Main cover photo from the Chasewater Railway Museum collection.
The Royal Arsenal Railways
The Rise and Fall of a Military Railway Network
By
Mark Smithers
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.
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.
The running season starts this weekend, March 5th & 6th
If you are going to visit Chasewater Railway for the Gala this weekend, don’t forget to pop into the museum and pay us a visit. We are to be found in the Heritage Centre.
From time to time various people advise us of the latest offerings on ebay, mostly these are of little interest and on occasions of dubious authenticity, for example, the Hawthorn Leslie worksplate 2780 of 1909. Very odd this one as our loco ‘Asbestos’, resident at Chasewater since 1968, came with worksplates affixed, which are still retained on the loco.
However, we were alerted recently to an enamel wagon plate – ‘When empty return to Littleton Collieries Sidings Penkridge. LM&S Rly’. This would have been a nice addition to our collection of local artefacts, but, despite the best efforts of Rob Cadman, acting on our behalf, we were unlucky with a bidder being found at £150 but prepared to go much higher.
Following this disappointment we then heard of a member who spotted a rather nice Midland Railway, Walsall Wood to Walsall third class return ticket available on ebay. Tickets to or from Walsall Wood and Brownhills (Midland) are pretty scarce and this example realised £102, which I suspect rather surprised our man who had expressed interest in it on our behalf.
Our thanks go to Rob Cadman, Simon Swain and Kevin Pettifor for trying their best for the museum.
Walsall Wood opened 1st July 1884 and closed 31st March 1930, along with Brownhills (Midland), the latter having been renamed Brownhills Watling Street 2nd June 1924. So two items which we would have liked ‘got away’ – but we have photos.
This locomotive is a six-coupled 0-6-0ST Saddle Tank No.813 under the Great Western Railway numbering system but was built for the Port Talbot Railway & Docks in 1901. The Port Talbot Railway & Docks Company was formed in 1894 to work the docks of the town. The Railway opened several branches especially those to the Llynfi & Garw valleys. This attracted a heavy coal traffic, which was dealt with at Duffryn Yard.
In 1901 the PTR ordered a number of small 0-6-0 saddle tank locomotives (six in all) from Hudswell Clark of Leeds & was given the works No. 555/01 & on delivery it became PTR No.26. In this guise it was put to work in Duffryn Yard & served in this capacity until 1908 when the PTR was absorbed into the GWR system. However, no changes were made to the loco at this time until the grouping which brought changes to No.26 in that it was first Westernised & given the GWR number 813.
The GWR decided later however that the older absorbed locos should be sold off out of service & No.813 fund itself on that list in 1934. It was sold to a Backworth Colliery, Northumberland where it was again renumbered as No.12 & remained there for the next 33 years. The No.12 did not stay for long though, as when the colliery was absorbed in to the National Coal Board when it was formed in 1947 it became NCB No.11
In 1950 it was fitted with a new boiler & firebox. However the original GWR boiler fittings were retained. As steam working was nearly at an end hastened by the closing of collieries, older locos were withdrawn in the late 1950’s & early 60’s with 813 lasting until the summer of 1967.
The loco was duly discovered by Mr. Paddy Goss & attempts to preserve it were ultimately successful for he was able, after a great struggle to raise funds as is ever the case in the preservation scene, to purchase the loco. The loco arrived at the Severn Valley Railway in November 1967 with sufficient finance available to pay for the removal charges. Since then much loving care & a great deal of money has been spent keeping 813 in its present condition.
A photo of a Tackeroo Military Railway loco & Brocton Camp Power Station, plus the loco’s history.
The photo was sent to me by Dave Bevington, with the following information:
‘I have come across a Great War photo at Brocton of the power station and Brocton railway traffic office (a small shed). In the foreground is a small loco Grassholme which is mentioned on your blog
I got it from NZ so it must have been a photo card owned by a Kiwi based there.’
Grassholme Manning Wardle Class L 0-6-0ST 1513-1901
New 6-9-1901 to the firm of contractors, Walter Scott & Middleton.
