Tag Archives: Bloxwich

199 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on November 17, 2024 by | Leave a comment

A picture from Neil Clarkes collection, Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn 0-6-0ST 7597 ‘Zebedee’, built in 1949.

199 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Winter 1996 – Part 4

 Blast from the Past – Continued

Chris Chivers

For the winter edition of the Chasewater News I have included this article and map, gleaned by our Chairman David Bathurst, from the ’Railway Magazine’ of November/December 1944 as there is a reference to the closure of our line to passenger traffic in the 1930s and for the general interest in the way the area’s network of services has been steadily eroded over the years.

Forgotten Train Services in the Birmingham District

G.A.Knott

Turning to the lines of the late Midland Railway, there is first the Halesowen Joint branch (GWR & MR) from Halesowen Junction (on the Midland main line to Bristol) to Halesowen, about 5 miles away, where it joined the GWR branch from Old Hill.  This line is very heavily graded.  The service was operated from Kings Norton, two stations up the line towards Birmingham, to Halesowen, and all the trains called at Northfield, on the main line, and at Rubery and Hunnington, the two stations on the branch proper.  Trains left Kings Norton for Halesowen on weekdays at 9.00am, 12.31, 2.40, 6.04, and 7.28pm, and Halesowen at 7.52, 10.17am, 1.25, 3.55 and 6.40pm.  There were no Sunday trains.  The journey time for the distance of about 8¼ miles was 28 minutes.  Practically the same service was working in November, 1913, but by 1917 there was only one train each way, and this route must be included in the casualty list of the late stages of the First World War.

Looking beneath Longbridge Lane bridge towards Northfield station with the up slow on the left on 12 March 1962. The remain lines are, from the left, the up fast, the down fast and the down slow. This is the current site of Longbridge station which is partof the Cross City Line. – warwickshirerailways.com

The next line is of great interest, as it once formed part of the trunk line to London.  It is the Whitacre to Hampton line of the one-time Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway, later absorbed by the Midland Railway.  In 1839 it formed the only route from the Midlands to London, and the through service consisted of two trains, one in the morning and the other at mid-day, to Hampton, and three trains in the reverse direction, in the morning, at mid-day, and in the evening.  All these trains connected at Hampton with trains of the London and Birmingham Railway.  There was one intermediate station at Coleshill, afterwards Maxstoke Goods Station, on this section of the line, but none at Whitacre itself; the next stations were at Kingsbury and Tamworth.

Looking towards Whitacre station with the original B&DJR line to Derby curving off to the left and the line to Nuneaton to the right circa 1964. The configuration of the station can be seen with the trains to Derby and Nuneaton stopping at the platform on the left and trains from both stopping on the left-hand island platform. The Hampton branch train originally terminated at the right-hand island platform which is out of sight in this view.  warwickshirerailways.com

The days of glory of the Whitacre-Hampton section (called the Stonebridge branch) were short lived.  They had begun on August 12, 1839, when the opening of the Birmingham & Derby Junction Railway from Hampton to Derby had made possible the 139-mile route between Euston and Derby.  They were diminished in July, 1840, when the Midland Counties Railway was completed to Rugby and afforded a rival route between the North Midlands and London.  They finished on February 10, 1842, when the 10 mile direct line from Whitacre to Birmingham (Lawley Street) was opened on that date.  By 1899 this service was reduced to one train a day, leaving Whitacre at 8.25am and returning from Hampton at 9.15am.  The journey time was 15 minutes for the 6½ miles.  This train made connections with LNWR trains to and from the Coventry direction.  The line, which was single, never paid adequately, but it had a very long period of gradual decay.  One train each way was still being worked in November, 1916, but this was abandoned in the beginning of 1917, and the branch given over to wagon storage.

Also now gone is the last passenger route of the Midland Railway into Wolverhampton via Walsall.  On weekdays in 1899, a service of ten trains was maintained each way, with two extra trains on Saturdays: the trains called at all or most intermediate stations.  This was reduced in 1929 to a weekday service of four trains from Wolverhampton to Walsall, and three in the opposite direction.  The Sunday service, which in 1899 had consisted of four trains each way, had been withdrawn by 1929.  By 1931 the traffic was almost completely diverted to the old LNWR Pleck route, and the old Midland line between Walsall and Wolverhampton, via Short heath, had its passenger service withdrawn on January 5th 1931.

Short Heath Station c 1930 facing Walsall D. Wilson

Another withdrawal of the same period was the Midland branch service to Brownhills.  This branch left the MR at Aldridge, 2½ miles from Walsall.  It was 4 miles in length, with one intermediate station, Walsall Wood.  There were three trains a day each way (five on Saturdays), except Sundays, in 1899.  All trains called at Walsall Wood.  The service was down to two weekday trains in 1929, and was cancelled on March 31, 1930.

Special train crossing the Chester Road, Brownhills, entering the site of the old MR Brownhills Station

Also gone from the Midland timetables is the passenger service from Birmingham to Kings Norton, via Camp Hill and Lifford.  This has been closed only since 1940, along with its six intermediate stations.

Lastly comes the GWR.  As this company has fewer lines in the area, it has naturally fewer closed ones.  There is the Oldbury branch from Langley Green Station, on the Birmingham-Stourbridge Junction line, to Oldbury.  This is only about 1 mile long, there was no intermediate station, and the journey, which was made16 times daily in each direction in 1899, lasted 5 minutes.  There was no Sunday service.  A rail motor was introduced about 1905, and in July, 1908, there were actually some 27 runs each way daily on the branch.  By 1913 the total had grown to 30, but by 1915 the whole service was withdrawn.

Old Hill station, the start of the line.  Actually, the line from Old Hill to Halesowen was built by GWR before the Halesowen Railway was created.
Note the station name board which still recorded the Halesowen branch public passenger service, which was withdrawn on 5 December 1927.  D.J.Norton

Discontinued also on the GWR, from September 26, 1927, was the service from Old Hill, 8 miles from Birmingham on the Stourbridge line to Halesowen, where end-on junction was made with the Joint GWR & MR branch.  This was another push-and-pull service, and in 1899 trains ran over the 1½ – 2 miles branch 15 times daily from Old Hill to Halesowen, and 14 times in the reverse direction.  The journey time was 5 minutes, and connections were made at Halesowen with Midland railway trains, and at Old hill with GWR trains to Dudley, Birmingham and Stourbridge.

These last two posts do not pretend to be more than a note of various interesting old services in the Birmingham area, and is certainly not exhaustive.

Barclay ‘Coln McAndrew’ and Peckett ‘Teddy’ double headed out of Brownhills West at Chasewater Railway

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198 – Chasewater Railway Museum bits and Pieces

Posted on October 17, 2024 by | Leave a comment

195 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Autumn 1996 – Part 3

Railcars on the Chase

27 Years of DMU Preservation

Steve Organ

The first ‘Modernisation Plan’ Diesel Multiple Unit vehicle to go into preservation was Gloucester Carriage & Wagon 1957 built Driving Trailer Composite (DTC) No.SC56301, which came to Chasewater from the Scottish region of British Railways at Easter 1969.  The vehicle was one of a fleet formed into two car sets which worked in Scotland and in East Anglia, as well as in the West Midlands.  The purchase was by the Railway Preservation Society (West Midlands District), as we then were, who had taken a lease on the line and trackbed at Chasewater which had formerly carried coal traffic.

The Park was being developed at the time by the local authorities keen to reclaim the spoil heaped, ruined landscape that had recently ceased production.  A preserved railway was welcomed, and so much traffic was being carried in very old and fragile stock we had inherited from the Colliery at Rawnsley, that a more modern vehicle was needed to take the load, relieving the historic stock.  The Gloucester, which seated 12 passengers in first class, and 54 in second was 57 feet 6 inches long and weighed only 25 tons.

Immediately on arrival at Chasewater, still in its recently acquired Rail Blue livery, with small yellow warning panel and 2-digit route indicator below the cab front window, the car was adapted with the buzzer circuit carried through the lighting circuit jumper and through to the locomotive which had a buzzer fitted to enable the vehicle to be used for push-pull working, with the Guard (or Coach Driver) signalling from the coach cab to the Loco Driver to stop, start, etc. by buzzer code.  Permission was received from the Railway Inspectorate to operate in this fashion despite there being no through vacuum brake, thanks to the simple communication system, the excellent look-out position for the Guard, his access to a handbrake and the line’s ‘U’ shaped gradient profile at both ends!

The DMU was a great success, and we no longer worried about the underframe of the train snapping!  The windows, large and almost continuous around the vehicle, together with the light green flecked Formica finish, and seating in vertically striped red and grey (second class) and blue and gold (first class), made for a very welcoming appearance, and the Chasewater system of working push-pull with DMU cars in conjunction with a steam or diesel locomotive was established.

