway – Part 1 – Hexham to Chollerton

2 Replies

The featured image above was included in a Steam Days article in September 2021. Crossing the River Tyne on approach to Border Counties Junction is Gresley ‘K3’ class 2-6-0 No 61897, a St Margarets allocated locomotive that has worked through, and the stock is different too, ex-LNER and cascaded down from main line work. In due course the condition of the Border Counties Bridge and the predicted cost of repairs was a major factor in the abandonment of this ex-NBR route, with passenger trains ceasing to run on 13th October 1956, although the passage of goods trains continued through to 1 September 1958. [37]

At the end of August 2024, we visited Kielder Water Reservoir, passing through Bellingham on the way. We noticed a disused railway for which a good number of structures and embankments/cuttings remained in place.

This was the Border Counties Railway (BCR), a line connecting Hexham in Northumberland, with Riccarton Junction on the Waverley Route in Roxburghshire. [1]

The BCR was also known as the North Tyne Railway as it ran beside the River North Tyne for much of its length.

The line between Kielder and Falstone is now under the waters of the Kielder Water Reservoir.

“In 1844 the North British Railway (NBR) was authorised to build a line from Edinburgh to Berwick to join an English line there. The NBR line ran close to the coast avoiding most high ground and opened in 1846. In 1845 the Caledonian Railway was authorised to construct a line from both Glasgow and Edinburgh to Carlisle, crossing the Southern Uplands at Beattock Summit, 1,033 ft (315 m) above sea level.” [1][2][3][4]

In 1853, talk was of a significant coal seam around Plashetts and in 1854, Robert Nicholson was engaged to survey a railway route to serve this coalfield. “His line was to run from Hexham, … through Reedsmouth to Bellingham, and on to the coal deposits at Falstone. His work was remarkably quickly done, for a bill for the Border Counties Railway was submitted to Parliament for the 1854 session. … The scheme was authorised when the Border Counties Railway (North Tyne Section) Act 1854 (17 & 18 Vict. c. ccxii) was given royal assent on 31st July 1854. The capital was to be £250,000.” [1]

The line was built as a single line, but land was acquired for later doubling, and all the bridges except the Hexham bridge, were built for double-track The full length of the authorised line was initially not built before “a public train service started on 5th April 1858; there were four passenger trains each way Monday to Saturday, and two on Sunday. They ran from Hexham to Chollerford, with an intermediate station at Wall.” [1]

It was to be only a further 16 months before the remaining length of the line was authorised when the Border Counties Railway (Liddesdale Section and Deviations) Act 1859 (22 & 23 Vict. c. xliii) got royal assent on 11th August 1859. The authorised capital for the whole line was increased by £100,000. The North British Railway were authorised to make a working arrangement with the BCR.

“From Wark, the line approached Reedsmouth, and there was a temporary goods terminus at Countess Park there while the river bridge was completed. The passenger service terminated at Wark. There was a demonstration train from Newcastle to Countess Park run on 1st December 1859. Public opening was expected ‘within the week” but this proved to be inaccurate, and the opening throughout to Falstone was delayed until 2nd September 1861.”

By 1860 the BCR was seriously short of cash; “the authorised capital had never been fully raised and the hoped-for coal reserves at Plashetts were disappointing. There seemed little chance of raising more capital now. The North British Railway was expansive, and was happy to take over the local line, and the result was the North British and Border Counties Railways Amalgamation Act 1860 (23 & 24 Vict. c. cxcv), passed on 13th August 1860; … the act regularised the use by BCR trains of Hexham station of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway. The BCR network was known now as the NBR (Border Counties Section).” [1]

The construction of the line throughout to Riccarton was completed by mid-April 1862, but the opening of the line to Riccarton did not take place until 24th June 1862 for goods, and 1st July 1862 for passengers. [1]

On 1st May 1865, “the Wansbeck Railway was opened, between Morpeth and Reedsmouth. The Wansbeck Railway had been promoted independently but was taken over by the North British Railway in 1863.” [1]

Wikipedia provides this sketch map © Afterbrunel and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). This image does not show the Wansbeck Railway from Morpeth which met the line at Reedsmouth. [1]

From Hexham to Riccarton Junction

Hexham Railway Station

Hexham sits on what was once the Newcastle to Carlisle Railway (NCR) and which is, in the 21st century, known as the Tyne Valley Line.

Hexham Station was opened on 9th March 1835 by the NCR which became part of the  North Eastern Railway (NER) in 1862.

The original station was probably designed by the architect Benjamin Green of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was altered and extended between 1835 and 1871 and again by 1901. It is now a Grade II listed structure and stands in a conservation area. The station was restored in 1998/1999. [5]

After the NCR had been absorbed by the NER, the station became a junction, with the opening of the first section of the BCR, between Hexham and Chollerford in April 1858. The first section of a second branch, the Hexham and Allendale Railway, was opened for goods in August 1867. Initially promoted to serve lead mines, that line opened for passengers in March 1869. [6][7]

Since the closure of the Hexham and Allendale Railway to passengers in 1930 (completely in 1950), as well as the BCR in 1956 (completely in 1958), the station has diminished in size and importance. Both lines met with the Tyne Valley Line to the West of the station. [6][7][8: p134]

The Disused Stations website covers Hexham Station in some detail. [9]

Hexham Railway Station at the turn of the 20th century. The station was on the Newcastle to Carlisle mainline within commuting distance of Newcastle. It was the junction station for two lines, the Border Counties Railway and the Allendale line. [11]
The immediate vicinity of Hexham Railway Station in the 21st century as it appears on Google Maps. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Hexham Overhead Signal Cabin as seen from the Southeast end of Hexham Station platforms, © Mike Quinn and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). The gantry signal cabin was built around 1896 and is Grade II listed. [12]
Hexham Railway Station in 2009, © Nigel Thompson and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [10]
Hexham Railway Station looking Southeast from the A6079 in 2024. The footbridge can be seen beyond the platform canopies and even further, beyond the footbridge, the signal cabin mounted on its own steel structure over the running lines. [Google Streetview, March 2024]
Looking Northwest from the A6079 overbridge. The line to Carlisle heads away into the distance. [Google Streetview, March 2024]

A straight length of line brings the railway to the banks of the Tyne. The line curves round toward the West and follows the South bank of the Tyne as far as Border Counties Junction where trains for Riccarton Junction and Hawick left the Borders Railway and crossed the Tyne on an angled viaduct.

