Truro and Newquay Railway

The Truro and Newquay Railway was a Great Western Railway line in Cornwall, United Kingdom designed to keep the rival London and South Western Railway (LSWR) out of the west of the county. The line was completed in 1905 and closed in 1963.
History.
The Great Western Railway (GWR) had secured dominance in south and west Cornwall from its purchase of the Cornwall Railway in 1889; it already had control of the West Cornwall Railway and therefore had a main line from London through Plymouth to Penzance, with a number of branches. It had been working the nominally independent Cornwall Minerals Railway lines, in particular the passenger route from Par to Newquay, for some years and in 1896 it acquired that network by purchase.
In the 1890s the rival London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was extending its network in north Cornwall, through the North Cornwall Railway, which was building from Launceston to Padstow: it reached Wadebridge in 1895.
The GWR wished to secure the north-west of the county as its own territory, and responding to local demands—in particular from business interests in Perranporth, who saw their town losing out due to its remoteness from railway links—it projected the Truro and Newquay Railway. It obtained an authorising Act of Parliament on 3 June 1897. The new line was to run from a triangular junction ("Blackwater Junction") near Chacewater, 6 miles (10 km) west of Truro, and run via St Agnes and Perranporth to Shepherds; here the new route joined the existing Treamble goods and mineral branch, originally built by the Cornwall Minerals Railway. The branch from there to Newquay was rebuilt for passenger operation, including a short alteration to eliminate a sharp curve, the "Trevemper Deviation". Near Newquay the branch joined the Par line at Tolcarn Junction, which was also triangular.
The new construction was in extent, and the upgraded portion from Shepherds was . Trains left Truro on the Cornish Main Line as far as Chacewater railway station and Blackwater Junction, where the new line turned northwards to reach the coast near St Agnes. It then turned north-eastwards to Perranporth and then turned inland to Shepherds on the former Cornwall Minerals Railway Newquay to Treamble branch.
Construction began in 1897, but was slow to complete; severe difficulties with subsidence were encountered near Goonhavern. The section from Blackwater to Perranporth opened on 6 July 1903, and from there to Shepherds was completed on 2 January 1905.
At first the passenger stations were St Agnes, Perranporth, and Shepherds, but six halts were opened on 14 August 1905, partly in connection with the GWR's adoption of railmotors, integrated self-propelled coaches suited to lightly used local services. A new halt, Perranporth Beach Halt, was opened on 21 July 1931; the main Perranporth station was inconveniently situated for holidaymakers, a business the GWR wished to encourage.
The line was single between Blackwater and Tolcarn junctions with passing loops at the stations; it had a speed limit. There were 6 trains each way in 1910, rising to 12 by the summer of 1938. There was also a through train to London in later years, joining with a Penzance portion at Chacewater.
The area served by the line remained sparsely populated and the general decline in use of local railways as road facilities improved resulted in the closure of the line on 4 February 1963.
Train services.
The line ran through relatively unproductive agricultural districts, and apart from Perranporth business and the sporadic Treamble traffic, the goods traffic on the line was insignificant. The low population density encouraged the GWR to introduce the new railmotors it had developed, and from 1905 several halts were opened with minimal facilities, to enable a low-cost service outside the principal holiday period.
In the summer of 1960 there were 10 stopping trains on the line; there were seven trains on Sundays. About half the trains ran to and from Truro, several of these being quoted as through to or from Falmouth. On summer Saturdays there was a through train from Perranporth (08:15) to Paddington (arrive 15:55), calling only at St Agnes, Truro (set down), St Austell and Par (both pick up only); in the down direction the 08:25 Paddington train, making more conventional stops, conveyed a Perranporth portion, arriving at 16:20.
Topography.
Passenger trains generally ran from Truro or Chacewater to Perranporth or Newquay, but a summer service ran from Newquay towards Redruth until 1916, using the west curve at Blackwater Junction.
Chacewater station had opened on 1 November 1853 on the West Cornwall Railway from Truro to Penzance. A loop platform line was added behind the platform used by trains towards Truro in 1912, from which time many branch trains terminated and started there.
Blackwater Junction was a triangular junction made up of Blackwater North, East and West junctions. The west curve, for trains towards Newquay from the Redruth direction, closed on 5 May 1919. On 9 November 1924 the branch was extended back to Chacewater station, parallel to the main line, enabling Blackwater (East) Junction signalbox to be abolished. The junction was closed and the branch line extended the short distance to Chacewater station on a new third track laid along the north side of the existing main line. The loop platform then served branch trains in both directions.
 opened on 14 August 1905. It had a single platform with a pagoda shelter, located in a cutting on the right hand side of trains going towards Newquay. The cutting containing the station site was filled in at the beginning of the 1990s.