The paytrain concept was adopted by BR in the sixties, and at Chasewater we often steamed on an unscheduled Sunday if the weather was fine (we only advertised trains every fortnight at this time), and used an ex Birmingham Corporation Transport Ultimatic ticket machine when the guard had to collect fares because no staff had been rostered for the station.  Often in the summer of 1974 with trains running over the then 300 yards of track and with only five minutes to collect up to 90 fares, I felt as though my thumb was dropping off by the end of the day operating that machine.

1974 saw the Gloucester painted into maroon, with a light grey roof.  A gold and white bodyside line was added below the windows in 1976.  1979 saw the front route indicator panel plated over, and a further coat of maroon paint applied.

In 1979, the Board identified two needs which could be satisfied with the purchase of a further two vehicles, firstly to use one as a ‘Railway environment’ buffet, and the other for use as a bar car, to be attached to the passenger train on busy or festival days.  A two-car Wickham-built set, recently used as a General Manager’s Inspection Saloon was identified and purchased for £1500 plus VAT and transported by rail from Leeds to Wolverhampton steel terminal, then by road to Chasewater.

The Wickham two-car set had been converted into an inspection saloon car for the General Manager, British Railways Eastern Division, in the mid-sixties.

The diving motor brake second (DMBS) was No.E50416, 57 feet long and weighed 27 tons 6 cwt.  Stripped of its original interior, a kitchen had been fitted in place of the original Guard’s compartment, and the Guard’s vestibule end windows had been plated over.  A corridor ran from the gangway around the kitchen.  The engines (two 150 HP BUT Leylands), transmission and general mechanical condition were fairly good.

The driving trailer composite, No.E56171, was 57 feet long and weighed 20 tons 10 cwt.  Again, this vehicle was internally stripped for its inspection role, and was altered thus:  one of the two toilets was removed and replaced with shelves: two huge seats, each 3’ 6” wide were installed next to the toilet, adjacent to a vacuum stand pipe, emergency brake handle and vacuum gauge.  A single compartment installed and folding steps complete with vacuum pipe release trips (to prevent the train from moving whilst the steps were down) installed below the passenger doors.  Both vehicles had had the passenger doorways nearest the front of the vehicles removed and plated over.

Both vehicles had aluminium bodies over angle-iron frames and were in good condition, however the gutters leaked and the gutter strip was eventually replaced – steel gutters fitted against aluminium bodysides need only water to start electrolytic transmission, resulting in bodyside holes against the gutter.  (This was a problem we would encounter again later with the 1994 acquisitions).  The doors were however a problem, with only a short production run, softwood frames with an aluminium skin were fitted, rather than the more normal single cast alloy that are on so many DMUs, so warping and rot were a constant problem.

At the time of the Wickhams’ arrival, the Company was suffering certain problems.  The Society, which was the group founder, had formed a company in the early seventies for the purpose of administering the public services provided by the group, a YOPS (Youth Opportunities Programme) scheme was in progress, and the two parts of the group failed to see eye to eye, the result being ultimately that the volunteer-led Society failed to co-operate with the ‘employees’ of the Company.  The track fell into rack and ruin and Society morale dissolved, members feeling squeezed out by the ‘Company’.  Of course, in reality the two needed to co-exist.

The planned use of E56171 as a second train vehicle was not proceeded with, although a rudimentary bar, built in the Officers’ compartment, did see several static days of service in 1981, and after a few excursions with E50516, as a DMU was laid up.  E56171 was however opened as a static buffet in 1981, parked against a sleeper-built platform.

1982 saw the Railway close down.  The condition of the track was awful and volunteers had disappeared, also a huge debt had been run up by the YOPS scheme.  The platform at Brownhills West was declared unsafe and demolished under the Company’s auspices, only to be found to be almost indestructible (but too late, the track had been removed and the ground excavated).  The group’s only income for the next three years was from the static buffet car E50416 and very little of significance occurred on site.

1985 saw a new start for the Railway.  A new Company was designed, and only a week after incorporation was registered as a Charity.  The aim was to incorporate the assets and accumulated debts of the old Company and Society, safeguarding the vintage stock and line, and to address the debt, so that things could start moving away from the moribund state.  With the track re-laid in concrete sleepers and a few of the old volunteers in harness, trains operated again for the first time in three years in October 1985.

The Gloucester car was repainted – yes – maroon again! And the now very worn maquette was replaced by yours truly in his first stab at upholstery.  A straw and green cloth was used in the Second class and a deep purple in the First.  Care was taken to retain and renovate all the other original fittings, wall covers, etc.

For the 1986 season both Wickham cars were repainted into – you guessed it – maroon to match the Gloucester.  The buffet car remained static, but the now derelict E56171 was re-worked, starting with the replacement of19 windows which had been smashed during its three years of abandonment.  A new large bar was built, and original pattern ‘curly back’ seats arranged around tables.  An open lounge area was created using seats from BR Mk ll carriages and the Officers’ compartment was fitted with First class seating from a Mk l carriage.  Whitsun 1986 saw the car in service with the Gloucester on the now 400 yard shunt.

One special problem had arisen during the carriage repairs; a mechanical and structural survey had shown them all to be very contaminated with blue asbestos in the body side and roofs.  A solution to the inevitable eventual stripping cost, at that time estimated at around £15,000, meant that something would have to be done!

From ‘Letters to the Editor’ Winter 1996 Chasewater News

While browsing through the next magazine to see if there was a part two to Steve Organ’s article (there is!) I came across this letter from our Museum Curator, Barry Bull.  I decided to include it here to save any long-standing members commenting on any errors.

Dear Sir,

Having just received and read the Autumn 1996 Chasewater News I would like to add a little background detail and correct a few inaccuracies in Steve Organ’s article ‘Railcars on the Chase – 27 Years of DMU Preservation’.

I’m afraid that Steve has exaggerated by some 4 years here as the Gloucester trailer E56301 did not arrive at Chasewater until May 1973.  As the E prefix indicates it came from the Eastern Region and not, as Steve suggested, from Scotland.  The vehicle was on open tender from BR and lay at March, Cambridgeshire.  We had been looking for a suitable vehicle to relieve the use of the Maryport and Carlisle six wheeler and the 16 ton GWR Brake van on passenger services, and needed something suitable for push-pull use, the Gloucester, as Steve mentioned was just right.  Our bid of £330 with our proviso that this included removal at BR’s cost to our nominated place for transfer to road transport (Long Street, Walsall) was accepted.

However, before the Gloucester trailer arrived at Chasewater, we could have disposed of it!  The North Yorkshire Moors Railway had acquired off the same BR tender list two Gloucester power cars and just one trailer.  As you can imagine they were probably a trifle peeved at having lost a trailer and we were duly contacted with a request to forego our new acquisition.  Our response was to give the NYMR a short time to provide and transport to Chasewater at their cost a similar suitable vehicle with an amount of cash to be paid to us for our ‘inconvenience’.  We received no response and the Gloucester duly arrived at Chasewater with its road journey from Walsall featured on the local independent TV News, thanks to Paul Mason who apparently drank in the same pub as Bob Warman.  At least one RPS member who knocked a day off work to help in the operation was spotted on TV and got into a bit of bother at work the day after.

It wasn’t until 1977 that the Gloucester was repainted maroon, with the work being done by outside contractors, just in time for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebration when we ran in conjunction with a local Brownhills West street party and we squeezed in 108 passengers on one run.  It was around that time when Adrian Pearson took the photograph of the Neilson together with the Gloucester which John James had 5.000 postcards printed at a cost of just 2.8 pence each.  John stood the cost of these cards himself as the Society couldn’t afford the bill.  I wonder how many are still left to sell?  (Enough. Ed.)  (All gone now, given to young visitors as a memento and much appreciated.  CWS).

The Wickhams were inspected as lying at Stourton, Leeds and I must admit to being keen on them as soon as I saw them there.  The purchase price I seem to recall was £1,000 for the power car and £750 for the trailer – plus I suppose VAT.  The deal was concluded by Derek Cartwright then working on the YOPS programme at Chasewater.

Finally may I congratulate you on the quality of the Chasewater News these days including the photographic reproductions.

Barry Bull

                                                      In through the farm gate                                                                                (Transport photos from Laurence Hodgkinson’s Collection)

Still at Chasewater,

Peckett 917-1902 came from Albright and Wilson, photographer unknown.

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197 Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on September 19, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Loco ‘Topham’ 0-6-0ST Bagnall 2293-1922. Taken 18-12-1969

The photographs shown on this blog have been in the Museum since 1986. We regret that we cannot recall the names of the photographers. If you recognise any of them, please send us the details.

197 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Winter 1996 – Part 2

From the Board Room

David Bathurst – Chairman

Despite the fact that the festive season is getting ever nearer and the 1996 operating season has drawn to a close, there is no holiday period for the Board. Indeed, the Board has already agreed the pattern of train operations for 1997 to enable publicity leaflets, posters, etc. to be prepared.  Moreover, it has been agreed that the 1996 fare structure be retained, as the current ticket prices seem to have been pitched at just (perhaps exactly) the right levels and have been accepted by the travelling public.  It is pleasing indeed to watch prospective passengers, particularly those with family groups, buying tickets without feeling the need to complain about fares, how different from the days when many (maybe a majority) took one look at the fares and left the station without more ado.