The contractors had work around 1901-2 for the Derwent Valley Water Board on a line Banford to Ashopton, Derbyshire, also for the Midland Railway on widening the New Mills to Chinley section, also in Derbyshire. Another job was at Pallion, in the Sunderland area.
It seems probable that the loco took its name from Grassholme in County Durham.
The contractors known to have worked on the Cannock Chase Military Railway and Brocton Camp were the firm of Baldry, Yerburgh and Hutchinson, but there is no 1513 in the list, although their loco No.4 is listed as No.1531 !
Grassholme was at Brocton during the period 1915 – 1919.
For more information about the railway, go to:
The original owners sold the loco to Thomas Summerson & Sons Ltd., Albert Hill Foundry, Darlington and it was seen at Crewe Works in June 1919 as war surplus before sale to Vivian & Sons, and then to one of Vivian’s Collieries – Mynyyd Newydd, Swansea.
The Colliery was sold in 1926 and the loco remained with the new owners. The Industrial Railway Society West Glamorgan book gives the loco as ‘disposal unknown’ after March 1932. The pit closed in November 1932. It re-opened in 1935, finally closing in 1955.
Thanks to Barry Bull, Pete Stamper and the IRS for the information and to Dave Bevington for the photograph.
Cannock Chase (Tackeroo) Railway in brief
This railway was constructed during 1915 to serve the Brocton and Rugeley Military camps located on Cannock Chase. One line was constructed during the spring of 1915 from the LNWR Cannock to Rugeley line near West Cannock No.5 Colliery across the Chase to the Rugeley Camp. Between January and April a second railway was made from the LNWR Trent Valley line at Milford to the Brocton Camp, and by mid 1915 the lines had been joined. In addition to army and prisoner of war camps this railway system served Central Stores Depots at Brocton Camp. The locomotive shed was also located at Brocton Camp. After the war the camps and railway were dismantled and locomotives disposed of.
Works No. 3460, ex works 31-3-1921.
Delivered new to U.A.Ritson & Sons, Preston Colliery, South Shields, Northumberland.
Standard gauge (4’ 8½”) 0-6-0 saddle tank with 2 outside cylinders, 16” diameter x 24” stroke. 3’ 8” wheels.
Sold 1927, via dealers Geo. Cohen, to T.A.Hawkins & Sons, Old Coppice Colliery, where it was named ‘Tony’
Sometime circa 1955-58 transferred by NCB to Chasetown and left there for Walsall Wood Colliery in February, 1959.
Scrapped May 1965.
The locomotive at Hawkins Colliery.
Whoops! ‘Tony’ – de-railed at Hawkins in the 1940s.
Hunslet Austerity, a powerful 0-6-0 saddle tank built to a wartime austerity design that latterly saw service as No. 15 on the industrial Wemyss Private Railway in Fife, Scotland
No. 15 is a Hunslet-designed Austerity 0-6-0ST, one of 13 subcontracted to Andrew Barclay. One of only three of the Andrew Barclay-built examples to survive.
This loco came to Chasewater for the February Gala 2008. The Wemyss Private Railway was a network of lines, sometimes known as the Wemyss Estate Railway. The lines were a group of mineral and other railways in Fife, Scotland, mainly on the land of the Wemyss family. They were built to connect coal pits to harbours and the railway network, for the use of tenants of the Estate. The Wemyss and Buckhaven Railway was built at the expense of the Wemyss Estate and carried passengers; it was later sold to the North British Railway.
When numerous collieries needed a railway connection the Wemyss Estate built a connecting line to Methil Harbour and improved the harbour itself. The local network became known as The Wemyss Private Railway and the Estate’s interest was transferred to the Wemyss Coal Company. These terms have been used interchangeably by authors.
The collieries were nationalised in 1947 and the sidings connections at the pits followed; the main line railways of Great Britain were nationalised in 1948, but the central section, now known as the Wemyss Private Railway remained in private hands. However the mineral activity in East Fife declined and in 1970 the Wemyss Private Railway closed down.
When the loco visited Chasewater Railway, sadly she wasn’t lined out, but in this photo by Phil Trotter, she can be seen in all her glory!
Chasewater Railway Museum 