This double-sided flyer recently came to light in the museum. It is now 25 years old and I found it to be interesting – I hope you do as well.
The running line in those days ran from the old Brownhills West Station (now in the middle of the M6 Toll) to the Willow Vale Bridge. Push-pull obviously.
It will now be tucked away in our Chasewater Light Railway archives.
Posted in From the Archive, Museum & Artefacts
Tagged Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Burntwood, Cannock, Cannock Wood, Chasewater Railway, Chasewater Railway Museum, Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Hazel Slade, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, Museum Collection, Norton Canes, Pelsall, Staffordshire, Walsall, Walsall Wood
This photograph appeared in the Great Western Railway Magazine Volume XXIX No 3 (March 1917) with the following caption; ‘One of four girders made by E C & J Keay for GWR bridge over Sandy Lane near Bordesley. Length – 104 feet 9 inches, Height – 8 feet 8 inches, Width – 2 feet 9 inches to 3 feet 4 inches, Weight – 63.5 tons.’
After they had established their James Bridge Works in Darlaston in 1887, E C & J Keay Ltd specialised in the manufacture of structural steelwork for buildings and bridges. They supplied steelwork for many major projects including 6,000 tons of steelwork for the reconstruction of Snow Hill station (see gwrbsh1896). Text books from the period suggest that a 100 foot span was about the economic limit for plate girder bridge design, with a trussed girder design recommended for longer spans. E C & J Keay’s large site at Darlaston allowed sections of girder bridges to be machine riveted together under factory conditions and this pre-assembly produced more consistent construction at lower cost. In 1888, E C & J Keay also built an iron works at their site for the production of bearings and cast ironwork. The works had access to a private railway siding allowing connection from the Grand Junction Railway (later LNWR) near Walsall.
warwickshirerailways.com
The history of The Stafford Knot
The are many stories about the origins of the Stafford Knot
The Stafford Knot (not the Staffordshire Knot!) is the symbol for the county of Staffordshire.
It appears everywhere from road signs and army berets to local pottery and football club crests.
The origin of the three-looped knot has long been shrouded in mystery and intrigue.
Some people say it is a bloody means of multiple execution while others insist it represents the joining of three geographical areas.
Death by Stafford Knot
One of the most popular stories of the knot originated following the sentencing of three criminals to death by hanging in Stafford.
However, when the executioner arrived to commit the grisly task, he came across a problem.
He only had one piece of rope. He could not just hang one of the criminals.
It would be unfair to the other two to give precedence to only one of the condemned.
He therefore tied his single rope into three loops and dispatched of all three criminals at the same time.
Posted in Museum Exhibits
Tagged Aldridge, Birmingham, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Burntwood, Cannock, Cannock Wood, Chasewater Railway Museum, Cheslyn Hay, Darlaston, E.C.& J. Keay Ltd, Great Wyrley, Hazel Slade, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, Museum Collection, Norton Canes, Pelsall, Staffordshire, Walsall, Walsall Wood, Wolverhampton
Posted in Museum Exhibits, News, Uncategorized
Tagged Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Cannock, Cannock Chase, Cannock Wood, Chasewater Railway, Chasewater Railway Museum, Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, Museum Collection, Norton Canes, Pelsall, Staffordshire, Walsall, Walsall Wood
Main cover photo from the Chasewater Railway Museum collection.
The main cover illustration of the recently published book from ‘Pen and Sword’ on the Royal Arsenal Railways depicts the 1917-built Peckett 0-4-0ST locomotive works number 1491, named ‘Vanguard’. At first thought this might seem an odd choice to show, but it must, of course, be realised that photographs at this important military establishment during its period of operation are not easy to source.
The reason, however, for going back to the original thought of it being an odd choice is that ‘Vanguard’ with its crew stands in front of coaches of the Brereton ‘Paddy Train’ having been disposed of a mere three years after arrival at the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich. Following its sale to Brereton Collieries, ‘Vanguard’ soldiered on and indeed hauled the final train of coal from the pit on 1st July 1960. Moving via Cannock Wood Colliery to Hamstead Colliery, ‘Vanguard’ finally went to the scrapyard during November 1962.