With the help of our Publicity Officer, we aim to raise public awareness in 1997.  Indeed every member – whether a working member or otherwise – is a potential publicity officer in his/her own right.  We need to preach the Railway’s gospel, or at least ensure that its leaflets and publicity materials enjoy maximum exposure!

The Board has recently considered a variety of matters concerning the Railway, and some of these are outlined briefly below.

The ex LNWR ‘Paddy’

Following discussions with relevant members, the Board has formally acknowledged that the proper (or even partial) restoration of this vehicle is beyond the current or anticipated resources of the Railway, both in financial and manpower terms.  In its present condition, the vehicle is dangerous and a liability to the Railway.  Accordingly, the Board has agreed to try to find a more suitable home for the vehicle, which is to be advertised in the railway press for disposal.  Any such disposal would be on the basis of a commitment to restoration by the recipient.  Obviously, the Board would prefer to see it go to an organisation enjoying the necessary resources and expertise to bring it back into use.

Rallies

The board is examining in considerable detail the income/expenditure profit/loss profile of the rallies held in recent years.  There is much work associated with the organisation of our rallies, a lot of it out of view of the membership or the public.  The burden now being felt by a small minority of key members (who already have their own responsibilities for operation of the Railway) is becoming unacceptable.  For these members, the rallies are no longer an enjoyable challenge.  They have become more of a nightmare.  I am not prepared to allow this situation to continue.  I am not prepared to see our members and colleagues reaching a state of despair, which has happened on a number of occasions during 1996.  With Lichfield DC seeking for the first time to impose charges for hire of Chasewater Park for rallies in 1997, the Board is taking the opportunity of looking afresh at the Railway’s policies and options regarding future rallies.  The Rallies Organiser has been so successful in generating participant interest in our rallies that we have become vulnerable through a shortage of members prepared to make a direct contribution to rally organisation.  We have become a victim of, and hostage to, our own success.  If the Board’s aspirations come to fruition, we will have vastly increased public support for the rallies, but without the hassle experienced over recent times.  Our aim is to return to a situation where our rallies are enjoyed by the public, by the participants, and – more particularly – by our own members.

Invalid Toilet

The Railway’s Policy Statement includes a commitment to the provision for the disabled and our stations, buffet and trains are all accessible to people with mobility difficulties.  The one remaining omission is the provision of a disabled toilet and the Board has noted with pleasure that this will be available in good time for the Santa Specials in December.  The opportunity is being taken to ‘repair’ some defects in the plumbing system, hopefully with an improvement for the olfactory senses.

New Shop / Bric-a-Brac

The Board has given its support for a scheme whereby the recently adapted portacabin immediately next to the buffet at Brownhills West will become the new, enlarged, shop.  Shop sales, and children’s toys in particular, have increased markedly during 1996 thanks to the introduction of an enhanced commercial policy.  Consideration is being given to the use of other accommodation as a bric-a-brac shop.

Traction Inspector

The Board has formally endorsed the appointment of David Walker as the Railway’s Traction Inspector, although this is without prejudice to the Railway maintaining a relationship with other competent persons who have been prepared to assist in the past.  A driver and two firemen have already received their ‘ticket’ and further assessments are to be made in 1997.

Lichfield District Council

A lengthy letter has been received from Lichfield District Council in relation to the many matters which have been the subject of representations from the Railway since the Council became our landlords in 1993.  The Board’s preliminary impression is that the Council has failed to recognise or appreciate our concerns and that response is wholly unsatisfactory.  The Railway’s views will be communicated to the Council at an early date.

Christmas: Santa Specials

We are hoping for our most successful Christmas programme ever, providing the icing on the cake to complete a highly encouraging year.  Santa Specials will run on Sundays 15th and 22nd December, providing an opportunity for our ‘absentee members’ to visit the Railway and to judge for themselves what changes have taken place since their last visit.

P Way News

Arthur Edwards

In the autumn/winter plans for the P Way gang over the 1996/97 period is the laying of the sidings by the bottom compound.  This is expected to take up most of the winter months.  Some work has already commenced on laying out the first two roads with the first set of points going in after the Santa Specials.  The time scale for laying in the point work is expected to be around three months so that they should be up and running for the start of the next running season.  As the 1997 season will be starting early – the last week in March – and going through to the end of October, the P Way gang has a shorter period to get more things accomplished, therefore as our membership grows hopefully more volunteers will boost the numbers in the gang.  During this period it is also planned to lay 4 x 60ft lengths of rail on the extension so that the sleepers which are already in place can be keyed up and not tossed into the lake.  If the number of bodies available gets to a sufficient number, the causeway bank can be relaid with 60 ft lengths so if any able bodied volunteers are out there you can always find us on either a Saturday or Sunday, so don’t feel shy.

The weedkilling planned for the end of summer has had to be postponed due to the weather conditions not being suitable for it.  As the weedkiller has been purchased we should be able to spread it at the beginning or middle of March prior to the commencement of the new season.  This should be followed by a second application approximately half way through the running season so as to keep on top of the perennial problem of weed encroachment onto the track.  There are signs that some of the hedging planted several years ago is starting to take hold so that it should provide a permanent barrier along some of the more exposed fence line.  Further plantings should gradually fill out any gaps so making trespass onto the line more difficult.  I’d like to thank all the volunteers who have helped us during 1996 and look forward to seeing you in 1997.

‘Lord Kitchener’ No5 0-6-0 ST Kitson 5158-1815 Photographer unknown

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196 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on September 5, 2024 by | 3 comments

Robert Nelson No.4 Hunslet 0-6-0ST 1800-1936 Littleton Colliery.

196 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Winter 1996 – Part 1

From the Editorial

In putting the Winter edition of the Chasewater News together I am wondering where to start this Editorial.  As this is the anniversary of my first full year as Editor of our members’ mag I have seen the number of articles which have been submitted grow along with the distribution of the Chasewater News.  To the members who have contributed articles not yet published I would like to say a big thank you for your efforts, and that I still have them ready to put into the magazine.  To all the members who have old memories of the Railway in its formative years and who have thought about putting pen to paper, please do so.  Part of the Editor’s role is to take submitted articles in whatever form that they arrive in and see that they are in a presentable form for publication, and as you have probably seen in the odd edition that even with a spell-checker I have still dropped the odd clanger or two when it comes to spelling.

Not sure of the outside two but the fella in the centre looks vaguely familiar!!

On membership matters we now have a total of 305 members with a newsletter distribution of over 150 copies to individual households.  This must be the highest number that we have had for many a year.  I would like to welcome all new members who have joined since the last newsletter and hope that you will enjoy being a member of the Railway.  I am looking forward to our newsletter reaching the 250 distribution mark.  As the readership increases I can start to look at the possibility of things such as colour front covers and possibly some colour prints inside the magazine instead of the current black on white format.  This of course is only possible as the quantity published grows and the scales of quantity come into effect.

The past years have seen a major turn around in the fortunes of the Chasewater Railway, from languishing in the doldrums for a number of years in the late 70s and early 80s we now have a railway which gives pleasure to hundreds of visitors every years.  Many comments have been passed by the visiting public on ‘how friendly the people are at Chasewater’, and ‘how it reminds tem of railway preservation in the old days’.  This I feel is due to the positive efforts of all the working members and also the membership at large who have helped to push the message that the Railway is alive and well and growing!

In looking forward to 1997 we have put in place possibly our most ambitious programme of steaming days yet.  With more work being carried out on the restoration of the locomotives, both steam and diesel, the Railway can look forward to being able to run different locomotives throughout the running season, and let Asbestos have a well earned rest for maintenance and repairs.  Chris Chivers.

Loco Shed News

With the completion of the shed heating it is hoped that life will be much easier for the locomotive volunteers, and there are mutterings from Andy Mould that the forge will finally be put back into working order.  Personally I think he’s just looking for somewhere to cook his bacon and keep his tea hot!  Also  during the recent shunt round, the North Eastern brake is now residing in the shed road and has been dubiously named the ‘917 and Neilson support coach’ and during the recent bad weather it has seen rather more bodies using it for a mobile rest-room than usual!

Steam Locomotives

No.4 Asbestos – Still the mainstay of the Railway for steam haulage and at the moment only requires the usual maintenance necessary for any steam locomotive.  She is expected to be in traffic during the Santa Specials.

No.5 Sentinel – With the arrival of the replacement links the repairs to the chain are well under way, and it is hoped to have Sentinel steam tested before Christmas.