Border Counties Junction

An extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey from the turn of the 20th century which focusses on the Border Counties Junction and the viaduct across the River Tyne. [15]
The same area as it appears on the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the National Library of Scotland (NLS). [15]
The Border Counties Junction in 1939, the Newcastle & Carlisle main line runs ahead with the incoming Allendale (left) and Border Counties (right) lines. The BCR crosses the bridge in the right foreground. The Allendale route was by now goods only. Note the timber crossing for the bridleway alongside the main line. This photo appears to have been taken from a footbridge over the line. It also appears in R.R. Darsley & D.A. Lovett’s book about the line. [12][13: p11]
A track-level.view of Border Counties Junction from the East, under the footbridge adjacent to the signal box. [14]
The Border Counties Viaduct over the River Tyne seen from the South. As well as being carried by the Hexham Courant, the photograph appears in R.R. Darsley & D.A. Lovett’s book about the line. Class 3MT 2-6-0 No. 77011 is crossing the bridge with a train for Hexham. The bridge was demolished in 1959. As can be seen on the ESRI satellite image above, the cut-waters and iron base of the piers still remain, © A.J. Wickens. [14][13: p12]
The piers/cut-waters from the Border Counties Viaduct as they appeared in the 1980s. [14]
A postcard view of the Border Counties Viaduct from the West. [14]

Acomb Colliery

A short distance beyond the viaduct on the Border Counties Railway was a private colliery line which served Acomb Colliery.

“Mining at Acomb seemed to stop and start between the mid 19th century until 1909, when a larger complex opened until 1952.” [20]

There were various owners before the pit was taken on at nationalisation by the NCB. … Messrs. Stobart & Co. (1840s), J. Morrison & Co. (1860s), Messrs. Morrison (1880s), Tynedale Coal Co. Ltd. (1910s), Acomb Coal Co. Ltd. (1920s), National Coal Board (1947). [20]

For more information about the coal workings on the site, please consult the Durham Mining Museum. [21]

It is worth noting that the half-mile long line was worked by one engine, Black Hawthorn 0-4-0ST No. 1068 for over 30 years until closure of the mine in 1952. [13: p12]

An extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1920, published in 1922. The most southerly length of the Acomb Colliery Railway is shown on the OS map. The full length has been sketched onto the map extract. The line ran parallel to the Border Counties Railway which provided a loop line to allow transfer of coal (and other loads) to and from the private line. [27]
Approximately the same area as it appears on modern satellite imagery. Note the modern A69 which crosses the North Tyne just South of the location of the Southern terminus of the Acomb Colliery Railway. [Google Maps, September 2024]
The route of the Acomb Colliery Railway which is now a footpath from the village down to the River North Tyne. This photo was taken looking West in July 2020, © Mike Quinn and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [16]
The route of the Acomb Colliery Railway which is now a footpath from the village down to the River North Tyne. This photo was also taken looking West in July 2020, © Mike Quinn and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [17]
The route of the Acomb Colliery Railway which is now a footpath from the village down to the River North Tyne. This photo was taken looking East in July 2020, © Mike Quinn and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [18]
Pit tub, former Acomb Colliery: this pit tub commemorates the former Acomb Colliery which operated until 1952. The site was taken over and restored by Northumberland County Council in 1980. This photo was taken in March 2023, © Oliver Dixon and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [19]

Howford Brick and Tile Works

These works sat alongside the line, just a few hundred metres North of the Acomb Colliery Railway.

Howford Brick & Tile Works. [23]
The location of Howford Brick & Tile Works hosts Heidelberg Materials Ready mixed Concrete plant in the 21st century. The route of the old railway is shrouded in trees. [Google Maps, September 2024]

North Tyne Colliery

Some distance further North, North Tyne Colliery sat adjacent to the line.

North Tyne Colliery was served by a 500yd. loop off the Border Counties Railway, it also had a tramway linking it to the road network (A6079). Messrs Walton & Cooper worked a drift mine here from 1906 to 1922. This extract comes from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1921. [13: p13][23]
Approximately the same area as shown on the OS map extract above. The site of the colliery is now heavily wooded. [Google Maps, September 2024]

For further information about this colliery, please consult Durham Mining Museum. [22]

Wall Railway Station

Wall Railway Station was 1/3 mile from the village. It sat alongside the River North Tyne on its East bank a few hundred metres North of North Tyne Colliery.

Wall Railway Station alongside the River North Tyne. [23]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Wall Station seen from the South, © John Mann Collection and used here with the kind permission of Nick Catford. [25]
Wall Railway Station: the old buildings as seen from the West (from Homer’s Lane), © Peter McDermott and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [24]
Wall Railway Station seen from the A6079. [Google Streetview, June 2016]
The Old Signal Box at Wall Railway Station has been refurbished as self-catering accommodation. [26]

There is good coverage of Wall Railway Station on the Disused Stations website. [25]

Humshaugh Railway Station

North of Wall Railway Station there was little to interest us until the BCR reached Humshaugh Railway Station. Darsley & Lovett say that “the station was opened as Chollerford on 5th August 1858 and was the BCR’s first temporary terminus. Sidings once led to a lime depot, where a tramway, inclined at 1 in 5, led to Brunton kilns. Another tramway led to the quarry. They closed in 1895.” [13: p18]

Historic England say that the grade II listed kilns were located North of Brunton Bank near Chollerford were probably built in the early 19th century. [29] Nearby was Brunton Bank Quarry. There is no evidence of a tramway, in the immediate vicinity of the station, leading to these two sites on the Ordnance Survey of 1896.

Humshaugh Railway Station, as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey just before the turn of the 20th century. [28]
The railway station site as it appears on modern satellite imagery. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Looking North-northwest along the B6318 towards Chollerford. The parapets of the bridge carrying the road over the old railway can be seen in the photo. Little is visible either side of the road as the old line has been reclaimed by vegetation. [Google Streetview, August 2023]
Humshaugh Railway station seen from the B6318 in 1957.  The line was closed to passengers in 1956 but open for goods traffic until 1958. This was the occasion of a Special run for the Institute of Transport of a new Metropolitan-Cammell four-car DMU, © Walter Dendy, deceased and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence, (CC BY-SA 2.0). [31]
Humshaugh Railway station site in private hands, seen from the B6318 in 1997, © Ben Brooksbank and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [30]

Only a short distance beyond Humshaugh Railway Station, the old railway passed under what became the A6079 and then passed a Limekiln at the bottom of a tramroad which served Cocklaw Quarry.