St Agnes station opened with the line on 6 July 1903. Originally it had a single platform on the left of trains towards Newquay, and a small goods yard. Local dissatisfaction was expressed that the halt was some distance from the community served, the ground formation at Trevellas Coombe having prevented a closer approach. The station was host to a GWR camp coach from 1934 to 1939. A passing loop was opened on 4 July 1937, with a longer island platform. A camping coach was also positioned here by the Western Region from 1952 to 1956, two coaches from 1957 to 1961 and three in 1962. The station building at St. Agnes survives and is one of the few remaining substantial relics on this line.
Goonbell Halt was opened on 14 August 1905. Its single platform had a pagoda shelter. The halt was in a shallow cutting on the left side of trains towards Newquay. Today the cutting has been filled in but the wrought iron entrance gates survive.
The , five-arch Goonbell Viaduct ( ) is beyond the station towards Newquay, still intact and resplendent.
 Halt was opened on 14 August 1905. It was on the left of trains going towards Newquay. The cutting and station area have long been long filled in and the station site is now barely traceable.
Perranporth Beach Halt was opened on 20 July 1931; it was the last station added to the line. It had a single platform on the right of trains heading towards Newquay. The Halt was staffed in the summer months, and in some records is referred to as "Perranporth Beach Platform". After closure, the sectional concrete platform was removed and installed "The Dell", subsequently renamed Falmouth Town railway station on the Maritime Line. Today only one abutment of the adjacent road overbridge remains and four houses now stand on the site of the halt.
Perranporth station was the terminus of the line from 6 July 1903 until completion to Newquay on 2 January 1905; it was the only passing place between Chacewater and Shepherds until St Agnes station was extended in 1937. The platform was situated between the two running lines, and the accommodation was considerable in expectation of holiday traffic. A small goods yard with a goods shed was situated on the south (right) side of the line. beyond the station towards Newquay is the Cox or Cocks Viaduct; ( ) it is still intact. Nothing remains of the station; an industrial estate was developed on the site during the 1970s.
 was opened on 14 August 1905, on the right of trains travelling towards Newquay. It had a pagoda shelter and a siding until 1919 for the purpose of delivering pit props for nearby mines. The halt and adjacent road bridge survived until 1983 when most of the formation of the railway was obliterated and the cutting filled in.
Shepherds station.
A branch from Newquay to Treamble had been opened by the Cornwall Minerals Railway on 1 June 1874. When the Truro and Newquay line was constructed a passing loop was installed with two passenger platforms, immediately west of the junction for the Treamble line, which remained a goods line. The new line and the station opened on 2 January 1905 It was remote from any centre of population, and the name derived from former mine workings at the location. There was a small goods yard opposite the junction and a camping coach was later kept at the station.
The Treamble line closed in 1917 and the rails were lifted and sent to France to help with the war effort but due to an upturn in the mineral market, the line was reopened in 1926. It was again closed on 1 January 1952 although there had been no traffic over it since 8 August 1949. The track was not removed until 1956.
 Halt serving the villages of Mitchell and St Newlyn East opened on 14 August 1905. It had a single wooden platform on the left of trains going to Newquay, but this was later replaced by a concrete platform. The platform and waiting shelter may still survive amongst the undergrowth just across the road from the terminus of the Lappa Valley Railway, but are now inaccessible.
The gauge Lappa Valley Railway now runs on the trackbed near here.
Trewerry and Trerice Halt was opened on 14 August 1905. It had a single platform on the right of trains heading towards Newquay and was situated just west of the level crossing, east of which a siding was provided until 5 September 1948. The platform was timber-built but was later replaced by a concrete structure.
Trevemper Siding served an industrial factory; it was on a short section of the Treffry Tramways route that was by-passed when the main line was improved. After closure of the line on 4 February 1963, the Siding and the route to Tolcarn was retained until final closure on 28 October 1963.
Tolcarn Junction was a triangular junction before the time of the Truro line; it was a legacy of the Cornwall Mineral Railways traffic from East Wheal Rose to Fowey. The spur avoiding Newquay was called Treloggan Curve, and the junction nearest Perranporth was Lane Junction; that nearest Par was Newquay Junction or Treloggan Junction; that nearest Newquay was Tolcarn Junction.
Treloggan curve had been taken out of use in 1888, but it was reinstated in 1931 for the purpose of turning engines when the station turntable was abolished to enable enlargement of the siding facilities. The line from Tolcarn Junction to Newquay remained single until March 1946.
Newquay Station
The Newquay Railway was opened in 1846 and a passenger service provided to Fowey from 20 June 1876. The station was rebuilt with three platforms to accommodate the opening of the Truro and Newquay line; the new facilities came into use on 7 June 1905. It has since been reduced to a single track. It continues to serve Atlantic Coast Line trains from and a number of long distance services on summer Saturdays.
Gradients.
The line was steeply graded. Leaving Chacewater it climbed at 1 in 72 / 1 in 60 to Mount Hawke; it descended from St Agnes at 1 in 60 / 1 in 99, steepening to at 1 in 51 / 1 in 47 after Mithian. Leaving Perranporth it climbed for 3 miles at 1 in 64 / 1 in 45 to a summit just short of Shepherds, from where it descended for at 1 in 45 to a location beyond Mitchell and Newlyn. Still falling to beyond Trewerry, the last were relatively gentle.