No.11 Alfred Paget – The restoration of this engine continues at a pace.  The ¾” steel plate for the repairs to the front steam chest and boiler saddle has been acquired and cut to the required profile.  The broken pieces of the steam chest have been removed and sections have been cut away ready for the welding in of the new sections.  The boiler has been fully painted in primer and all the protruding studs on the firebox have either been removed awaiting replacements, or have been given a thick coat of grease as a rust preventative measure.  The locomotive is due to be moved into the shed before Christmas so that work can continue under cover over the winter months.  Further fund raising is being actively pursued by Janet Whittaker as the members on site can testify; ‘I’ve even been ‘mugged’ myself by the lady in question!

S100 – The work continues at a steady pace with new pins for the brake hanger assemblies being manufactured on-site.  The wheels should be back under the frames in their correct order before Christmas so that space can be made for the Neilson.

Diesel Locomotives

L&Y No.1 – Nearly all the new bearings for the gear box have now been acquired and the magneto and carburettor are nearing completion ready to be mounted on the engine.  The main body has been partially stripped down to be needle gunned and primed n red oxide.  The brake assembly and sand boxes have been moved to the shed to receive attention during the winter.  Once the engine is completed it is the intention to mount it in No.21 for a period of test running.

No.21 – An attempt to start the engine running on No.21 was made during the autumn without success.  There are still some problems with the cylinder heads and it seems that two new head gaskets will have to be found, as well as having the heads trimmed.  It is a possibility that the 4J0 engine nearing completion at Dormans will be brought to Chasewater for testing in No.21; this has still to be confirmed.

DMU Set – The DMU set has been partially painted in BR green and this is expected to be completed as soon as the weather improves.  The Company’s power car received a donation of £380 from the will of the late Geoff Young, with many thanks to his widow Brenda.

Carriage & Wagon Notes

Tony Wheeler

It has been some time since I have done anything from the carriage and wagon front for the Chasewater News, so here is a brief report on the ongoing restoration projects in hand at the present time.

Manchester, Sheffield & Lincoln Coach – The restoration of this coach is still ongoing.  Work is now being done on the underside of the frames with cleaning and painting taking place.  A broken panel on the guard’s door and two broken drop windows and frames have been replaced.  These were caused by vandals at various times during the autumn.  Due to the relatively minor damage caused we have still been able to concentrate on the braking gear and continued applying several coats of paint to the body as and when the weather has permitted.

Midland Brake Van – Work has re-started on this vehicle with the replacement of the missing roof boards.  This was followed up by the roof being re-covered to keep out the worst of the weather.  The missing end panels were replaced, along with some of the side panels being cleaned and undercoated.  The membership had a whip-round and £66 was raised towards the cost of the roofing for this vehicle, with the balance of the expenditure, £39.75, being made up by the Company.  The cost was as follows:  Roof felt – £73.32,  Screws – £6.96,  Paint – £19.47.  With many thanks to all who donated.

Rawnsley No.4 Lilleshall 1872 0-6-0ST on Paddy duties. Formerly 2-2-2 for Paris Exhibition.

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195 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on July 22, 2024 by | Leave a comment

An opportunity presented itself recently to acquire by way of private purchase half a dozen items of local colliery railway interest. Not since the 1960s and early 1970s, when in that period a good relationship existed between the Railway Preservation Society and local National Coal Board management and which resulted in several donations of interest has the chance to obtain in bulk such star items for the museum collection. The third nameplate is that of Beaudesert from the little 0-6-0 saddle tank built by Fox Walker, works number 266 of 1875 supplied new to Cannock and Rugeley Collieries as their number 5. Beaudesert was the ancestral home of the Paget family who became Earls of Uxbridge before being given the title and Estate Marquis of Anglesey. Finally cut up in 1964 the other nameplate of the loco survives and is on display in Kidderminster Railway Museum.

Not much about steam locos in this article but an important part of Chasewater Railway’s history nontheless.. Written in the main by the General Manager at the time, Steve Organ with errors and omissions added by Barry Bull.

195 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Autumn 1996 – Part 3

***

Railcars on the Chase

27 Years of DMU Preservation

Steve Organ

The first ‘Modernisation Plan’ Diesel Multiple Unit vehicle to go into preservation was Gloucester Carriage & Wagon 1957 built Driving Trailer Composite (DTC) No.SC56301, which came to Chasewater from the Scottish region of British Railways at Easter 1969.  The vehicle was one of a fleet formed into two car sets which worked in Scotland and in East Anglia, as well as in the West Midlands.  The purchase was by the Railway Preservation Society (West Midlands District), as we then were, who had taken a lease on the line and trackbed at Chasewater which had formerly carried coal traffic.

The Park was being developed at the time by the local authorities keen to reclaim the spoil heaped, ruined landscape that had recently ceased production.  A preserved railway was welcomed, and so much traffic was being carried in very old and fragile stock we had inherited from the Colliery at Rawnsley, that a more modern vehicle was needed to take the load, relieving the historic stock.  The Gloucester, which seated 12 passengers in first class, and 54 in second was 57 feet 6 inches long and weighed only 25 tons.

Immediately on arrival at Chasewater, still in its recently acquired Rail Blue livery, with small yellow warning panel and 2-digit route indicator below the cab front window, the car was adapted with the buzzer circuit carried through the lighting circuit jumper and through to the locomotive which had a buzzer fitted to enable the vehicle to be used for push-pull working, with the Guard (or Coach Driver) signalling from the coach cab to the Loco Driver to stop, start, etc. by buzzer code.  Permission was received from the Railway Inspectorate to operate in this fashion despite there being no through vacuum brake, thanks to the simple communication system, the excellent look-out position for the Guard, his access to a handbrake and the line’s ‘U’ shaped gradient profile at both ends!

The DMU was a great success, and we no longer worried about the underframe of the train snapping!  The windows, large and almost continuous around the vehicle, together with the light green flecked Formica finish, and seating in vertically striped red and grey (second class) and blue and gold (first class), made for a very welcoming appearance, and the Chasewater system of working push-pull with DMU cars in conjunction with a steam or diesel locomotive was established.

The paytrain concept was adopted by BR in the sixties, and at Chasewater we often steamed on an unscheduled Sunday if the weather was fine (we only advertised trains every fortnight at this time), and used an ex Birmingham Corporation Transport Ultimatic ticket machine when the guard had to collect fares because no staff had been rostered for the station.  Often in the summer of 1974 with trains running over the then 300 yards of track and with only five minutes to collect up to 90 fares, I felt as though my thumb was dropping off by the end of the day operating that machine.

1974 saw the Gloucester painted into maroon, with a light grey roof.  A gold and white bodyside line was added below the windows in 1976.  1979 saw the front route indicator panel plated over, and a further coat of maroon paint applied.

In 1979, the Board identified two needs which could be satisfied with the purchase of a further two vehicles, firstly to use one as a ‘Railway environment’ buffet, and the other for use as a bar car, to be attached to the passenger train on busy or festival days.  A two-car Wickham-built set, recently used as a General Manager’s Inspection Saloon was identified and purchased for £1500 plus VAT and transported by rail from Leeds to Wolverhampton steel terminal, then by road to Chasewater.

The Wickham two-car set had been converted into an inspection saloon car for the General Manager, British Railways Eastern Division, in the mid-sixties.

The diving motor brake second (DMBS) was No.E50416, 57 feet long and weighed 27 tons 6 cwt.  Stripped of its original interior, a kitchen had been fitted in place of the original Guard’s compartment, and the Guard’s vestibule end windows had been plated over.  A corridor ran from the gangway around the kitchen.  The engines (two 150 HP BUT Leylands), transmission and general mechanical condition were fairly good.

The driving trailer composite, No.E56171, was 57 feet long and weighed 20 tons 10 cwt.  Again, this vehicle was internally stripped for its inspection role, and was altered thus:  one of the two toilets was removed and replaced with shelves: two huge seats, each 3’ 6” wide were installed next to the toilet, adjacent to a vacuum stand pipe, emergency brake handle and vacuum gauge.  A single compartment installed and folding steps complete with vacuum pipe release trips (to prevent the train from moving whilst the steps were down) installed below the passenger doors.  Both vehicles had had the passenger doorways nearest the front of the vehicles removed and plated over.

Both vehicles had aluminium bodies over angle-iron frames and were in good condition, however the gutters leaked and the gutter strip was eventually replaced – steel gutters fitted against aluminium bodysides need only water to start electrolytic transmission, resulting in bodyside holes against the gutter.  (This was a problem we would encounter again later with the 1994 acquisitions).  The doors were however a problem, with only a short production run, softwood frames with an aluminium skin were fitted, rather than the more normal single cast alloy that are on so many DMUs, so warping and rot were a constant problem.

At the time of the Wickhams’ arrival, the Company was suffering certain problems.  The Society, which was the group founder, had formed a company in the early seventies for the purpose of administering the public services provided by the group, a YOPS (Youth Opportunities Programme) scheme was in progress, and the two parts of the group failed to see eye to eye, the result being ultimately that the volunteer-led Society failed to co-operate with the ‘employees’ of the Company.  The track fell into rack and ruin and Society morale dissolved, members feeling squeezed out by the ‘Company’.  Of course, in reality the two needed to co-exist.