Another extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey completed before the turn of the 20th century. Shows both the location of the road bridge and the Limekiln. [28]
The same location on 21st century satellite imagery. The line of the BCR can easily be made out, as can the location of the limekiln at the junction of the tramroad and railway. [Google Streetview, September 2024]
An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey which shows the loop provided by the NCR at the limekiln. [28]
This extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey at a small scale than the previous extracts shows the full length of the tramroads serving Cocklaw Quarry. This was a 3ft gauge tramroad with an incline. [28]

A short distance further North the line bridged a road and stream at the same location. …

An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1895/6 which shows the next significant structure on the BCR. [32]
The same location in the 21st century. [Google Maps, September 2024]
The line bridged both road and stream by means of a stone-arched structure. This photo of the bridge is taken from the Southeast. [Google Streetview, July 2021]
Another extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey. Another bridge, this time spanning both the road which became the A6079 and a tributary to the River North Tyne. [34]
The same area on 21st century satellite imagery. [Google Maps, September 2024]
The viaduct which carried the BCR over what became the A6079. [Google Streetview, July 2023]
The view from the North on the A6079 of the same viaduct. [Google Streetview, July 2023]

Chollerton Railway Station

“The station was opened on 1st December 1859 by the North British Railway. It was on the west side of the A6079 at the junction with an unclassified road and immediately southwest of Chollerton village. A goods loop and a coal depot were to the south. A small goods shed was sited at the south end of the platform. Instead of extending the platform, the NBR built a new one to the north with a wooden waiting shelter. The original buildings remained in use and the siding was adjusted so that one of the two docks used the old platform. There was a three-ton crane in the goods yard. The station closed to passengers on 15th October 1956 and closed completely on 1st September 1958.” [33]

Shortly after crossing the viaduct above the line entered Chollerton Railway Station. The station sat opposite the village church, St. Giles. [35]
The same area on modern satellite imagery. [Google Maps, September 2024]
The northern end of Chollerton Railway Station looking North. [36]
A view of the site of Chollerton Railway Station from the East on the A6079. [Google Streetview, July 2023]

Chollerton Railway Station is the end of this first part of the journey along the Border Counties Railway.

References

  1. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Border_Counties_Railway, accessed on 30th August 2024.
  2. G.W.M. Sewell; The North British Railway in Northumberland; Merlin Books, Braunton, 1991
  3. David St. John Thomas; The North British Railway. Vol. 1; David & Charles, Newton Abbot, 1969.
  4. Dr. T.  Bell;. Railways of the North Pennines: The Rise and Fall of the Railways Serving the North Pennine Orefield; The History Press, Stroud, 2015.
  5. https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/23638422.celebrating-188th-anniversary-hexham-train-station, accessed on 31st August 2024.
  6. https://newcastlephotos.blogspot.com/2013/02/hexham-railway-station.html?m=1, accessed on 31st August 2024.
  7. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexham_railway_station, accessed on 31st August 2024.
  8. Geoffrey Body; Railways of the Eastern Region. Vol. 2: Northern Operating Area. Patrick Stephens, Wellingborough, 1988.
  9. http://disused-stations.org.uk/h/hexham, accessed on 31st August 2024.
  10. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/324957581085, accessed on 1st September 2024.
  11. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.7&lat=54.97493&lon=-2.09430&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 5th September 2024.
  12. Swedebasher; The Borders Railway: an Operating Review; in Steam Days, 14th September 2021, via https://www.pressreader.com/uk/steam-days/20210914/281560883923116, accessed on 5th September 2024.
  13. R.R. Darsley & D.A. Lovett; Hexham to Hawick: The Border Counties Railway; The Middleton Press, Midhurst, West Sussex, 2011.
  14. https://www.hexham-courant.co.uk/news/16614029.celebrating-age-steam, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  15. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=54.98194&lon=-2.12117&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  16. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6554258, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  17. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6554261, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  18. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/6554273, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  19. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7435432, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  20. https://www.northeastheritagelibrary.co.uk/coalsarchive/hex01a/acomb-colliery, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  21. http://www.dmm.org.uk/colliery/a005.htm, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  22. http://www.dmm.org.uk/colliery/n031.htm, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  23. https://maps.nls.uk/view/132279821, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  24. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3099951, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  25. http://disused-stations.org.uk/w/wall/index.shtml, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  26. https://theoldsignalbox.co.uk, accessed on 6th September 2024.
  27. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=15.3&lat=54.98913&lon=-2.12172&layers=257&b=1&o=100, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  28. https://maps.nls.uk/view/132268229, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  29. https://www.gooseygoo.co.uk/site/brunton-bank-limekilns, cf. https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1156634, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  30. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/3695106, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  31. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/5081121, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  32. https://maps.nls.uk/view/132268217, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  33. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chollerton_railway_station, accessed on 8th September 2024.
  34. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.5&lat=55.03813&lon=-2.10817&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 8th September 2024.
  35. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.5&lat=55.04086&lon=-2.10998&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 8th September 2024.
  36. https://shop.memorylane.co.uk/mirror/0300to0399-00399/overgrown-tracks-shrubs-flowers-platform-21635871.html, accessed on 8th September 2024.
  37. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/steam-days/20210914/281560883923116, accessed on 16th September 2024.

The Oxford and Aylesbury Tram Road – The Railway Magazine, November 1899.

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The featured image above is of the Aveling & Porter locomotive known as ‘Old Chainey’, one of two unusual steam locomotives which served the line in early days. [29]

One of the delightful things about reading early copies of The Railway Magazine is the perspective from which articles are written. In this particular case the existence of the Great Central Railway is a welcome novelty!

This article begins: “Quainton Road is a name which has of late become familiar to the railway public owing to its being the converging point of the lines of the Great Central Railway’s recently-opened extension to London with those of the Metropolitan. It is situated in Buckinghamshire, at a distance of 45 miles from London” [1: p456]

Goodman goes on to refer to the Great Central as being “destined to become a power in the land.” [1: p456]

With the benefit of hindsight, whatever could be said about the Great Central during its lifetime, we know that it has not survived as a main line!

“The Great Central Railway [GCR] in England was formed when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897, anticipating the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.” [2]

It survived as an independent company until, “on 1st January 1923, the company was grouped into the London and North Eastern Railway.” [2]

Ultimately, “the express services from London to destinations beyond Nottingham were withdrawn in 1960. The line was closed to passenger trains between Aylesbury and Rugby on 3 September 1966.  A diesel multiple-unit service ran between Rugby Central and Nottingham Arkwright Street until withdrawal on 3 May 1969.” [2]

But this article is not about the GCR. It is about  what Goodman describes as a “useful but little-known line … Called the Oxford and  Aylesbury Tram Road.” [1: p456] The name is somewhat of a misnomer, as the line depended on the Metropolitan service between Aylesbury and Quainton and only ever ran as far as Brill, with a population of 1,300. It was only 6.5 miles in length. It was known during its lifetime by a number of different names: the Brill Tramway; the Quainton Tramway; the Wotton Tramway; the Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad; and the Metropolitan Railway Brill Branch.

