Posted in Newsletters
Tagged Brownhills, Burntwood, Chasewater Railway Museum, Norton Canes, Old Railway Lines, Staffordshire, Steam Trains
Taken from the Mercian, December 1965 Vol.4 No.6
Editorial
As you will notice, this issue of ‘Mercian’ is shorter than we have recently been used to. This is due to the indisposition of the Editor, Malcolm Willis, who has entered hospital. I am sure all members will wish Malcolm a speedy recovery, and hope that he may soon return to the most valuable work which he does fro the Society.
Malcolm Willis returned to the Society, but not to the Editorship of the ‘Mercian’, taking on the role as Membership Secretary. He did an excellent job of expanding the Magazine and would surely be missed.
This is the last edition of Mercian this year, a year which has been very rewarding for the Society. We have realised one of our major schemes, the purchase of our branch line at Chasewater. Work has been going on there for some months, and track-laying has gone on steadily. Early next year we hope to have a permanent building erected, and several locomotives delivered. If work is to go ahead as planned in the New Year, more assistance will be needed, and I appeal to all members who can help in any way to visit the Hednesford depot or the Chasewater branch any Sunday, when you will be made very welcome.
From the Chairman’s Report – A. Holden.
No.9 Cannock Wood – Stroudley E1 – J.Powell
I like this photo as it shows the Valley pit in the background (left, above the wagons) and the Hednesford War Memorial in the background (right, above the carriage) JD
Once again we are almost at the end of another eventful year for the Society with the prospect for 1966 even brighter.
A great deal of work has been done at Chasewater and at Hednesford by our gallant band of stalwarts who give their time each weekend to further our aims and ambitions. Lots more work has still to be done and many more workers are needed to help carry the burden.
The Society is deeply indebted to one of our members, namely Dr. Plummer, for his generosity in purchasing and cost of transporting a locomotive to Chasewater.
Any Society which is to survive in these days of rising costs must have a healthy Bank Balance, and I strongly urge all members to participate in all money-raising efforts which are organised to help the Society to stay solvent.
We are fortunate in having many friends who are sympathetic to our cause, even if they are not members, who give willingly in so many ways, such as refreshments or prizes for various events, helping at Open Days and last, but not least, rummage for our annual event which Mr. Wooding organises each year.
Chasewater Light Railway Report – D.A.Ives. Hon. Sec.
Good progress was made during the golden month of October. Work has slowed down during the winter months. However, a few real stalwart members have continued to lift and relay track in spite of cold and wet conditions. Work parties are being conducted on Saturday afternoons, weather permitting. Track-laying must continue during these winter months if the full length is to be completed by April. The Chasewater party consists of approx. 12 regular members, who are now resigned to the fact that the job will have to be completed by them and them alone.
Chasewater 1966 – Laurence Hodgkinson
Stop Press!!! A strong steel door has been fitted to the platelayers hut at Chasewater, where we intend to store all our track-laying tools.
Treasurer’s Report – F.J.Harvey.
I would like to begin my report by thanking all those members who have renewed their membership subscriptions since the last issue of Mercian. There are still quite a lot of lapsed members, however. This is the time of year for giving, so please help the Society by sending your subscriptions as soon as possible.
The loan which was needed to buy the Midland Railway Royal Saloon has now been completely repaid. We shall now be able to give more attention to clearing the outstanding debt on the Stroudley E1 as outlined in the last issue.
So far we have received no offers of financial help towards the transportation of the Peckett 0-4-0ST from Warrington. As I have pointed out before, this is a matter of extreme urgency. Unless we have some support, we shall be throwing away a working locomotive. Please see what you can do to help. Any donation, no matter how small, will be most welcome.
Still not enough working members or money – but they kept going!
Taken from the Mercian October 1965 Vol.4 No.5
Another long magazine, with three more pages dealing with general preservation issues and a further two pages devoted to a humorous look at ‘Meetings’, which does not concern the vast majority of our members – our meetings are too short to be funny!!
Excerpts from the Officers’ reports
Treasurer’s Report – F.J.Harvey
Once again we start a new financial year, one which no doubt will provide a great many headaches for the committee.
In order that our projects can go ahead our financial position must improve a great deal. We have just paid our first year’s rent for the Chasewater branch which has rather depleted our bank balance. I would like to appeal to all members for financial support. This is urgent as we have several items of expenditure looming up.
One of the platelayers cabins on the Chasewater branch is in need of considerable repair. This will have to be done in the next few weeks so that our track laying equipment can be stored there in safety. A petrol trolley would be a tremendous asset if the money was forthcoming. Members are having to push a loaded trolley, weighing over two tons, for over half a mile and this distance is increasing each week as we lay more track.