Clay Lane railway station

Clay Lane railway station was a small station on the Ashover Light Railway and it served the western area of Clay Cross in North East Derbyshire, England. The station had a wooden shelter and a telephone box. It was located about a quarter of a mile from the main street in Clay Cross, near the Royal Oak public house. The points were laid for a siding, but this was never built, due to meagre goods traffic. Despite this, passenger traffic was initially good. After closure in 1950. The site was demolished and nothing remains of the station or trackbed.


Coventry Corporation Transport

Coventry Corporation Transport was the operator of trams and motorbuses in Coventry, Warwickshire from 1912 to 1974. The operations of Coventry Corporation Transport passed to West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive in the local government reorganisation of 1974.
History.
On 1 January 1912 Coventry Corporation took over the operations of the Coventry Electric Tramways Company which had until then ran the tramway in the city, a service which had begun in 1895. The purchase price of £220,638 included 13 miles of track, 41 double deck open-top electric tramcars and the depots on Foleshill Road and at Priestley's Bridge on Stoney Stanton Road. A more comprehensive history of the city's tramway system is found at Coventry Corporation Tramways.
First buses.
The first motor bus service began on 30 March 1914 using six locally made Maudslay vehicles. These were open top double deckers with solid tyres, no windscreen and seats for 34 passengers, and each cost £739. The route was from Stoke Heath to the Fire Station in Hales Street. During the first week of operation, £107 4s 4d was taken in fares. A further service to Hearsall Lane started in May but both were short lived as the chassis were requisitioned by the War Office in September that year.
After the Great War, bus services resumed in 1919 and a bus garage at Harnall Lane was opened in 1921 adjoining the Priestley's Bridge premises. The tramway system reached its peak of 58 tramcars that same year with 6 services to Bedworth, Bell Green, Stoke, Earlsdon, the Allesley Road and the Railway Station.
At the 1925 Commercial Motor Show, Maudslay exhibited one of the first covered top double deckers which the Corporation subsequently purchased. It was not until 1927 however that pneumatic tyres were first fitted to a bus.
In 1931, Pool Meadow Bus Station was opened to cater for nine main routes into the city. The following year the first tram route was abandoned and plans were drawn up to gradually replace the whole system.
The general manager T R Whitehead retired in 1933 and was replaced by Ronald Fearnley, a post which he held for nearly three decades. He became a pioneer in the transport industry, and worked closely with the Daimler Company in the development of an advanced lightweight all-metal bus with 60 seats yet within the maximum length and weight regulations of the time.
The last remaining independently operated services in the city were purchased in 1936, and the department could then complete its coverage of the area with routes to Baginton, Burton Green and Berkswell.
World War II.
The substantial damage caused by the air raid of 14 November 1940 finally led to the tramway system being completely abandoned. It was later reported that the 2700 tons of material salvaged from the tramway track was sufficient to make 180 heavy tanks.
Despite considerable damage to buses and premises, on 16 November, some services were resumed operating from the outer termini to as close to the city centre as conditions permitted. Within a week regular services were almost back to normal, ensuring workers could reach the factories for vital war work.
By February 1941 only 73 buses out of the total fleet of 181 were undamaged and vehicles had to be hired from many other operators around the country. Overnight parking was dispersed to temporary facilities at Highfield Road football ground and the Lythalls Lane greyhound stadium.
Supply of new buses was limited during the war and those that were delivered were of government controlled austere construction, the most striking feature being the wooden slat seats.
After the war.
In 1948 restrictions on purchasing new vehicles were relaxed, and the bus fleet was quickly standardised almost entirely on locally-built Daimler double deckers with an open platform at the rear and the diesel engine at the front. The last petrol-engined bus was replaced in 1949. Many of the wartime specification buses were in poor condition and had to be re-bodied, some at the department's Keresley works.
Notable exceptions to the Daimler purchasing policy were a London Transport style AEC and a Crossley which had a distinctive mainly cream colour scheme and initially had an automatic gearbox. There was also a batch of nine of the last buses built by the Maudslay company.