The Oxford and Aylesbury Tram Road network at its fullest extent, © Iridescent and licensed for use here under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [3]

“In 1883, the Duke of Buckingham planned to upgrade the route to main line standards and extend the line to Oxford, creating the shortest route between Aylesbury and Oxford. Despite the backing of the wealthy Ferdinand de Rothschild, investors were deterred by costly tunnelling. In 1888 a cheaper scheme was proposed in which the line would be built to a lower standard and avoid tunnelling. In anticipation, the line was named the Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad.” [3]

The railway network in the area around Brill in 1872, ©  Iridescent and licensed for use here under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 3.0). [3]

The first locomotives on the line were particularly unusual. Built by Aveling and Porter of Rochester, they arrived on the line in 1872, at which time the line was known as the Wotton Tramway.

A previous article looked at these Aveling and Porter locomotives among other unusual locomotives. Goodman says that “the early locomotive stock of the tramway consisted of two four-wheeled engines, which would now-a-days present a more or less unique appearance by the side of more modern types of locomotion.” [1: p457]

“Old Chainey” is a chain and flywheel-driven loco built in 1872.  It was one of two locomotives on the line between Quainton Road and Brill. It was not very successful, especially if loads were heavy. It lasted in service on the Tramway until 1895 when it was sold for use at Nether Heyford Brickworks in Northamptonshire, where it continued working until the Second World War. [5]

It is now a static exhibit. It was placed, first at the London Transport Museum and then on long-term loan from the London Transport Museum to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. [6]

Goodman continues: “In general design [the locomotives] were not unlike the familiar traction engine, being built upon the same principle. Each engine had only one cylinder, which was situated above the boiler. Motion was accordingly imparted to a fly-wheel placed near the foot-plate, which, being connected with the running (not driving) wheels by a chain passing round their axles, caused the engine to move. The dimensions of the cylinders were 7 in. in diameter and 10 inches stroke. The wheels on the rails were 3 ft. in diameter. Both engines had long chimneys, fitted with caps to prevent the emission of sparks. For the accommodation of the enginemen, cabs – in reality little more than weather-boards – were provided, and at each side, about 18 in. above the rail-level, a footboard was fixed. …. The speed attained by them would hardly be termed ‘express’, the time occupied on the 6.5 miles from one terminus to the other averaging about 90 minutes!” [1: p457] That is just over 4 mph.

The line was upgraded in 1894, but the extension to Oxford was never built. “Instead, operation of the Brill Tramway was taken over by London’s Metropolitan Railway and Brill became one of its two north-western termini.” [3] The Aveling and Porter locomotives appear to have remained in service until 1895.

No. 807 was sold for industrial use. It appears in the adjacent image at Nether Heyford Brickworks on 11th April 1936, © G. Alliez. This image accompanies an article from ‘The Engineer’ reproduced by the Industrial Railway Society. [5]

The nickname “Old Chainey” appears to result from the noisy operation of these locos. The one on static display at Buckinghamshire Railway Centre is Aveling and Porter No. 807. It was the first of the two locomotives converted for use on the Tramway. They cost £398 each. [7: p13] It was delivered to the Tramway in January 1872. The second loco was delivered in September of the same year. [7: p18][8: p29]

Before the writing of Goodman’s article in 1899, probably as early as 1895, more advanced locomotives were introduced, allowing trains to run faster. Goodman comments that the Aveling and Porter locos were: “superseded by two smart little locomotives  of a more modern design. They [were] Huddersfield No.1 and Brill No. 2. and were built by Messrs. Manning, Wardle and Co., Boyne Engine Works, Leeds, the former in 1878 and the latter in 1804. Both [had] six wheels, all coupled, saddle tanks, and inside cylinders, with a total wheel-base of 10 ft. 9 in. and when in working order they each [weighed] about 10 tons. The wheels [were] 3 ft. in diameter, and the cylinders 12 in. in diameter, with a stroke of 17 in.” [1: p458]

Manning Wardle engine Brill No.1, Huddersfield at Quainton Road in the late 1890s with the Wotton Tramway’s passenger coach of the mid-1870s, an 1895 Oxford & Aylesbury Tramroad passenger coach, and a goods wagon loaded with milk churns. [3]
A rather poor photograph showing Brill No. 2, Brill. [1: p457]

The rural nature of the area meant that passenger traffic on the line was never particularly high. “The primary income source remained the carriage of goods to and from farms. Between 1899 and 1910 other lines were built in the area, providing more direct services to London and the north of England. The Brill Tramway went into financial decline.” [3]

In 1899, Goodman reported that “the traffic receipts of this little line have always been gratifying to the proprietors, and in 1894 the reconstruction of the tramway was sanctioned, and, as previously mentioned, it was decided to carry it through to Oxford. The old light rails have been replaced by flat-bottomed ones spiked directly on to transverse sleepers, but in some places bull-headed rails and chairs are utilised. The banks of earth which originally did duty for platforms have made way for small but serviceable stations, of which there are four, besides those at the two terminal points, viz Waddesden, Westcott, Wotton, and Wood Siding.” [1: p458]

An extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1898 which shows Quainton Road Station. [18]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The curve of the old line can still be seen. [Google Maps, September 2024]
An enlarged view of the platform at Quainton Road and the branch leaving to the bottom-left, heading towards Brill. [18]
Another extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey which focusses on Waddesdon Station. [19]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The shape of Rag Hall can easily bring me out. The old line enters on the grey line from the top of this image and leaves bottom-left following the grey line. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Waddesdon Railway Station, © Public Domain.. [26]
Westcott village and Station. [20]
An enlarged extract from the 1898 25″Ordnance Survey showing the Westcott station site. [21]
A similar area around Westcott Station on modern satellite imagery. [Google Maps, September 2024]
The length of the Gas Works Siding. [22]
Westcott Gas Works and siding. [12]
Wotton Station at the turn of the 20th century. [17]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The route of the old line runs into this image along the grey line from the right and leaves top-left in the trees. The double line of trees entering from top-right marks the route of the old GCR line which was built in the early 20th century. That line bridge the older tramway.. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Wotton Railway Station seen from the East with the main line of the tramway on the right side of the image and curving away to the top-right. This image is sourced from Wikipedia and used under their ‘fair use’ criteria. [23]
Northwest of Wotton Station was Church Siding. A single track line left the Tram Road at this junction and ran some distance North through Wotton Underwood, past Yeat Farm to Kingswood. [16]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The curve of the old line can still be seen running across the lower half of this image. The Church Siding turns away to the North following the line of trees. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Wood Siding Station in the 1890s. [1: p458]
A second photograph of Wood Siding Station showing both passenger and goods facilities. [1: p458]
Another extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey showing Wood Siding Station in its original location. It sat on the line of the GWR’s line which opened in circa., 1910. [17]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The old line crosses this image, right to left. The later GWR line from Princess Risborough to Birmingham enters bottom-right and leaves centre-top. [Google Maps, September 2024]
When the GWR line from Princess Risborough to Birmingham was built in circa. 1910, Wood Siding Station was moved to sit on the bridge which carried the Brill Tramway over the GWR line. [14]
London Transport No. 23 at Wood Siding in 1935, © H.C. Casserley. [27]
4-4-0T Metropolitan A-Class locomotive No. 41 of 1869 at work on the Brill branch at Wood Siding. The parapet of the bridge carrying the line over the GWR line can be seen to the left of the loco.  Until the closure of the line in November 1935, the sight of antiquated locos pulling antiquated coaches was familiar. It was a spectacle that seemed to confirm the line’s quaint and archaic reputation. [28]
The abutments are all that remains of the wide bridge which carried Brill Tramway across the GWR line, © Hywel Williams and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [13]
Brill Brick and Tile Works had their own siding. The siding serving the Works was only 150 yards long and crossed the adjacent highway on the level, presumably at an ungated crossing. [11]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The curve of the old line can still be seen. The Brick and Tile Works site has seen significant changes down the years.. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Brill Brick and Tile Works was only open for a short time. It was in operation by 1895 but was unable to  compete with the London Brick Company Works at Calvert, some 7-miles away, which opened in 1905. By 1919, the site was in use as a Hay Loader Works. [12]
Tramway Business Park, on the site of the Duke of Buckingham’s brickworks, © Hywel Williams and included here under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0) [24]

Goodman also commented that “the train service was also smartened up although the speed of ten miles per hour [was] never exceeded. There [were] four trains each way daily (Sundays excepted), which [ran] at the following times: [departing Brill] 8.10, 10.30 am, 3.05, 5.05 pm, [arriving Quainton Road] 8.53, 11.10 am, 3.45, 5.50 pm; [departing] Quainton Road  9.30 am, 12.15, 4.15, 6.25 pm, [arriving Brill] 10.10 am, 12.55, 4.50, 7.00pm. … None of the trains [were] timed to stop at the intermediate stations except Wotton, unless required. Passengers and goods [were] conveyed by all trains, which [were] thus ‘mixed’, and their ‘make-up’ would certainly provoke a smile when seen for the first time.” [1: p458] The ‘consist’ was made up of a combined carriage and luggage van, one (or sometimes two) bogie coach(es) with an open interior, and an open ‘low-sided’ goods wagon which often was seen with one or two milk churns. All passengers were charged a standard 1d/mile and there was no first class accommodation. The line was worked on a single-engine in steam principal which meant no signals except on approaches to level-crossings. Goodman notes that the line was only separated from roads and adjacent property by a light wire fence.

When the line was independent, its head offices were at Brill, as was the engine shed, which sat alongside the line on the approach to Brill Station. A further two or three sidings were dedicated to the handling of goods. The station sat about a mile from the centre of Brill.

This low resolution extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey from the turn of the 20th century shows Brill with its station. The small town is at the bottom of the extract. The Station is around a mile North at the top of the extract. [9]
An enlarged extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey showing Brill Station. The engine shed is centre-top of the extract. Passenger facilities are. Lose to the end of the line to the Southwest of the engine shed and they sit in front of the goods facilities. [10]
A similar area on modern satellite imagery. The road from Brill enters this image bottom-left, it is called Tramhill. The route of the old line enters from the rightc. [Google Maps, September 2024]
Brill Station in the 1890s. [1: p460]
A view from Brill Station Platform with a tram running into the station and the engine shed to the left. [1: p459]
An unidentified London Transport train at Brill Railway Station in 1935. [25]

Goodman also notes that the construction of the line posed no significant difficulties. He comments that “the tram road [was] a party to the Railway Clearing House so far as goods and parcels traffic [was] concerned.” [1: p459]

In 1899, through booking of passengers was not in operation, “in fact, the neighbouring companies completely ignore[d] the existence of the tram road in their time tables, and some omit to show it on their maps.” [1: p460]

Goodman expressed confidence that “when the extension to Oxford [was] opened [the line would] necessarily assume a position of more importance.” [1: p460]  As we will see below, that confidence was misplaced.

In 1933, the Metropolitan Railway became the Metropolitan line of London Transport. The Brill Tramway became part of the London Underground, despite Quainton Road being 40 miles (64 km) from London. London Transport focussed on “electrification and improvement of passenger services in London and saw little possibility that passenger routes in Buckinghamshire could become viable. In 1935 the Brill Tramway closed.” [3]

“After closure, the line was largely forgotten. Because it had been built on private land without an Act of Parliament, few records of it prior to the Oxford extension schemes exist in official archives. At least some of the rails remained in place in 1940, as records exist of their removal during the building of RAF Westcott.[139] Other than the station buildings at Westcott and Quainton Road almost nothing survives of the tramway; much of the route can still be traced by a double line of hedges.[154] The former trackbed between Quainton Road and Waddesdon Road is now a public footpath known as the Tramway Walk.” [3]