We are also faced with the problem of moving the Peckett 0-4-0ST from Warrington. This is likely to be quite expensive and anyone who is interested in seeing the locomotive in steam at Chasewater next year is requested to give some financial support.
Turning to a more cheerful note, the loan for the Midland Railway Royal Saloon should be paid off completely by December. We hope that this will enable us to concentrate on paying off the outstanding money on the E1 0-6-0T (Cannock Wood) £125. Donations are still urgently required here.
The committee are trying to raise money but we do need the support of all members. This is a crucial moment in the life of our society. Please help now while there is still time. If any member is prepared to help us in raising money, please contact one of the committee immediately. If we can raise £300 we will almost certainly succeed at Chasewater. This is not a large sum considering the size of the project and I am certain that it can be raised if all members help.
Inside the old Museum Coach – Barry Bull
AGM Report – from our Publicity Officer.
I’ve skipped the Chairman’s Report this time, most of it is included here.
The 6th Annual General meeting of the Midlands Area was held at the YMCA in Wolverhampton on 18th September 1965 with 25 people present. In his address, the Chairman, A.Holden, thanked the Committee for their support during the past year, John Elsley and his band of helpers for the hard, heavy work being done at Chasewater, and also thanked the Editor of Mercian, Malcolm Willis for his work. He also thanked everyone who attended the Annual Dinner arranged last year, and said that it had been a turning point for the Society with regards to the number of people who had been introduced to it.
David Ives, in his report , stressed the point that we desperately need more help with the track laying at Chasewater if we are to succeed, and that it was a pity that we had so many apathetic members. He also said that money-making activities were essential to keep up the funds.
Frank Harvey said that the past year had been a fairly good one financially, but in the next twelve months we were going to need a great deal more money and support if we were going to fulfil our aims.
All members were urged to renew their subscriptions if they had lapsed, and to really try and help the society in some way, as the next year will be a testing time for us. If however we all work together we will succeed.
Chasewater Project
In order that we may keep to schedule with track laying and be in a position to build the depot/museum in early 1966, it has been decided that we should provide full facilities for working parties on SATURDAY AFTERNOONS. As you have read in other parts of this issue we desperately need more manpower, and it is imperative that this need is met. We implore members to take advantage of this work party if they cannot reach those on Sundays. Please, please help!
The next plea is more or less a legal matter. With the loan for the building, we will need to payback to Brownhills Urban District Council £245 per annum. In order to meet the terms of the loan we need GUARANTORS to assure payment of this amount if the society should fail – which is highly unlikely. If you could guarantee only £1 we should be highly grateful. If you are willing to help in this way or even if you are only toying with the idea in your mind, we appeal to you to write for further details to the Chasewater Secretary.
‘Smoke on the Water’ – this time from Barry Bull in the 1980s!
The Hednesford No 3 Signal Box nameboard was purchased in December 2018 but was only delivered last week, along with two others.
The signal box was situated near Station Road railway bridge.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
It’s always good to add local items to the museum collection.
Taken from the ‘Mercian’ December 1964, 3.3
The Chasewater Branch Line
By Brian Kinder.
The Chasewater line is situated round half the perimeter of the Chasewater Pool. The pool itself is now being extensively developed as one of the largest amusement areas in the Midlands, and to this end Brownhills Council is spending several thousands of pounds. When development work is completed, it is hoped that a large proportion of Birmingham and area’s population will visit the pool annually. It will therefore be appreciated, the great potential of a railway museum situated in this location, where there will be such a great concentration in the summer months, of day-trippers.
The proposed track itself was constructed in the main by the Midland Railway, and a small section by a colliery company. The line was used for mineral traffic from the collieries, however a station was built at Brownhills, at which all passenger traffic terminated.
Due to our section of the line’s sole use for mineral traffic, the track is in a poor state of repair, the poorest part being from the marshalling yard to the north. The main work therefore will be to relay the track in certain places, and clean out and in some places repipe the drainage system.
The work on the line will have to be completed by the end of 1965, if not sooner, depending on the closure of the connecting line by British Railways. Therefore we will need everyone’s help to get the work done.
We will not be able to manage with the present sized work party of 14 or so members, as it takes these fellows every Sunday to keep the stock at the depot in order. We are not asking you to attend every week, but if you could attend monthly or bi-monthly periods, it would help to clear up the situation tremendously.
The line is only one mile from Brownhills Station (BR – LMR) (Still a few months before closure!) and if you could see it, you would see its great potential if a success was made of it. Success however can only be achieved with 100% help from YOU!!