Services which in the war had finished at 8:30 in the evening were gradually extended to 11:00 pm. 1950 was the peak year of operation; 110 million passengers were carried but the increased ownership of private cars had a progressively adverse effect on public transport. Many of these cars were produced in city factories and it also became increasingly difficult to attract sufficient bus drivers with the wages being paid by such industries.
In 1954 a new garage was built at Sandy Lane with covered capacity for 150 buses, half the fleet, and the Foleshill site was closed. Odd and even numbered vehicles were then split between Sandy Lane and Harnall Lane respectively.
"Monobus" era.
Up until 1965, all vehicles required a crew of two, a driver plus a conductor who took the fares. However, in that year, new rear-engined front-entrance double deckers were purchased and these could be operated by one man. In addition they were built to a newly permitted length of 30 feet and could thus seat a dozen more passengers. Although initially Leyland vehicles were used, the fleet subsequently again became standardised on Daimlers, using their Fleetline chassis.
With these new vehicles a distinctive feature of Coventry buses since the 1930s was omitted, the twin side-by-side destination displays. Thereafter the service number and destination displays adopted numerous different layouts.
To speed up the process of passengers boarding, in 1968 a batch of vehicles with separate entrance and exit doors entered service, but within a few years the standard reverted to a single-door design.
Continuing difficulties in recruiting drivers led the Corporation to try another approach. Although conductresses had been employed since the First World War, it was not until 1970 that the first two women drivers completed their training. It was the department's policy that drivers should first qualify as conductors and that inspectors should have previously been drivers. Subsequently, one of these ladies did become an inspector, a unique achievement.
Starting in 1970, new buses were painted in a lighter red and ivory scheme, which was intended to gradually replace the maroon and cream that had been used on previous buses. The department also operated several coaches but for some years these had sported sky blue colours.
On 1 April 1974, the entire bus operation was taken over by the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive (WMPTE) and Coventry Corporation Transport ceased to exist. The fleet at that time comprised 185 front loading double deckers, 116 rear loading double deckers, two single deckers, one coach and one minibus.
With the city coat of arms removed from every bus, the familiar maroon and cream paint scheme also began to disappear from the city streets. As buses were due for repainting they gained the blue and cream colours of the Birmingham company.
Preserved vehicles.
A number of former Coventry Transport vehicles have been saved from the scrapyard.
EVC 244 is single deck Daimler COG5, new in 1940, with 38 seat body by Park Royal. It passed to Derby Corporation in 1949 as a driver training vehicle. Since 2009 it has undergone an extensive restoration back to its Coventry condition.
EKV 966, a 1944 double deck Daimler CWA6 originally with a wartime specification body, was rebuilt after the war and then became a maintenance vehicle in 1959. It is now owned by the Transport Museum and is to be converted back to bus condition.
GKV 94 is typical of the first hundred buses purchased after the war. It is a 1950 Daimler CVA6 with AEC engine and 60 seat Metro-Cammell bodywork. It was acquired for preservation in 1968 and is currently undergoing major renovation.
GKV 105 from 1949 is one of the minority of single deckers purchased. It is a Daimler CVD6 with 34 seat bodywork by Brush and Daimler engine.
Four Daimler CVG6 double deckers typical of the late fifties and early sixties survive. All have Metro-Cammell bodies and Gardner engines. Travel De Courcey runs VWK 239, new in 1958 which has 60 seat bodywork. XVC 290 is a similar bus from 1959 though now shortened and converted to single deck as a tree lopper. 333 CRW and 334 CRW from 1963 are now owned by the Museum and De Courcey respectively. They have 63 seat bodies and are from the last batch of rear platform buses.
KWK 23F, a 1968 Daimler rear engined Fleetline which originally had 72 seat bodywork by Eastern Coachworks with separate entrance and exit doors.
PDU 125M, another Fleetline was acquired by the Museum, painted in sky blue colours and converted to open top.
PDU 135M, a similar 1973 Daimler Fleetline with 74 seat body by East Lancs is typical of the standard monobus design.