References

  1. F Goodman; The Oxford and Aylesbury Tram Road; in The Railway Magazine, London, November 1899, p456-460.
  2. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Central_Railway, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  3. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Tramway, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  4. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2020/01/02/unusual-small-locomotives-and-railcars-part-1.
  5. The Industrial Railway Record Volume No. 48, p34-38; https://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/48/AP%20Locos.htm, accessed on 1st January 2020.
  6. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_Tramway, accessed on 1st January 2020.
  7. Ian Melton, From Quainton to Brill: A history of the Wotton Tramway; in R. J., Greenaway (ed.). Underground, Hemel Hempstead: The London Underground Railway Society, 1984.
  8. Bill Simpson; The Brill Tramway; Oxford Publishing, Poole, 1985.
  9. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=14.9&lat=51.82535&lon=-1.05072&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  10. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.3&lat=51.83247&lon=-1.04764&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  11. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.1&lat=51.83240&lon=-1.03493&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  12. https://astonrowant.wordpress.com/brill-railway, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  13. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/20203, accessed on 12th September 2024.
  14. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_Siding_railway_station, accessed on 12th September 2024.
  15. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.1&lat=51.83569&lon=-0.99960&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  16. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.1&lat=51.83569&lon=-0.99960&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  17. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.4&lat=51.83346&lon=-0.99245&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  18. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.7&lat=51.86500&lon=-0.92835&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  19. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.4&lat=51.85280&lon=-0.94702&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  20. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=16.4&lat=51.84634&lon=-0.95742&layers=168&b=1&o=100
  21. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.8&lat=51.84506&lon=-0.95559&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  22. https://maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17.0&lat=51.84381&lon=-0.95549&layers=168&b=1&o=100, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  23. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wotton_station_(Brill_Tramway)_1906.jpg, accessed on 13th September 2024.
  24. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brill_railway_station, accessed on 16th September 2024.
  25. https://files.ekmcdn.com/c8ed37/images/train-at-brill-railway-station-in-1935-london-transport-rpc-postcard-173348-p.jpg, accessed on 16th September 2024.
  26. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waddesdon_Road_railway_station, accessed on 16th September 2024.
  27. https://www.ltmuseum.co.uk/collections/the-collection?query=Wood+siding&date%5Bmin%5D=&date%5Bmax%5D=&sort_bef_combine=search_api_relevance_DESC&f%5B0%5D=makers%3APamlin+Prints, accessed on 16th September 2024.
  28. https://www.railwayarchive.org.uk/getobject?rnum=L2625, accessed on 16th September 2024.
  29. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Wotton_Tramway, accessed on 16th September 2024.

The Severn & Wye Joint Railway and its Locomotives – The Railway Magazine, November 1899.

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Reading the November 1899 edition of The Railway Magazine, I came across an article about railways and tramways in the Forest of Dean … ‘The Severn &  Wye Joint Railway’ by E.A. Clark. [1]

The article from 1899 adds something to the series of posts already made about the Forest and it railways

Clark says that “it was in the year 1809 that the initiative of the Severn and Wye took place. It had long been felt that there was great commercial scope in the Forest of Dean, and in this year Parliament sanctioned the construction of a tram road through the district. The undertaking was incorporated by the name of the Lydney and Lydbrook Railway Company, ‘for the purpose of making a railway or tramway from the River Wye at Lydbrook to the River Severn at Lydney, with various branches to serve the collieries in the Forest of Dean’. The Company finding their undertaking not complete, owing to there not being proper accommodation at Lydney for the export of coal, etc., in the following year (1810) obtained power by an Act of Parliament for the construction of a canal (over one mile in length) and docks or basins at Lydney to communicate with the River Severn, and the name of the Com- pany was changed by the same Act to the Severn and Wye Railway and Canal Company.” [1: p434-435]

A Horse Drawn Vehicle sitting on the Tramway. The stone sleeper and rail construction is evident in this image. The vehicle looks to be a passenger carriage which has the correct wheel-spacing for the track gauge – probably not typical of the routine use of the Tramway! [1: p434]

Clark goes on to tell us that “the cost of construction of the tramway was nearly £90,000. The tramway was laid with tram plates and worked by horse power until the year 1865, when the first locomotive engines were used. From 1810 to 1868, the concern worked very satisfactorily and good dividends were paid. The Great Western Railway Company had constructed a railway on the broad gauge principle to the Forest at one or two points, and this rendered it necessary for the Severn and Wye in 1868 to lay down a broad gauge railway upon that part of their undertaking which lies between the South Wales Railway (Great Western Railway) at Lydney and Wimberry Slade near to the station now known as Speech House Road. Parliamentary authority was obtained to confirm this and to extend the line from Wimberry Junction to Cinderford, also to construct a very important branch, known as the ‘loop Line’ which runs from a point known as ‘Tufts’ between Lydney and Whitecroft on the main line, passing round the eastern side of the forest with sidings to the various collieries, and meeting the main line again at a point known as Drybrook Road, where there is now a passenger station. The loop line is 6 miles 55 chains.” [1: p435]

Clark continues: “The following year, a further Act empowered the Company to convert the tramway on the Lydbrook section to a railroad, with connection with the Great Western Railway at Stowefield, now known as Lydbrook Junction. In 1872, the tramway to Milkwall was substituted by a railway from the main line at Parkend with an ex-tension to Coleford. In 1875 the ‘Foresters’ (as the natives of the district are called) had their first experience of riding behind a locomotive engine. For it was in 1872 that an Act of Parliament was passed, which sanctioned the Severn and Wye Railway conveying passengers. … The year 1872 was a very important one to the Foresters, for in addition to the powers obtained as above described, the Severn Bridge Railway Company [was] incorporated for the purpose of making a railway from the Severn & Wye Railway and the Great Western Railway at Lydney across the River Severn to Sharpness Docks … and the Midland Railway.” [1: p435-437]

The Severn Bridge Railway

“The Severn Bridge was opened for passenger traffic on 17th October 1879. That year, the Severn  & Wye Railway & Canal Company amalgamated with the Severn Bridge Railway, and was incorporated under the name of the ‘Severn and Wye and Severn Bridge Railway Company’. This new departure was not a financial success, and the most important Act had yet to be passed, and that was in 1894, for vesting in the Great Western and Midland Railway Companies the whole undertaking of the Severn and Wye and Severn Bridge Railway Company (at a cost of over £447,000), and by the same Act the Midland Company were empowered to transfer to the joint Committee (fe. the Great Western and Midland Com-panies), their branch known as the ‘Gloucester and Berkeley New Docks Branch’ rom Sharp- ness to Berkeley Road, joining the Midland main line.” [1: p437]

One  of the large soans of the Severn Bridge during construction at Liverpool. [1: p439]
A postcard view of the Severn Bridge with Severn Bridge Station in the foreground. [1: p439]

There was much local opposition which meant compromise was necessary. Several conditions were therefore enjoined in the Act, one was the extension of the railway into Cinderford Cinderford, should be extended into the town.