North Staffordshire Railway – 1845/1923NSR Signals
The National Coal Board has donated four NSR lower quadrant signals to the RPS. They are in good condition, with only one exception, when on being removed from the site at the Pinnox Crossings (South of Tunstall Station in the Potteries), Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, left its base firmly implanted in the muddy ground.
The largest of the four has been erected at the depot at Hednesford – an excellent view of the surroundings being commanded from the top. We hope to plant the other three on the Chasewater Branch.
NSR Rolling Stock
On a recent survey of the internal railway of Shelton Iron & Steel Ltd., several wagons and three box-vans of the North Staffordshire Railway were found.
After talks with the company, we agreed on the following:
It is probable that early this year we may be able to have a tour of their railway, which should prove far more interesting than it appears at first sight. There are 36 miles of internal railway and there are still several steam locomotives operating. The most interesting is perhaps an 0-4-0, which has a crane mounted over the boiler. (Now at Foxfield Railway, by Dubs & Co Dubsy to his friends!)
North Staffs Area Meetings
It is hoped that in the new year, meetings of the members who live in or near North Staffordshire will commence at bi-monthy intervals. Interesting lectures are planned as well as slides and cinematograph shows concerning railway preservation. Will any members who wish to attend please send a postcard to the Hon. Editor, who will send full details when they become available (emails make life so much easier nowadays!)
The meeting place is at present being arranged, and we need a good turn-out to make them worth while. A small fee for admission may be charged, and any non-members will be very welcome. If you live within reasonable travelling distance of the Potteries, do try to attend. I assure you that you will not regret it!
Then followed reports on various social events, including the first Annual Dinner and Social Evening, held at the Eaton Lodge Hotel, Rugeley.
At Hednesford, members are still working on the Royal Saloon and the TPO, and, as ever, more help is needed!
More than a third of a mile of track, including 3 points and 2 buffer stops, have been donated to the West Midlands based Chasewater Railway.
The gift has been donated by Synthetic Chemicals of Four Ashes Works, Staffs.
The track was dismantled by Chasewater members over two weekends with the cost of lifting, together with labour, borne by Synthetic Chemicals, while transport was supplied by Chasewater.
This is the largest donation of its kind that Chasewater has received and is mostly due to the efforts of Jim Bates, and employee of Synthetic Chemicals and a long-standing member of the standard gauge metals railway. He found that the sidings were to be dismantled, approached his works manager on behalf of Chasewater and together with officials from the railway, obtained the track.
The majority of the track, which had been refurbished in 1989 but never used, was moved in 60ft panels on May 21, although not officially handed over till May 27.
The panels were transported to the causeway and lifted off by a crane supplied free of charge after a request from the Railway’s general manager Steve Organ, by Midland Safe Loads Ltd, Brownhills.
Although not all the track is on site at present from Four Ashes, the amount delivered, with the track from Redditch Railway Society, is enough to lay the line through to Norton Lakeside.
David Bathurst, Chairman of Chasewater Railway, said “We are overwhelmed by the quality and the length of track donated to the railway and also the cost of lifting it, for which we are very grateful. We also know that this is not the first time that Synthetic Chemicals have made such a donation to a railway. They presented their 0-4-0F Barclay built in 1944. to the Telford Steam Trust in 1992, but I would also like to thank Jim Bates for the effort he has put in…….Jim fixed it for us.”
Rail contractor Centrac, Tarmac’s track renewal company, came to the rescue when it heard that Chasewater Railway at Burntwood, Staffordshire, was struggling to extend its line due to a shortage of sleepers.
Birmingham-based Centrac offered to supply 600 sleepers from its main recycling depot at Northampton.
The Donated sleepers mean that Chasewater Railway’s volunteer workforce can extend its line to a planned new station near the proposed Burntwood by-pass entrance to the Chasewater Country Park.
The line currently serves the Brownhills West end of the park, carrying passengers around Chasewater Lake – and across the lake on a recently rebuilt causeway – to a station opened 18 months ago in the Norton wildfowl reserve.
The track represents the only remaining mineral line from the vast Cannock Chase coalfield network, and runs small tank locomotives retrieved from industrial locations, including a steam shunting engine from Pleck gasworks, providing scenic leisure trips for passengers.
Chasewater Railway general manager Steve Organ welcomed the donation of the sleepers saying “We are absolutely delighted with Centrac’s generous help – quite simply we could not have achieved so much without them. This shows the value of recycling materials.”
Lorne Gray, who is in charge of Centrac’s recycling operations, commented: “The particular type of sleeper we have donated would normally be stripped down to the bare components. The baseplates and fixings would be sold off by the tonne to scrap merchants and the sleepers sold for use in heavy industry and agriculture.
“The fact that they will now be used for their intended purpose, albeit on a reduced specification basis, is very satisfying.”
Chasewater Railway Museum 