New Holland engine shed

New Holland engine shed was a small railway locomotive maintenance depot located southwest of the triangle of lines south of New Holland Town station in North East Lincolnshire, England.
History.
New Holland was a "railway village" in the sense that Crewe was a railway town. It was regarded as the railway's eastern terminus until 1887 when this status passed to the hugely enlarged Port of Grimsby. Expanding the dock, building the engine shed, the pier and the railway to it were promoted and started by the Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway, though by the time the shed opened in 1847 then services began in 1848 that railway had merged with others to form the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway.
As built, the shed had four through "roads" (tracks) each with an individual entrance, all under a double-pitched section roof. It had facilities to provide maintenance, coal and water, which was stored in a reservoir in the triangle between the running lines. The shed's fortunes followed the line, by 1886 it had been reduced to providing motive power for four passenger trains, three of which were local, local shunting and trip working and a handful of goods trains. This level of activity continued well into the 20th Century. New Holland's local services all ran along very level lines, which provided gentle semi-retirement for ancient locomotives and rolling stock, such as ex-MS&LR 2-4-0s and non-corridor clerestory coaches. The writing was on the wall for New Holland shed from 1912 when Immingham Dock and engine shed opened. It soldiered on as an independent entity until 1941 when it became a sub-shed of Immingham, which it remained until at least 1963.
The building was progressively reduced over the years. In 1932 it appeared complete but by 1938 the wooden coaling stage had disappeared and the two northern shed entrances had been knocked into one, by 1960 the roof had gone, but their two supporting walls remained, these, in turn had been demolished by July 1961.
A locomotive type particularly associated with the shed in later years was the LNER Class Y3.
By 2015 the shed had been demolished and the site built over for industrial use.


Blackpool branch lines

The Blackpool branch lines run from the West Coast Main Line at Preston to Blackpool. The branch further splits into two branches at Kirkham and Wesham junction: the main electrified double track branch runs to Blackpool North station (Blackpool's main passenger station) via , while a single track unelectrified branch runs to Blackpool South station via .
The Preston to Blackpool North route was re-signalled and electrified at 25kV AC with electric trains starting running from the May 2018 timetable change.
Previously there was also a central branch running from Kirkham to station, however this was closed in the 1960s.
History.
The lines around Blackpool were mostly opened in stages by the Preston and Wyre Joint Railway from 1840.
Preston to Blackpool North.
The route is used by the bulk of Blackpool's passenger trains, providing services to Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds as well as other destinations. The planned electrification of the Manchester-to-Blackpool North route was announced in December 2009, and completed in May 2018.
Avanti West Coast run direct services between Blackpool North and London Euston using Class 390 Pendolinos and to supplement the Pendolinos the Class 807 Hitachi AT300 will be used from 2022.
Northern Trains operate frequent services on the line, using Class 319's or Class 331 CAF Civity's. First TransPennine Express formerly ran hourly services to Manchester Airport using Class 185 diesel multiple units, but responsibility for these passed to the new Northern franchise as from the beginning of April 2016.
Preston to Blackpool South.
This branch serves Lytham and St Annes as well as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, each with their own station. It follows the Preston to Blackpool North line as far as Kirkham Junction. Currently one service per hour runs along this branch, with most trains running beyond Preston to via the East Lancashire line (though only advertised as through running on Sundays). The line from Kirkham to Blackpool South was reduced from double to single track in stages between 1982 & 1986 - as there are no intermediate passing loops, the route has limited capacity. Until 1964, it ran further north into Blackpool to serve Blackpool Central station.
Kirkham to Blackpool Central.
As well as the line via Blackpool South, a flyover junction at Kirkham and Wesham provided direct access to Blackpool Central station. Blackpool Central station closed in 1964 and its site is now where the Central Car Park stands; the trackbed and embankment has been used for the road Yeadon Way (built in the 1980s), which provides direct access from the M55. The first two miles of the M55 also occupy the former trackbed, until the Blackpool North line travels under the motorway at the point where the lines used to merge.
Poulton to Fleetwood.
The freight-only Burn Naze branch diverged at Poulton, but the junction has now been removed during the recent trackwork. This served the industrial areas and ports around Fleetwood and used to carry passenger traffic to the town until 1970. With the exception of two small sections, the line is still in place from Poulton-le-Fylde to Jameson Rd, Fleetwood, where the trackbed was used to build the A585 (Amounderness Way). Proposals exist to reopen the line in the future, as a large amount of track still remains and volunteers have begun to clear the line of the vegetation with which it was previously overgrown. In 2017, the junction of the line to the mainline to Blackpool was lifted, making it less likely that the line will be re-instated.
Electrification.
The electrification of the Manchester-to-Blackpool North route was announced in December 2009. The main work to accomplish this commenced in early 2017. Bridgeworks along the route to raise and rebuild those that had insufficient clearance for overhead wires was completed first. Services over both the Blackpool South and Blackpool North branches temporarily ceased on 11 November 2017, to allow the track layout at Blackpool North and Kirkham to be remodelled and a third platform at Kirkham and Wesham station constructed (along with other facility improvements). Both lines were re-signalled, and overhead line installation took place on the Preston-to-Blackpool North section; the completion date was 16 April 2018, enabling electric trains to run from May 2018. Services to Blackpool South resumed on 29 January 2018, and the line to Blackpool North re-opened on 16 April 2018, with electric trains operating from the 20 May 2018 timetable change using Class 390 and 319 Electric Multiple Units.