The planned use of E56171 as a second train vehicle was not proceeded with, although a rudimentary bar, built in the Officers’ compartment, did see several static days of service in 1981, and after a few excursions with E50516, as a DMU was laid up.  E56171 was however opened as a static buffet in 1981, parked against a sleeper-built platform.

1982 saw the Railway close down.  The condition of the track was awful and volunteers had disappeared, also a huge debt had been run up by the YOPS scheme.  The platform at Brownhills West was declared unsafe and demolished under the Company’s auspices, only to be found to be almost indestructible (but too late, the track had been removed and the ground excavated).  The group’s only income for the next three years was from the static buffet car E50416 and very little of significance occurred on site.

1985 saw a new start for the Railway.  A new Company was designed, and only a week after incorporation was registered as a Charity.  The aim was to incorporate the assets and accumulated debts of the old Company and Society, safeguarding the vintage stock and line, and to address the debt, so that things could start moving away from the moribund state.  With the track re-laid in concrete sleepers and a few of the old volunteers in harness, trains operated again for the first time in three years in October 1985.

The Gloucester car was repainted – yes – maroon again! And the now very worn maquette was replaced by yours truly in his first stab at upholstery.  A straw and green cloth was used in the Second class and a deep purple in the First.  Care was taken to retain and renovate all the other original fittings, wall covers, etc.

For the 1986 season both Wickham cars were repainted into – you guessed it – maroon to match the Gloucester.  The buffet car remained static, but the now derelict E56171 was re-worked, starting with the replacement of19 windows which had been smashed during its three years of abandonment.  A new large bar was built, and original pattern ‘curly back’ seats arranged around tables.  An open lounge area was created using seats from BR Mk ll carriages and the Officers’ compartment was fitted with First class seating from a Mk l carriage.  Whitsun Spring Bank Holiday) 1986 saw the car in service with the Gloucester on the now 400 yard shunt.

One special problem had arisen during the carriage repairs; a mechanical and structural survey had shown them all to be very contaminated with blue asbestos in the body side and roofs.  A solution to the inevitable eventual stripping cost, at that time estimated at around £15,000, meant that something would have to be done!

From ‘Letters to the Editor’ Winter 1996 Chasewater News

While browsing through the next magazine to see if there was a part two to Steve Organ’s article (there is!) I came across this letter from our Museum Curator, Barry Bull.  I decided to include it here to save any long-standing members commenting on any errors.

Dear Sir,

Having just received and read the Autumn 1996 Chasewater News I would like to add a little background detail and correct a few inaccuracies in Steve Organ’s article ‘Railcars on the Chase – 27 Years of DMU Preservation’.

I’m afraid that Steve has exaggerated by some 4 years here as the Gloucester trailer E56301 did not arrive at Chasewater until May 1973.  As the E prefix indicates it came from the Eastern Region and not, as Steve suggested, from Scotland.  The vehicle was on open tender from BR and lay at March, Cambridgeshire.  We had been looking for a suitable vehicle to relieve the use of the Maryport and Carlisle six wheeler and the 16 ton GWR Brake van on passenger services, and needed something suitable for push-pull use, the Gloucester, as Steve mentioned was just right.  Our bid of £330 with our proviso that this included removal at BR’s cost to our nominated place for transfer to road transport (Long Street, Walsall) was accepted.

However, before the Gloucester trailer arrived at Chasewater, we could have disposed of it!  The North Yorkshire Moors Railway had acquired off the same BR tender list two Gloucester power cars and just one trailer.  As you can imagine they were probably a trifle peeved at having lost a trailer and we were duly contacted with a request to forego our new acquisition.  Our response was to give the NYMR a short time to provide and transport to Chasewater at their cost a similar suitable vehicle with an amount of cash to be paid to us for our ‘inconvenience’.  We received no response and the Gloucester duly arrived at Chasewater with its road journey from Walsall featured on the local independent TV News, thanks to Paul Mason who apparently drank in the same pub as Bob Warman.  At least one RPS member who knocked a day off work to help in the operation was spotted on TV and got into a bit of bother at work the day after.

It wasn’t until 1977 that the Gloucester was repainted maroon, with the work being done by outside contractors, just in time for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee celebration when we ran in conjunction with a local Brownhills West street party and we squeezed in 108 passengers on one run.  It was around that time when Adrian Pearson took the photograph of the Neilson together with the Gloucester which John James had 5.000 postcards printed at a cost of just 2.8 pence each.  John stood the cost of these cards himself as the Society couldn’t afford the bill.  I wonder how many are still left to sell?  (Enough. Ed.)  (All gone now, given to young visitors as a memento and much appreciated.  CWS).

The Wickhams were inspected as lying at Stourton, Leeds and I must admit to being keen on them as soon as I saw them there.  The purchase price I seem to recall was £1,000 for the power car and £750 for the trailer – plus I suppose VAT.  The deal was concluded by Derek Cartwright then working on the YOPS programme at Chasewater.

Finally may I congratulate you on the quality of the Chasewater News these days including the photographic reproductions.

Barry Bull

                                                      In through the farm gate                                                                                (Transport photos from Laurence Hodgkinson’s Collection)

‘Nuttall’ 0-6-0 ST, HE, 1683-1931. Cannock Wood 2-3-1963

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194 -Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on July 11, 2024 by | Leave a comment

‘Marquis’ No.1 0-6-0 ST Built by the Lilleshall Company in 1867 Cannock and Rugeley Collieries.

194 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Autumn 1996 – Part 2

From the Board Room

David Bathurst – Chairman

More Health & Safety Matters

Issues concerning health and safety in its wider context continue to give rise for anxiety for the Board.  In my article in the previous edition of ‘Chasewater News’, I devoted much attention to the work undertaken on the Railway’s Risk Assessment.  The production of such an assessment is in itself a form of self-audit, but its importance lies equally in its acceptance by the working members and their commitment to follow the procedures prescribed for each aspect of the Railway’s activities.

It is important that our working members know, rather than assume they know, the approved procedures.  The majority are, of course, straightforward common sense.  The underlying theme is to ensure, as far as is possible, that the Company operates its trains (and all ancillary activities) safely for the public visiting the Railway, our passengers and – especially – our working members.  In pursuance of these objectives, relevant extracts from the approved Risk Assessment are shortly to be distributed to working members.  Our practices and procedures need to be kept under review; the Risk Assessment is not merely a document to be kept under wraps in the office.

The Risk Assessment also requires the Company to improve its record-keeping, particularly in relation to those areas governed by legislation or regulation.  Responsibility for maintenance of such records will rest with the Company Secretary, although he will have the power to delegate such responsibility where appropriate.  In the first instance, the opportunity has been taken to produce a fully updated and comprehensive list of working members.

1996 Rule Book

By the time this edition if ‘Chasewater News’ is published, all regular working members will have received their personal copy of the much-awaited 1996 Rule Book.  The Company’s Rules and Regulations complement and form part of the Risk Assessment (and vice versa) and considerable emphasis is being placed on the need for working members to know and understand them.

Crew Training

For far too long, the Railway has had to rely on the availability of just two steam locomotive drivers, whose dedication to duty has exceeded all reasonableness.  Under the umbrella of the approved training programme, action is being taken to increase the number of ‘qualified’ footplate personnel so as to spread the load somewhat.  Not only have a significant number of members been ‘authorised’ by the Company as footplate and train crew, but also arrangements are now in hand for examination of footplate personnel by external qualified assessors.

The Rail Regulator

It may come as a complete surprise to learn that the extension into Norton Lakeside Station and the station itself currently have to meet (in theory at least) the requirements of the Railways Act 1993.  The Act comprises no less than 154 sections and 14 schedules!!  This is a consequence of the station having opened subsequent to the 1st April 1994.  However, the Company has made a formal application to the Office of the Rail Regulator for exemption from the provisions of the 1883 Act and a response (hopefully favourable) is now awaited.

Policy Statement 1996

The Board has approved a document which effectively represents the Company’s non-financial business plan for 1996 and onwards.  Members may find it to be of interest and it is accordingly intended to publish the entire document in a forthcoming edition of ’Chasewater News’.

Running and Restoration Agreements.

Again by the time this edition of ‘Chasewater news’ is published, the first formal Running Agreement will have been entered into between the Company and a private owner of an item of rolling stock.  Much work has been undertaken ‘behind the scenes’ in finalising both Running and Restoration Agreements, which are based on the document kindly provided by PeakRail.  These will be mandatory in relation to all items new to the Railway, but it is also intended for them to be offered to existing private owners of stock at Chasewater so as to establish a clear understanding between the parties.

Lichfield District Council

It is some little time since I set out in ‘Chasewater News’ a note of the wide range of issues outstanding between the Railway and Lichfield District Council (LDC).  I explained then that certain issues could not be resolved until a decision is forthcoming on the BNRR (M6 Toll).

