Jammo ready for the off, 4-5-2024.
Jammo leaving Brownhills West on the first train, 4-5-2024, after weeks of hard work in the workshop. Well done everyone!
Jammo arriving at Chasewater Heaths from Chasetown Church Street.
Jammo leaving Chasewater Heaths for Brownhills West
Arriving home at Brownhills West.
A photo for the older members, and maybe a history lesson for the younger ones.
Do you recognise the building in the photograph?
It is, or was, the Queens Arms in Hednesford, now, in 2021, undergoing considerable changes.
Notice the houses where the car park used to be.
After a hard day’s work at the Railway Preservation Society’s Hednesford Headquarters, members would retire to the Queens Arms for a swift ‘alf and to get the result of the Weekly Tote – a major source of income at the time.
It was the first of a number of pubs used by members, there was the Pear Tree, now demolished, off the Brownhills Road, and when I first started in 2002, the Prince of Wales on the A5 was frequented.
A few photos and a video clip of No 31203, owned by Les Emery, at ChasewaterJust after it arrived and later, after restoration. The photos were given to the Museum by our friend Brian Nicholls.
Taken shortly after arrival, 28-9-2003
Taken in 2007
31203 being guided into the Heritage Centre by Jason Busby. Steve Bray is on the far side.
I never saw the loco move under its own “steam”.
A real diary filler for you – all the events happening at Chasewater Railway during 2020.
Posted in Chasewater Railway, Chasewater Railway Museum, Events
Tagged Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Burntwood, Cannock, Chasewater Railway, Chasewater Railway Leaflet 2020, Chasewater Railway Museum, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, Norton Canes, Old Railway Lines, Staffordshire, Steam Locomotives, Steam Trains
After the Christmas celebrations come on down to Chasewater Railway for the Mince Pie Specials!!
More than a third of a mile of track, including 3 points and 2 buffer stops, have been donated to the West Midlands based Chasewater Railway.
The gift has been donated by Synthetic Chemicals of Four Ashes Works, Staffs.
The track was dismantled by Chasewater members over two weekends with the cost of lifting, together with labour, borne by Synthetic Chemicals, while transport was supplied by Chasewater.
This is the largest donation of its kind that Chasewater has received and is mostly due to the efforts of Jim Bates, and employee of Synthetic Chemicals and a long-standing member of the standard gauge metals railway. He found that the sidings were to be dismantled, approached his works manager on behalf of Chasewater and together with officials from the railway, obtained the track.
The majority of the track, which had been refurbished in 1989 but never used, was moved in 60ft panels on May 21, although not officially handed over till May 27.
The panels were transported to the causeway and lifted off by a crane supplied free of charge after a request from the Railway’s general manager Steve Organ, by Midland Safe Loads Ltd, Brownhills.
Although not all the track is on site at present from Four Ashes, the amount delivered, with the track from Redditch Railway Society, is enough to lay the line through to Norton Lakeside.
David Bathurst, Chairman of Chasewater Railway, said “We are overwhelmed by the quality and the length of track donated to the railway and also the cost of lifting it, for which we are very grateful. We also know that this is not the first time that Synthetic Chemicals have made such a donation to a railway. They presented their 0-4-0F Barclay built in 1944. to the Telford Steam Trust in 1992, but I would also like to thank Jim Bates for the effort he has put in…….Jim fixed it for us.”
Rail contractor Centrac, Tarmac’s track renewal company, came to the rescue when it heard that Chasewater Railway at Burntwood, Staffordshire, was struggling to extend its line due to a shortage of sleepers.
Birmingham-based Centrac offered to supply 600 sleepers from its main recycling depot at Northampton.
The Donated sleepers mean that Chasewater Railway’s volunteer workforce can extend its line to a planned new station near the proposed Burntwood by-pass entrance to the Chasewater Country Park.
The line currently serves the Brownhills West end of the park, carrying passengers around Chasewater Lake – and across the lake on a recently rebuilt causeway – to a station opened 18 months ago in the Norton wildfowl reserve.
The track represents the only remaining mineral line from the vast Cannock Chase coalfield network, and runs small tank locomotives retrieved from industrial locations, including a steam shunting engine from Pleck gasworks, providing scenic leisure trips for passengers.
Chasewater Railway general manager Steve Organ welcomed the donation of the sleepers saying “We are absolutely delighted with Centrac’s generous help – quite simply we could not have achieved so much without them. This shows the value of recycling materials.”
Lorne Gray, who is in charge of Centrac’s recycling operations, commented: “The particular type of sleeper we have donated would normally be stripped down to the bare components. The baseplates and fixings would be sold off by the tonne to scrap merchants and the sleepers sold for use in heavy industry and agriculture.
“The fact that they will now be used for their intended purpose, albeit on a reduced specification basis, is very satisfying.”
Chasewater Railway Museum 