Sidmouth Railway

The Sidmouth Railway was a railway branch line that ran from a junction at Feniton to Sidmouth, connecting the resort to the main line network.
History.
The London and South Western Railway (L&SWR) opened a main line from Yeovil to Exeter on 18 July 1860, giving a through route from London. The rugged terrain of the south-east Devon coastline meant that the railway passed some distance to the north of Sidmouth; the nearest station was Feniton, nine miles away. There had been a number of railway schemes put forward over the previous decade or so to serve Sidmouth directly but they had come to nothing.
Planning.
On 18 December 1861, London promoters held a meeting for the purpose of forming a Company to build a railway branch line to Sidmouth and a harbour there. The "Sidmouth Railway and Harbour Company" obtained an Act of Parliament on 7 August 1862 with a share capital of £120,000 and authorised loan capital of £40,000. Subscriptions were slow to be taken up, and the contractor Shrimpton complained that he was unable to make progress, as the engineer, H H Bird, had not supplied adequate plans. Further difficulties arose when it emerged that the Company had secretly divided the share issue into two classes, and calls were only being made to one of the classes. Finally it was shown that the Company had unsupported liabilities of £20,000, over three-quarters of which were due to the contractor Shrimpton.
Undertakings were given to resolve the matter, but the Company foundered in 1869.
The trustees of the Balfour family now launched a scheme for a Sidmouth Railway, and this got its Act of Parliament on 29 June 1871, with share capital of £66,000 and borrowing powers of £22,000. The line was to be constructed under the arrangements for a Light Railway, and an agreement was made with the L&SWR for 50% of receipts if over £4,000, with an option for the L&SWR to purchase the railway.
The share issue was successful and a tender for construction of the line was awarded to R T Relf of Okehampton for £35,000. Possibly learning from the delays encountered in constructing the neighbouring Seaton Branch Line, there was a penalty clause for late completion of the work. Nonetheless Relf got into difficulties, asking the company for extra payment as he found that he had under-priced the station work, designs for which had not been completed at the time of tendering. The directors made a small allowance to him, and he sued for the balance, but he lost his case. However the railway was complete by July 1874. Col F H Rich of the Railway Inspectorate of the Board of Trade duly made the inspection and passed the line for opening. It opened on Monday 6 July 1874.
Early operation.
On the opening day there was no formal ceremony to mark the event, although celebrations took place through the first week.
The branch was single track. The junction station on the main line at Feniton had been called Ottery Road immediately prior to the opening, but the name was changed to Sidmouth Junction on the day of opening of the branch line. Sidmouth trains used a bay platform on the down (south) side of the station, and they left the bay in an eastwards direction. On leaving the station, the line curved round to the south falling at 1 in 110 and then 1 in 53, followed by flattish gradients to Ottery St Mary, 2 miles 78 chains from Sidmouth Junction; there was a crossing loop. Just before the next station the line crossed the river Otter on a 55-yard viaduct, then entering Tipton, at 5 miles 8 chains, also equipped with a crossing loop. The name was changed to Tipton St John on 1 February 1881.
Leaving Tipton the line now climbed at 1 in 45 for two miles to Bowd Summit, then falling at 1 in 54 for a mile to Sidmouth station, at 8 miles 23 chains. The station was some considerable distance from the sea front.