What I could not have anticipated was that the non-BNRR issues have moved no further forward since the date of the previous article.  Despite letters to and meetings with the LDC, some very important (to the Railway) matters appear to be languishing in the Council’s offices.  These include (as examples only) our application to extend beyond the current lease and the prospect of resurrecting the LRO application.

Such is the Board’s concern over this wall of silence, that Steve Organ, Les Emery and myself held a private meeting in June with the LDC’s Chairman of Development to describe the Railway’s ‘disappointment ‘ at the Council’s apparent disinterest in our future – or at least disinterest in responding to letters regarding our future.  The meeting was followed by an exchange of correspondence.  It remains to be seen how the Council will react but it has to be said that an increasing number of Chasewater Railway members are beginning to wonder whether the Council and the Railway are following the same agenda.

Traffic Levels

So far, these ‘From the Boardroom’ notes have dealt with some rather dry and dusty matters.  To redress the balance somewhat, it is pleasing to say the least to report a significant improvement in all aspects of our core business so far this year. The number of passengers has increased steadily.  In consequence, revenue from fares is up, the buffet is attracting far more customers, and shop sales have increased accordingly.  There are some (although they would not wish to be identified publicly) who have actually detected a slight smile on the face of the Financial Controller.

It is difficult to identify, let alone understand the reasons for fluctuations in traffic.  Comparisons between relevant dates year-on-year can lead to much head scratching.  We must be doing something right, however, if the figures to date are anything to go by.  Of course, our income compared with the first division preserved railways is insignificant, but improved revenue will at least enable us to discharge our ever-reducing external debts and modest bank overdraft.

P Way News – Arthur Edwards

Since the last news letter maintenance has continued at a steady pace on the current running line.  Fencing is a perennial problem especially around Norton Lakeside Station with a number of sections being continuously cut down by the general public so that they do not have to use the designated route across the trackbed.  They feel it is easier to use the railway bridge instead of the footbridge alongside, and further means will have to be implemented to discourage them from this practice.  It might be possible to utilise some of the metal fence panels which are behind the buffet to strengthen the platform fence.

The first batch of weedkilling went well, but it will require another go at it later this year to really get on top of the problem.  A different mix is to be tried out in an attempt to kill back the blackberry runners which keep on invading the cleared trackbed, also the problem of bracken on the embankments to Willow Vale bridge has to be addressed.  It could be possible to instigate a regular policy of firing off the banks in order to allow grass to grow through and so reduce the risk of fire hazard.

Some work has commenced on the extension to Three Ways Junction (the end of our current lease) to get it ready for the expected ‘track bash’ over the winter.  This work has included trimming back some of the overgrowing hedgerow and generally tidying up the site.  Some elements of the track fittings have arrived from the aborted site in Wolverhampton and we are now awaiting the sleepers and track from an alternative site in Wales.

Brownhills West Notes – Kim Wilkes

Station Buffet

Regular visitors to the Railway cannot fail to notice that the dining area of the buffet was transformed over last winter.  The new curtains, menus and flowers on the tables add to the effect.  This year’s success in the buffet has only been marred by some break-ins, but work done on the shutters, etc. should help.  A rota of catering assistants to cook and serve the excellent food would ease the load of the current ladies who staff the buffet at present.  Also required are more home-made cakes which have proved popular this year.

Can you help?

Gardens

Again, regular visitors to the Chasewater Railway cannot fail to notice that the flower beds and planted areas are looking much tidier, thanks to the hard work of one of our newer members, Joyce.

Museum and Shop

Due to a large amount of vandalism and theft over a period of time, the museum has remained closed to the public.  Repair work to the LNWR 50ft brake (museum coach) is under way courtesy of Gary Kay, and as work progresses it is hoped that the small relics collection can be displayed to the public in the not-too-distant future.  The shop is still housed in the booking office at the present time, but as the steel roller shutters have now been installed on the new block it is hoped that what was going to be the general office can now be converted into a new shop area over the winter period, so allowing more space for a wider selection of items to be sold.

Barclay Loco ‘Invicta’ at Lakeside. Picture donated by David Bathurst, 2012

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193 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on June 27, 2024 by | Leave a comment

‘Vanguard’ 0-4-0ST Peckett 1491-1917 Brereton

193 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Autumn 1996 – Part 1

Editorial

As the running season gradually winds down, the working members can look forward to another winter of further extension work and getting on top of the ongoing maintenance.  As the number of working members has increased, the overall appearance of the railway has improved.

A large new sign on the A5 entrance to the park means that a large number of the general public have visited the railway for the first time, with the usual comment ;I only live up the road but I never knew you existed’.  This in conjunction with a board at the entrance to the park advertising our excellent buffet service as well as train rides seems to have brought more people up to the top end of the park instead of them staying by the swings and slides.  The overall reaction from the first time general public visiting us is very favourable, which can only reflect on the working members generally.

The vacant position of Publicity Officer has been filled by Kim Wilkins and she has made a start on getting the running dates published in the railway press.  This is probably one of the most unglamorous jobs on the railway with a lot of effort going in for what can seem like very little reward.  I would like to thank the previous holder of this post, Keith Day, for all the effort that he put into the job when he was doing it.

On the subject of members, as of the date of this magazine, we currently have the largest number of members in the Railway’s history with nearly 150 magazines going to different households, and this translates to approximately 250 current members.

Thursday 12th October saw the running of a special service train to Norton Lakeside Station for the planting of a Silver Birch tree in memory of Geoff Young, whose funeral took place the previous Friday at Sutton Coldfield Crematorium.  A good proportion of working members attended as well as members of Geoff’s family for an oration and prayers.  Geoff’s wife Brenda scattered Geoff’s ashes across the causeway.  I’m sure that I speak for all the members of the Chasewater Railway in giving Brenda our deepest condolences at her loss.

Chris Chivers.

Loco Shed News

With the running season nearly over, the mainstay of the steam services have been carried out by No.4 Asbestos.  The coal from Hatfield Colliery has proved to be a good British alternative to the Russian coal purchased in the past.  The small size of the coal which was brought in as it was primarily to be used in the boiler of the Sentinel, and any further purchases will be made in a size to accommodate both the larger grates of Asbestos and any further restored locomotives.

 The loco shed has also had installed an oil fired heater and ducting and this should provide a warmer environment during the winter months.

Steam Locomotives

No.4 Asbestos – With the coal problem sorted out, Asbestos has performed well during the season.  Several new firebars have been purchased to replace a number of banana-shaped ones and several of the tubes have been replaced over the season.  One of the springs has been mended and the pressure gauge has been re-calibrated and certified.

No.5 Sentinel – The repairs to the Sentinel have been progressing at a steady pace with the damaged area cleaned out and the front casting being inspected to find out the easiest way to mend the front casting of the locomotive.  The front drive sprockets have been straightened out and the broken links of the drive chain have been de-greased.  The rest of the drive chain has also been cleaned up in readiness to be re-assembled.

No.11 Alfred Paget – Work is continuing at a steady pace on the restoration of this locomotive and the fund raising efforts of the group are doing well.  The boiler has now received a coat of primer to prevent any further rusting.  The badly rusted base of the front boiler that sits on the steam chest has been cut away and a new piece of metal has been curved and welded into place.  Various fitting studs on the firebox have been removed and the facings have been cleaned up and given a liberal coating of grease.

S100 – Work is still progressing at the usual rate, slow but steady, and Tony Sale is gradually putting more and more bits back onto the frames.  It is still hoped to have S100 back on its wheels in the no too distant future.

Diesel Locomotives

Fowler diesel hydraulic No.422015 – The Fowler has had a number of outings this year on passenger workings.  It continues to receive minor attention during the season and has held up well.  Sooner or later the Fowler will need a major overhaul to cure the problem of ‘clag’ that is chucked out while running.

Fowler diesel mechanical No.410013 – A final coat of paint has been applied to the locomotive and the front cover panels have been replaced.  The engine still needs some attention as well as the drive shaft.  There is still no final date on when this loco can be returned to traffic.

L & Y No.1 – Work is still continuing on finishing the rebuild of the engine with further parts being obtained from our friends at Dormans.  As soon as the body can be removed from the bay platform road then it can be shot-blasted and painted.  The buffers have been removed to the shed where they have been stripped down and the springs cleaned and oiled.  As they have been rebuilt they have been painted, waiting to be re-united with the chassis.  Most of the brake gear has also been removed from the body to be cleaned and re-assembled.

No.21 – The first attempts to run the engine have met with mixed results.  The problem seems to be with the timing chain set in the wrong position.  This is being rectified but it could mean a new head gasket being required for part of the engine.

DMU Set – Cars 51412 and 51370 have now been reunited.  They are currently having the roof painted light grey and the body is being painted green, the handles white and small yellow warning panels fro the front and rear driver’s cabs.  The rotten portions of the bodies are being replaced as well as the route indicator being converted to four digit route indicator, before work starts on the interiors.  Car 51412 is also receiving attention to the motors and control circuits.