At the time of the writing of the article (November 1899) there were over 40 collieries; two large tin-plate works; several iron ore mines; and numerous quarries. “Total traffic carried by Severn and Wye Railway Company:- 1875, 492,931 tons; 1890, 674,545 tons; 1898, 1,149,631 tons. Of course the great increase in the 1898 figures, as compared with the 1890 figures, [was] due to some extent owing to the traffic from Sharpness not being accounted for in the 1890 figures – the Berkeley Branch then belonged to the Midland Railway. … Passenger traffic [had] doubled during the last two years as compared with ten years [before].” [1: p438-439]

‘Little John’, its Class Mates and Later Locos

Clark provides two pictures of what he says was the first broad gauge locomotive belonging to the Severn & Wye Railway (‘Little John’). The pictures below show it as an 0-4-0WT locomotive. It is possible that, a few years earlier, the Company purchased a single loco on a trial basis. “This locomotive was [possibly] ‘Little Nell’, an 0−4−0 saddle tank, the first locomotive built at the Boyne Engine Works, Leeds, by Manning, Wardle & Company, and delivered to Sheepbridge on 5th February 1859.” [4]

Clark indicates that these photographs depict ‘Little John’, the first broad gauge locomotive owned by the Severn & Wye Railway Company. The loco shown was an 0-4-0WT loco. [1: p437]

Some notes on the Western Thunder website suggest that ‘Little John’ was one of three locomotives of the same design which were supplied to the Severn & Wye Railway (S&WR). The three locos were ‘Will Scarlet’, ‘Little John’ and ‘Alan-a-Dale’. The writer of those notes assumed that ‘Little John’ and its class-mates were 0-6-0WTs and mentions that the three locos were divided between the GWR and MR when the S&WR was taken into joint ownership in July 1894, ‘Will Scarlet’ (FJ 122) became GWR 1356, ‘Little John’ (FJ 140) became Midland 1123A, and ‘Alan-a-Dale’ (FJ 157) became Great Western 1355. [3]

It seems from the discussion on that website that six 0-6-0T locos were purchased by the S&WR, these were of various designs from different suppliers. Fletcher Jennings supplied locos as shown below.

Illustrations showing details of the six 0-6-0T locomotives supplied to the Severn & Wye Railway by Fletcher Jennings. These illustrations and the quoted text below appeared in the 30th April 1869 copy of ‘The Engineer’ [2]

The notes associated with the two images above say: “This somewhat remarkable engine – illustrated above … which is of the broad, or 7ft. gauge, has been specially constructed with a view to its being readily altered if occasion should require to suit the ordinary narrow gauge, and with as little expense as possible. To this end the axles are made, as will be seen by reference to the plan and section, with a third journal and wheel seat in positions proper for 4ft. 8.5 in. gauge, the coal-box, water tanks – except the one under footplate – fire-box, smoke-box, side foot-plates, and other parts are all made to suit the narrow gauge, so that when the alteration, which is anticipated, is required, little more is needed than to shorten the frame stays and buffer beams, remove certain brackets which support the fire-box and smoke-box, place the frames nearer together, shorten the axles, and remove one of each pair of wheels to its inner wheel seat. The cylinders are 14in. diameter, and the stroke is 20in.; the wheels 4ft. diameter, and extreme wheel centres 11ft. 3in.; tires, piston-rods, motion bars, crank pins, &c., are of steel. The fire-box is 3ft. 3in, long, 3ft. 3in. broad, and 4ft. 10in. deep. The boiler barrel, which is telescopic, is 3ft. 6in. mean diameter, and 8ft. Shin. long; the tubes are of brass . long, 2in. outside diameter, and 105 in number. … The total weight with a full supply of water and fuel is 28 tons 6 cwt., and this is distributed as follows:- Leading wheels, 9 tons; driving wheels, 9 tons 1 cwt.; trailing wheels, 10 tons 5 cwt. With partially filled tank and coal-box, the weight is equally distributed on the wheels.” [5]

Another source on ‘rmweb’ provides the following notes which were sourced from the RCTS publication, ‘Locomotives of the GWR – Part 3’. “Severn and Wye loco history is not simple. … They started to get steam engines in 1865, when there was thirty miles of 3’8” tramway. By 1867 they had five locos, and decided to go broad gauge, converting three engines. Two broad gauge engines were obtained, but in 1872 they decided to go to standard gauge, so the five broad gauge engines were converted to standard. The S&WR amalgamated with the Severn Bridge Railway in 1879. A receiver was appointed in 1883, and the railway was taken over jointly by the MR and GWR in 1894. … The first five engines were Fletcher Jennings 1864, with flangeless wheels for the tramroad. 1-4 were 0-4-0WT, 2-3 being the ones that were converted, 1 becoming a canal dredger.  5 was an 0-6-0ST which also went through two gauge conversions. All these had gone by the time of the receivership.

The RCTS publication, ‘The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway Part 3 Absorbed Engines 1854-1921‘, details the following locomotives as well:

  • Robin Hood, Fletcher Jennings 1868, MR 1121A – was broad gauge originally.
  • Will Scarlet, Fletcher Jennings 1873, GWR 1356.
  • Little  John, Fletcher Jennings 1874, MR. 1123A.
  • Alan-a-Dale, Fletcher Jennings1876 GWR 1355.
  • Friar Tuck, Avonside, 0-6-0T 1870  MR 1122A – was broad gauge.
  • Maid Marian, Avonside, 0-6-0T 1872 GWR 1357.
  • Ranger 0-6-0 (rebuilt ST), GWR 1358 – very complicated history.
  • Raven 0-6-0ST, Boulton, 1876 – sold on.
  • Wye 0-4-0T, Fletcher Jennings, 1876 GWR 1359.
  • Sharpness, Vulcan, 1880 MR. 1124A.
  • Severn Bridge, Vulcan, 1880 GWR 1354.
  • Sabrina, Vulcan, 1882 MR 1125A.
  • Forester, Vulcan, 1886 MR  1126A.
  • Gaveller, Vulcan, 1891 GWR 1353.
  • Four locos were hired from Boulton’s siding at different times.

The net result of these different notes is that the 0-4-0WT loco shown in Clark’s article in the Railway Magazine is unlikely to be ‘Little John’. ‘Little John’ was probably one of the later 0-6-0T locos and may well not have been a broad gauge engine at any time during its working life.

‘Forrester’, which Clark says was the first six-wheeled broad gauge locomotive of the S&WR. [1: p438] As the notes above suggest,  ‘Forrester’ was actually one of the later purchases by the S&WR. [6]
‘Robin Hood’ – Clark says that this was a six-coupled broad-gauge locomotive. [1: p438] The loco was built in 1868 as a broad-gauge locomotive. [6]

References

  1. E.A. Clark; The Severn & Wye Joint Railway; in The Railway Magazine, London November 1899, p434-441.
  2. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/File:Im1869EnV27-p305.jpg, accessed on 10th September 2024.
  3. https://www.westernthunder.co.uk/threads/seeking-info-on-severn-wye-rly-fletcher-jennings-engines.5132, accessed on 10th September 2024.
  4. https://rogerfarnworth.com/2019/02/08/a-first-steam-locomotive-for-the-severn-and-wye-tramway
  5. https://www.rmweb.co.uk/forums/topic/131654-annies-virtual-pre-grouping-grouping-and-br-layouts-workbench/?do=findComment&com, accessed on 10th September 2024.
  6. The Locomotives of the Great Western Railway Part 3 Absorbed Engines 1854-1921;
    Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, 1976.