Page 145 in the book shows the same photograph as on the cover, credited to the Chasewater Railway Museum, the caption suggests that the view is towards the end of the life of ‘Vanguard’, however, it is more likely that the photo dates from the 1930s.
The Author, Mark Smithers, has produced a fine work, well-illustrated, on the railways of an establishment that contributed a great deal during both World Wars until finally run down and closed in 1967.
‘Pen and Sword’ website: http://www.pen-and-sword.co.uk
Barry Bull
Posted in News
Tagged 1491-1917 Peckett, Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brereton Collieries, Brownhills, Burntwood, Cannock, Cannock Wood, Chasewater Railway Museum, Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Hamstead Colliery, Hazel Slade, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, Museum Collection, Norton Canes, Peckett, Pelsall, Royal Arsenal Railways, Steam Trains, Vanguard, Walsall, Walsall Wood
The Museum has been given a number of tokens from local outlets.
Tokens were issued by merchants in payment for goods with the agreement that they would be redeemed in goods to an equivalent value at the merchants’ own outlets. The transaction is therefore one of barter, with the tokens playing a role of convenience, allowing the seller to receive his goods at a rate and time convenient to himself and the merchant, to tie the holder of the token coin to his shop.
Generally, they have a merchant’s name or initials, sometimes a town and state, and a value legend (such as “3p” or other denomination) somewhere on the token. Types of merchants that issued tokens included general stores, grocers, department stores, dairies, meat markets, drug stores, saloons, bars, taverns, barbers, coal mines, and many other businesses.
The Museum Curator, Barry Bull, has got together a number of London & North Western Railway Coal Invoices, all wagons starting their journey from Hednesford. These invoices are all dated from the late nineteenth century, and a variety of local pits sent their coal via Hednesford, a major distribution centre in those days, and for many more years, well into the 1950s.
Posted in Museum Exhibits
Tagged Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Burntwood, Cannock, Cannock Wood, Chasewater Railway Museum, Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Hazel Slade, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, LNWR Coal Invoices, Mining Heritage, Museum Collection, Norton Canes, Pelsall, Steam Trains, Walsall, Walsall Wood
Another good increase in visitor numbers, now that the Museum is open on Saturdays, manned by Marion and Godfrey, as well as Sundays and Bank Holidays.
Posted in Museum Exhibits, News
Tagged Aldridge, Bloxwich, Brownhills, Burntwood, Cannock, Cannock Wood, Chasewater Railway, Chasewater Railway Museum, Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Hazel Slade, Heath Hayes, Hednesford, Lichfield, Museum Collection, Museum Newsletter, Norton Canes, Pelsall, Walsall, Walsall Wood
The latest addition to the Chasewater Railway Museum collection of Hornby ’0’ gauge is a slightly careworn and minus one buffer Pratts motor spirit tank wagon in green livery, representing the Anglo American Oil Company brand.
Reference to the New Cavendish publication in the Hornby Companion series shows that this particular example could only have been produced during the period 1923-1929, which means that it is the oldest ‘0’gauge Hornby wagon in the collection.
It came at the reasonable purchase price of £13.50
This Midland Railway ‘Stop’ sign was from Derby No.4 Loco Shed and bought at Derby some years ago. It is made from wood and has cast iron lettering.
In the days before World War II and the large-scale development of synthetic materials, the railways used a huge number of cast iron signs and notices. Each company either had its own foundries or employed local contractors, and it was a relatively simple job to make a wooden pattern and pin to it a variety of lettering which could be bought from various companies.
These two cast iron signs have been with the museum for many years, and apart from their Midland Railway origin, we do not know where they came from.
Railway workshops and engine sheds yielded a plethora of notices giving directions, machinery instructions, general restrictions, safety warnings and even the amount of time allowed for using the lavatories.
Chasewater Railway Museum 