Ruston Hornsby DM48 – The latest addition to the Chasewater diesel fleet has now had the body stripped down to allow access to the engine.  A start has been made on locating a new cylinder head and various other parts.

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192 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on June 21, 2024 by | Leave a comment

Please note – the Museum will not be open this Sunday – 23-6-2024

‘Asbestos’ Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST 2780-1909 Passing the engine shed, before alterations!

Picture donated by David Bathurst

192 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

From Chasewater News – Summer 1996 – Part 3

P Way News – Arthur Edwards

Since the last article was published the P Way gang has had a number of new members join us and the extra manpower has enabled us to carry on a number of tasks at a greater speed than originally planned.  This has enabled us to fence in an area next to the lower compound entrance gates, so we now have a fenced in area for the storage of rail and other heavy items of P Way material.

Also the fence from the foot-crossing between the two compounds to the bottom compound has been realigned to allow the relaying of the sidings alongside the shed road.  Work is also in progress to design the layout of a head shunt behind the current shed therefore allowing access to the shed from both ends.

Further down the line a number of fence posts have been replaced where they were broken down by trespassers onto the running line and along with bits of hedge growing up alongside is starting to make things much harder for the local idiots.  The only bit of bad news about this fencing is that we can no longer use barbed wire where the public footpaths or public areas come up to our fence.  I have mixed feelings about this as I know one or two of the members would like to use razor wire backed up with land mines!!

With the first decent spell of dry weather the perennial job of weed killing was carried out, and not before time as the track was starting to disappear beneath the undergrowth again.  It has been proposed that a further application of the poisonous stuff be applied sometime later in the summer – weather permitting.

The P Way gang meet every Sunday at Brownhills West Station from 10.00am onward.  Come and join us!!

Neilson Saddle Tank No.11 – Paget’s Progress – by Paul Whittaker

Neilson 2937/1882

Alfred Paget at Chasewater – June 1978

On the 13th January 1996, a freezing cold morning of -5ºC, I started the hard slog of removing the boiler tubes from No.11.  After many a bruised finger and some colourful language, not to mention seven weekends at it, the final tube fell free from the boiler tube plate at 4.00pm on Saturday 6th April.

After long deliberation and much discussion I and several co-workers concluded that the next move would be to remove the water tank, thus allowing access to the boiler for closer inspection.  As the cost of a crane was as yet out of our reach, we proceeded to jack up the tank until such time as it would be possible to slide it safely down two lengths of rail to its resting place on the platform in the engine shed compound.

The next job was to remove the boiler cladding and insulation, a dirty job but it had to be done.  Meanwhile amongst the organised chaos that is generated when stripping a steam locomotive down, we removed the dome plate.  This was in order to provide access to the interior of the boiler for a very slim young man, otherwise known as Christian Hatton to get inside and remove the remaining collapsed tubes, and around 3cwt of rust.  While all this was going on, the washout and fusible plugs were removed from the firebox.  The steam cleaner proved to be invaluable in removing the rust and crud from the water jacket around the firebox.  As a result of all this, the boiler is now ready for the boiler inspector to cast a cursory eye over it a prelude to a proper test inspection.

As work progressed on No.11 that magic word ‘money’ reared its ugly head again, and after some serious consideration my very good friend and colleague David Borthwick and I decided to start a fund to raise the necessary cash to renovate Alfred Paget, and entitled the fund ‘Neilson Steam Aid’, to which my good wife Janet will administer and collect donations.  In addition to this, Dave has put together a Stock Book, which documents basic information on most of Chasewater Railway’s rolling stock and locomotives.  This booklet is on sale in the station buffet at 75p per copy.

On a more personal note, I would like to say that I am overwhelmed by the help and support, to say the least, and of the amount of technical information that I’ve received from fellow members at Chasewater, without which I would have been like a beached whale.  And so I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank all of those involved with the on-going renovation of Neilson Saddle Tank No.2937, otherwise known as ‘Alfred Paget No.11.

Alfred Paget last steamed in 1982, and is still a way off yet – in 2012.

Class 08 and Bagnall ‘Linda’ 2-3-2011

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191 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on June 18, 2024 by | Leave a comment

The Museum will not be open this coming Sunday, 23rd June 2024

‘Hanbury’ No.3 Peckett 0-6-0 ST 567-1894 Crossing Brownhills Road, Norton Canes.

191 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces

 From Chasewater News – Summer 1996 – Part 2

From the Board Room

David Bathurst – Chairman

Health and Safety Matters

Those of our members who are associated with other preserved railways cannot fail to have noted from their magazines the increasing importance of health and safety.  This sudden interest in safety awareness is neither coincidental nor accidental, it is a direct consequence of legislation.

Along with our sister organisations, we have had to prepare and submit a Risk Assessment for approval by the Health and Safety Executive.  To operate as a passenger-carrying railway without having obtained the necessary acceptance of our Risk Assessment is unlawful and would expose the ‘management’ to prosecution.

Our Risk Assessment, underpinned by the proposed revised Rule Book, is now in the hands of HMRI for consideration and, hopefully, approval.  In the interim, the Company is in possession of a temporary exemption which permits us to operate lawfully pending a decision by the Health and Safety Executive.

This situation has arisen in consequence of the Railway (Safety Case) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994 No.237) which applies to all passenger-carrying operators, including operators of heritage railways.  Despite the ‘universal’ nature of the regulations, it has been generally recognised that the safety implications (and risks) associated with a preserved railway such as ours, operating with a 20 mph speed limit, are significantly different to a railway running trains at 125 mph.  Yet in many respects the considerations are the same – it is only a matter of differing magnitude and scale.  For example, the need for operator protection when using electrical equipment is as important to a Chasewater Railway volunteer as it is to a RailTrack employee, the risk to the individual at the time is the same if something were to go wrong.

Most of us have a degree of cynicism regarding the ever-increasing effects of legislation on our day-to-day operations.  The ARPS and other supportive bodies have fought hard (and are continuing to fight) on our behalf to ensure that preserved railways are protected against some of the more onerous obligations being placed – quite properly – on our bigger brothers.  For this we are most grateful.  But at the same time we need to recognise the simple fact that running trains – in its widest definition – is potentially dangerous.  We need to ensure to the utmost best of our ability that risks to both the public and our members are minimised and that our practices and policies are driven by safety considerations.

To some degree it’s a matter of good sense and adopting practices which will ensure our safety – whether during the lifting of sleepers, working on the footplate, or preparing sandwiches in the refreshment room.

The preparation of the Risk Assessment involved a number of ‘key players’ with Andy Mould taking the lead.  As the process developed, the point of the exercise came more clearly into focus.  The document includes a commitment to introduce changes in certain areas of activity, including accountability and the maintenance of proper records.  Sometimes it proves very valuable to examine carefully what we do, why, and how ‘dangerous’ it is and how we might make changes to reduce potential risks to volunteers and the travelling public.

During the forthcoming months, it will be necessary to introduce the changes required to honour the commitments contained in the Risk Assessment.  Most will be self-obvious improvements in our working practices and procedures.  Those members or groups of members affected by such changes will be informed directly and as widely as possible so that there can be no areas of doubt or uncertainty.

Stop Press

The following is the text of a letter dated 13th May 1996 from the Health and Safety Executive:

“RAILWAYS (SAFETY CASE) REGULATIONS, 1994

Further to your conversation…. On 24 April, I am pleased to inform you that the Health and Safety Executive has now completed its evaluation of your application for exemption from the above regulations, and has found it satisfactory.  Accordingly, I enclose a certificate exempting the Chasewater Railway from regulations 3, 4 & 5 of the Railways (Safety Case) Regulations, 1994.

The assessor also asked me to commend you on the responsible approach towards the running of (the) railway which is demonstrated in your application.”

How we look to others

In the past, our Railway has been criticised for its ‘appearance’.  We have been seen as just a little short of a scrapyard.  Not that we are on our own!  Such is the very nature of railway preservation, with locomotives and rolling stock at various stages of dereliction (with little or no prospect of restoration ‘within the foreseeable future’) and a whole array of items and equipment which might, perhaps one day, fins some form of use.

1996 has been declared a year of good old-fashioned consolidation, presenting the opportunity of finishing unfinished jobs without the distraction of some major enterprise.  Looking over the site, particularly at Brownhills West, the scale of improvements is immediately apparent compared with say, 12 months ago.  A concerted effort to tidy the whole place up is producing dividends at last.  The amount of rubbish and scrap disposed of has been impressive, to say the least.

We still have a long way to go, however.  Some (perhaps even ‘most’) of our working members still seem unable to adopt the culture of tidiness.  My message is worth repeating: please do not simply leave YOUR rubbish for someone else to clear up.  And if you see rubbish, litter and the like – particularly in the station areas – please take the trouble to pick it up and drop it in a bin.  Empty drinks cans littered around the site leave an appalling impression.  Take pride in your railway.