The Railway Magazine, November 1899 – Adverts

4 Replies

This is the earliest Railway Magazine that I have so far been able to view. A rather tatty copy with both front two and at least the back two pages missing.

The first thing to note is the four pages of advertising given over to removal and storage companies! …

First page of advertisements by Removal & Storage Companies [1: pIII]
Second page of advertisements by Removal & Storage Companies [1: pIV]
Third page of advertisements by Removal & Storage Companies [1: pV]
Fourth page of advertisements by Removal & Storage Companies [1: pVI]

The fifth page of advertising is headed by what appears to be a dubious cure for deafness. Perhaps a third of the page is given over to an advert for an Organette with the remainder of the page devoted to The Railway Magazine’s publisher’s needs/offers: cases for binding The Railway Magazine; a request for return to the publisher of early editions of The Railway Magazine; the second edition of G.A. Sekon’s ‘Evolution of the Steam Locomotive‘.

The fifth page of advertisements in my possession. [1: pVII]

Advertisements for J.H. Moore’s Deafness Aerial Medication were relatively common in periodicals in the late 19th century. The offer of three months free treatment was also frequently made. Here is a second example, this time from 1894. ….

1894 Advert for J H Moore’s Treatment – Deafness Aerial Medication. [2]

Searches online produce a series of references to these advertisements but no indication as to the veracity of the claims made in them!

The 4 Guinea Organette on the market for just 35 shillings was a relatively common place advertisement. Draper’s factory in Blackburn was claimed to be the largest such works in the world. The Journal The Music Box carries the story of the company. [3]

The next page of adverts focussed mainly on publications. ….

The sixth page of advertisement in my possession. [1: pVII]

The journals which appear on this page are a mixture of British and American publications. A couple of the adverts are for publications sold by F. Moore of Finsbury, London. As we have noted in an earlier article, ‘F. Moore’ was not the name of a real artist, but rather the name adopted by the Locomotive Publishing Company, which employed the services of the rather reclusive Edwin Thomas Rudd to do the actual painting. [4]

That sixth page of adverts is followed by a page of notices of in-house publications by the publishers of The Railway Magazine. A sister journal was the ‘Railway Herald’. It was a weekly journal published between 1887-1903 which “reported on the activities of the General Railway Workers’ Union, the Railway Clerks’ Association and the United Pointsmen and Signalmen’s Society (and criticised the rival Amalgamated Society of Railway Servants). The newspaper included branch and district news for unions and welfare societies; general reports on the railway industry, including technical developments and descriptions of working conditions; information about railway-related accidents (fatal and non-fatal) and criminal offences; ‘The women’s corner’ (including recipes and household tips); correspondence and advertisements (including for clothing and patent medicines).” [5]

The seventh of these images includes Railway Herald publications and a book by Rev R.W. Scott. [1: pIX]

Alongside its weekly publication, the Railway Herald also produced a series of illustrated albums of Locomotives and Stations.

The next page consists of two adverts for train services. The first for GWR winter services to Cornwall and Devon, the second for the new timetable for express services between Manchester and Liverpool provided by the Cheshire Lines Committee. …

The eighth of these images. [1: pX]

The contents page for the journal follows with a number of interesting articles which may well feature on this blog in due course. This page includes an advertisement by W.S. Laycock of Victoria Works, Sheffield.

The ninth of these images includes an advert by W.S. Laycock Engineering Ltd. [1: pIX]

W.S. Laycock Engineering Ltd., was based in Sheffield. The company is covered in some detail by Grace’s Guide. [6]

The final page of adverts at the front of this edition of The Railway Magazine contains a full-page advert by the Linotype Company of Fleet Street, London.

“The Linotype Company was set up in 1889 by a group of British businessmen in order to buy Linotype and other patents from American interests. These men included the publisher Sir Joseph Lawrence, founder of the Railway Magazine, later Sheriff of London and an MP; Lord Kelvin, the famous scientist, and other well-known men of the time. In 1889, Lawrence and Stilson Hutchins, a representative of the American manufacturer, brought three experimental machines to England. These caused great interest amongst the printing and newspaper industries. In 1895 Lawrence became chairman of the Linotype Company and remained so until his death in 1919.” [7]

“Funding for the project did not come from British banks, but from the American Mergenthaler Company, which granted the Linotype’s licence in return for shares. (By 1909 Mergenthaler controlled the British company and by 1921 both the chairman and the managing director were American.) The British company’s head office was at 188-9 Fleet St, London until 1947 when it moved to John Street, London, WC1.” [7]

The UK company started life at “Hulme Street, Oxford Road, Manchester, where a factory for assembling machines and making some of the simpler parts was built. Manchester had an abundance of skilled labour and also had good rail and canal networks for transporting raw materials, such as iron and coal, and for distribution of the completed machinery. As the company became more successful, the Hulme Street factory became overcrowded. In 1896 the Linotype Company took land at Broadheath, Altrincham for a new factory, which was formally opened by Lady Kelvin on Friday 14 July 1899. The Altrincham plant was sited next to the Bridgewater Canal which brought coal for the furnaces directly from the Worsley mines to the works.” [7]

The works in Altrincham were accompanied by a large housing development for the company’s staff which included social amenities. Morning can be found out by clicking here. [7]

References

  1. The Railway Magazine, November 1899, London, 1899.
  2. https://www.periodpaper.com/products/1894-ad-j-h-moore-treatment-deafness-aerial-medication-original-advertising-076453-mun1-262, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  3. Roger Booty; The Largest Organette Works in the World; in The Music Box Volume 21 No. 7, Autumn 2004, via https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:EU:437e688b-85d0-43f2-ada3-88eebf5144b2, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  4. https://culhamticketoffice.co.uk/bits/hidden-pages/fmoore.html, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  5. https://warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/archives_online/digital/unionjournals/railway_herald, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  6. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/W._S._Laycock, accessed on 7th September 2024.
  7. https://exploringtraffordsheritage.omeka.net/exhibits/show/the-linotype-works–broadheath/the-early-day, accessed on 7th September 2024.