The 1996 Annual General Meeting

The 1996 AGM agenda was completed in just 6 minutes.  As a formal business meeting it began at the appointed time; those who arrived late missed it!  I am delighted to welcome Arthur Edwards to the Board as a Company Director.  His support has always been much appreciated and I am confident that Arthur will have much to offer to the future management of the Railway.

For those present at (or arrived later) the AGM, perhaps the more interesting part was the traditional open forum which followed and resulted in discussions on the usual wide range of subjects.  The thorny problem of vandalism generated quite a lot of feeling.

Social Evenings

My personal commitments cry out for the introduction of an 8-day week (but with a 3-day weekend of course).  Thus, I cannot attend every event, much as though I would wish to.  But how pleasing it was to join so many working members and friends at the April Social Evening, with some interesting slides and a pleasant drink or two on offer.  The Railway can only be strengthened by such events, especially as the older members in particular have a massive fund of knowledge, information and anecdotes to share with our colleagues.

“Chasewater News”

Building on the excellent work of his predecessor, our current Editor is producing a magazine which is going from strength to strength.  Of course, access to modern technology is the key to the appearance and layout of the magazine – despite the curious effects which from time-to-time result owing to the use of an American spell checker!

Appearance and layout are two aspects only.  The Editor can only produce an interesting magazine if he has the materials to include.  On his behalf, can I make a plea to members to provide articles – especially articles about the Railway itself – for inclusion in the magazine.  Don’t worry if you think that your grammar or spelling is poor, it doesn’t matter.  Chris will ensure that your material is corrected before publication (well, that’s the theory at least!).  Similarly, if you have any photographs (whether ancient or modern) which might be of interest, then please let Chris Chivers know.

On the Volunteer Front

The Annual Report presented to the 1996 AGM included a reference to the need for working members to respect one another’s work.  For a variety of reasons, some valid but many unsustainable, the closing months of 1995 produced a Chasewater version of ‘A Winter of Discontent’.  Perhaps it really did have something to do with the weather.  With the onset of spring, the spirit of co-operation and harmony between working members has improved beyond belief.  Doom and gloom have been replaced by confidence and optimism.  With so many positive things in hand or on the horizon, it is vital that this spirit is maintained and developed.  When all said and done, we’re supposed to be enjoying ourselves!  Additional working members are always welcome – and they need to feel welcome.  All Departments are always on the lookout for additional resources, whether manpower or material-wise.  If you feel able to assist in any way, please let someone on the Railway know next time you visit Chasewater.

The last three photographs are of ‘our’ railway trackbed on the other side of the M6 Toll road, the final one, with Ellie, was taken in the area of the old Brownhills Midland station.

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190 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

Posted on June 13, 2024 by | Leave a comment

A reminder: The Museum will not be open on June 23rd 2024

‘Nuttall’ 0-6-0 ST Hunslet 1685-1931 Ex Mowlem 1948 Cannock Wood

190 – Chasewater Railway Museum Bits and Pieces

 From Chasewater News – Summer 1996 – Part 1

Editorial

So far this year the weather has been kind to us, with the exception of the Spring Bank Holiday, and unlike 1995 this has been reflected in the ticket receipts so far received.  The number of passengers carried for the first two months of the season is significantly up on the same period last year.  This has also had a knock-on effect within the catering and shop sales areas.  It is welcome that our core business is starting the season off so well.  If the trend and the weather keep up then the Railway should be back in profit by the second half of the running season.

Plans are also in hand for the further acquisition of track that should take the Railway to the end of its current lease if not further.  There is no doubt that the Railway is enjoying a higher profile with the general public and railway fraternity.  This has been dramatically shown by the speed of membership renewals and the number of new members joining since January.  Also it is welcoming to see a number of old members whose membership has lapsed taking a renewed interest in the Railway.  I would like to welcome all the new members who have joined this year and I hope that you will feel at home at Chasewater.

Loco No.8 at West Cannock – With kind permission geoffspages.co.uk

The Railway has had fewer instances of trespass over the past few years than used to be the case, and when it has occurred it has taken the form of a nuisance value rather than really serious damage, even though the damage caused has been b—– aggravating and has wasted our time in clearing up afterwards. However we look at the results of a break-in, the security of the site is still going to be a major headache.  Do we spend a large amount of cash (which we haven’t got) in re-fencing the compounds, only to have it demolished within a few years by the BNRR (M6 Toll), or do we try to make do and mend until the BNRR issue is finally resolved.  The dilemma is not an easy one.  So far this year apart from a number of coach windows broken, and one raid into the buffet, the vandalism and theft is nothing compared with the break-in to the shed several years ago.

After the AGM, which was held in much more comfortable surroundings than in past years, a pub, the following people were elected:

David Bathurst                        Chairman

Steve Organ                           General Manager

Chris Chivers                         Financial Controller

Bob Duffill                              Commercial Manager

Andy Clegg                            Company Secretary

Arthur Edwards                      Director

Dave Ives                               Director

As Arthur is the new member to the Board I can only wish him the best and hope he doesn’t get as much grey hair as I’ve got!

Chasewater News is edited by Chris Chivers.

Loco Shed News

This year seems bedevilled by problems in trying to get steam traction out in traffic.  The first problem was duff coal, a test batch was sent to us and then a further 10 tons was sent in replacement for the original 10 ton delivery.  After spending an afternoon shovelling it out of the mineral wagon to send back I am still trying to get some feeling back into my legs.  The new batch of coal, yet again British, as no Russian is available, has proved more volatile therefore freer steaming, but the problem of clinkering still remains.  The diesel department has received yet another locomotive courtesy of Mr. A Clegg and this is stabled on 2-road in the top compound.

Steam Locomotives

No.4 Asbestos

The Boiler Inspector has seen Asbestos and subject to a small amount of welding around the bottom of the firebox along with the replacement of several tubes all looks well.  If the Inspector gives it the all-clear after the steam test, Asbestos should be back in traffic by the time this mag is published.

No.5 Sentinel

Sentinel in original livery – 1

After several steamings the Sentinel suffered from a broken drive chain.  This has been a blow to Nigel Canning after putting so much work over the past two years into the Sentinel’s overhaul.  Apart from the broken drive chain the crank case and drive sprocket has suffered some damage and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.  Members of the loco department are looking into finding replacement links for the chain so therefore salvaging as much of the original chain as possible.

Sentinel in original livery-2

No.11 Alfred Paget

Work on Alfred Paget is continuing at a pace.  Since the spring mag all the tubes have been removed and the saddle tank has also been moved onto the platform, along with the boiler cladding, cab and bunkers.  This has allowed the boiler to be partially lifted out of the frames so that the stays can be checked.  Along with the rotten smokebox being removed the boiler has been cleaned internally and externally.  It has been decided that the work on restoring Alfred Paget will be funded separately and any offers of help and/or donations can be made to Paul Whittaker whose wife Janet is acting as treasurer for the Alfred Paget Fund.

S100

Tony Sale has now completed replacing the slide bars on S100 ready to re-install the cross-heads.  This has included the manufacture of new slide bar shims so that they can be lined up correctly with the pistons.  The framed should be receiving a final coat of paint along with the wheels before the bearings are checked so that the wheels can be put back into place.

Invicta

This locomotive is still stabled on the end of one-road and is still awaiting attention from Mike Wood as to its long term future.  This locomotive provided the Railway with some sterling service before its boiler ticket ran out and it would be useful to see it back into traffic sometime in the future.

917

This has received a second coat of paint courtesy of Dave Borthwick and the Railway must think of the long term future for this engine, considering the repairs needed to the boiler.

Diesel Locomotives

Fowler diesel hydraulic No.422015

The Fowler is still running even though there are signs of water leaking into the sump.  The overall work that the loco is carrying out is being kept to a minimum while the problem is being traced.

L&Y No.1

The body of No.1 has now been lifted out of the bay platform and has been prepared ready for needle gunning.  One set of buffers and draw gear have been removed and are in the shed after being cleaned and painted.  The brake gear and sand boxes have been removed as well as the wheels.  A new set of spoked wheels are due to replace the current solid wheels so bringing No.1 back to its original condition.  The gear box has now been stripped down and is undergoing repairs before being installed.  The engine has now had the clutch mechanism attached and only awaits a few minor parts before being completed.

No.21

Work is still continuing on the restoration of No.21 and is only subject to the time available from Jonathan Clegg & Co.

DMU Set

Ken Dyde with the DMU at the new Lakeside Station

The bar is now all but completed and the broken windows were re[laced within 24 hours by Ken Dyde & Co.  A number of additional spares have been purchased from Tyseley depot, including a replacement engine if required.

Ruston Hornsby DM48

This has recently arrived on site and a few basic jobs have been carried out to tidy up its appearance while an engine head and other spares are located.

Peckett ‘Teddy’ giving brake van rides, Easter Sunday, 05-04-2024 from behind the Heritage Centre at Chasewater Railway.

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