When the line opened, the passenger train service comprised seven trains each way six days a week, taking 28 to 30 minutes for the journey. After the opening of the Budleigh Salterton Railway the train frequency on the northern half of the original Sidmouth railway naturally increased. By 1909 the service had approximately doubled, with trains on Sundays also. Sidmouth was not an industrial town, so goods services mainly brought inwards agricultural supplies, building materials and coal for domestic purposes and for the gasworks at Sidmouth.
The branch was worked by staff and ticket at first, with Tyers electric train tablet system being introduced in 1904. The very steep gradients meant that special precautions had to be imposed for the operation of goods trains over the line.
Locomotive power initially was restricted to those suitable for use on light railways, and this is thought to include Beattie 2-4-0 well tanks. In later years the M7 0-4-4T class came to dominate. When the West Country light pacific 21C110 was to receive its name "Sidmouth" at a naming ceremony, it visited Sidmouth for the purpose on 27 June 1946, but the class was normally banned until after 1951.
Tipton was renamed Tipton St John's on 1 February 1881.
Attempted takeover.
In 1894 the L&SWR, which was operating the line, offered to purchase it outright for £70,050 but this was refused by the Company. However, in 1922, just before the Grouping of the railways in Great Britain, a share swap was arranged, effectively ending the independent existence of the Sidmouth Railway company.
Later operation.
From the opening of the Exmouth and Salterton section, the L&SWR was now operating the small network served from Sidmouth Junction: to Sidmouth and to Exmouth, forking at Tipton. The L&SWR later purchased the Budleigh Salterton line, and this became effective on 1 January 1911.
The section from Sidmouth Junction to Sidmouth has been described above; from Tipton St John's towards Exmouth the line fell at 1 in 50—the contrary gradients viewed from Tipton platform looking south were startling—then easing to 1 in 360 and then level beyond Newton Poppleford, falling again at 1 in 100 for a while. Moderate gradients followed as far as East Budleigh (originally plain Budleigh) after which the line climbed at 1 in 50 for 1½ miles, then after Knowle cutting falling again at 1 in 50 until the Salterton Road overbridge approaching Exmouth.
The lines became very busy in the first decades of the twentieth century, with ten trains each way on the Budleigh Salterton line. Matters were especially busy at Tipton St John's where Waterloo trains divided and joined (for Sidmouth and Exmouth respectively), with as many as 50 train movements per day.
From 1914 a number of Waterloo to Exmouth express trains were routed via Tipton. From 1927 a service from Nottingham via the Somerset and Dorset line and Templecombe.
In the summer of 1938 there were eleven trains each way daily between Sidmouth and Sidmouth Junction and five each way between Sidmouth and Tipton St Johns; and five trains between Tipton St Johns and Exmouth, three of which originated from or ran to Sidmouth, and the other two to or from Sidmouth Junction. Three trains each way ran through to or from Exeter. There were three trains with through coaches from or to Waterloo (four more on Saturdays, with a Derby train as well).
Through coaches were discontinued in 1964 except on summer Saturdays, as the local trains were diesel multiple units.
The lines closed to passenger traffic on 6 March 1967 and to freight on 8 May that year.
In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments).


Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway

The Liverpool, Southport and Preston Junction Railway was formed in 1884, and totaled 7 miles. In 1897 it became part of Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, and on 1 May 1901, its northern terminus switched from to .
It connected the West Lancashire Railway's lines to the north of Southport to the CLC Southport & Cheshire Lines Extension Railway at Altcar and Hillhouse railway station. Known also as the Barton branch, it ran from 1 September 1887 to 21 January 1952. The Barton branch was notable for the "Altcar Bob" service, introduced in July 1906.
The short section of line that contains is still open and has replaced a section of the original Manchester and Southport Railway. This northern part was electrified in 1904 and then de-electrified sixty years later.


Midland Counties Railway

The Midland Counties' Railway (MCR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom which existed between 1839 and 1844, connecting Nottingham, Leicester and Derby with Rugby and thence, via the London and Birmingham Railway, to London. The MCR system connected with the North Midland Railway and the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway in Derby at what become known as the Tri Junct Station. The three later merged to become the Midland Railway.
Origin.
The East Midlands had for some years been at centre of plans to link the major cities throughout the country. However, the MCR came about as a result of competition to supply coal to Leicester, a town which was rapidly industrialising and was a valuable market for coal. The competition was between the Coalville area of Leicestershire, and the Erewash Valley area of Nottinghamshire.
For many years, the Nottinghamshire coal miners had enjoyed a competitive advantage over their counterparts in Leicestershire, but in 1832 the latter opened the Leicester and Swannington Railway.
On 16 August 1832, at one of the Nottinghamshire miner's regular meetings at the Sun Inn, at Eastwood the idea was mooted to extend the Mansfield and Pinxton Railway to Leicester. The decision was taken to involve outside finance, and, on 27 August 1832, a public meeting to attract subscriptions was held at the George Inn at Alfreton and on 26 September 1832 the scheme was formally approved at Eastwood, though at that time the possibility of using steam locomotives had not been discussed. In the "Derby Mercury" of 17 October 1832, the new railway was referred to as the "Midland Counties' Railway."
Josias Jessop was retained as engineer, and reporting in 1833, noted that it would not be possible to put it before Parliament that year. Subscriptions had been obtained from Lancashire investors and with the imminent completion of the London and Birmingham Railway, they insisted that the line should continue to join it at Rugby, Warwickshire. George Rennie was brought in to assess the scheme and plan the southward extension.
Not surprisingly there had been opposition from Leicestershire to the proposal. In October an alternative plan was proposed of bringing in Nottingham and Derby, as well as Leicester, using a junction at Long Eaton, with the stated aim that it would reduce any differences in coal prices between them.
At last the plans were ready to put before Parliament in its 1834 session. However investment fell far short of the expected cost of over £125,000 (). The scheme was delayed for yet another year, during which time Charles Vignoles was asked to review the plans and become the company's engineer.
At this point, the citizens of Northampton campaigned for the line to pass through their town rather than Rugby. Not surprisingly, at that late stage, it was refused. It has been suggested that, having opposed the London and Birmingham, they had seen the error of their ways. Such a line would have been longer and more expensive, shortening the journey to London by very little, but extending that to Birmingham excessively.
By that time, the North Midland Railway and Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway had been formed with the intention of meeting at Derby. The line to Pinxton threatened it, particularly as, in 1834, the Midland Counties had mooted the possibility of an extension to Clay Cross.
At the same time, the Birmingham and Derby link with the London and Birmingham Railway in a southwards direction at Hampton-in-Arden, threatened the Midland Counties. The two railways came to a private agreement to withdraw the competing lines from their Bills.
At last in 1836 the Midland Counties' Railway Bill went before Parliament and survived its passage through the House of Commons. However, there were still powerful interests ranged against it. Firstly there were the canal owners with which it was being built to compete. Secondly, the Bill still included the Pinxton line, to the extreme annoyance of the Birmingham and Derby line's directors. There was a distinct possibility that the Lords would insist that the North Midland was connected to it instead of proceeding to Derby, losing the NMR some twenty miles of line and its connection to Birmingham and the West Country. Accordingly, it was dropped.
The Bill received Royal Assent on 21 June 1836 without the connection to Pinxton. Since this was the original reason for building the railway, one can imagine the feelings of the Nottinghamshire miners.
Construction.
Nottingham to Derby.
In January 1837 the company issued invitations to tender for three contracts, Derby to Trent Junction, Nottingham to Trent Junction and Trent Junction to Sutton Bonington. By February 1837, the engineers had marked out the whole of the line. The principal contractors struggled to meet the deadline of 22 February to quote for the construction of 22 miles of railway, so the deadline was extended to 28 February, with the additional requirement of a cast-iron bridge over the River Trent at Thrumpton.
Contracts were awarded for the Derby to Trent Junction portion by April 1837 for £3,000 () under the estimate with an forecast of completion by September 1838. The contract for the section from Trent Junction to Sutton Bonington was let in May 1837. The contract for the works in Nottingham were signed in June 1837 and construction started immediately. By September 1837 it was reported that 400 men were employed in three different places on the line between Nottingham and Derby.
The engineer was Charles Blacker Vignoles, and the superintendent was Thomas Jackson Woodhouse. The contractor for the works between Derby, Long Eaton and Loughborough was William MacKenzie of Chorley, Lancashire. The contractor for Long Eaton to Nottingham was Messrs. Taylor, Sharpe and Johnson.
The only obstacle was the Derby Canal which would need to be diverted at Borrowash, the canal owners asking £2 for every hour that it was closed. However quick action allowed the work to be completed, when a drought fortuitously occurred, closing the canal.
Initially the railway ran into a temporary platform at Derby, but at Nottingham a magnificent terminus had been built in Carrington Street. The inaugural run took place from Nottingham on 30 May 1839, with a timetabled public service beginning on 4 June.
To Leicester and Rugby.
The portion of the contract from Leicester to the Trent Viaduct was let in December 1837 at which point it was reported that 900 men were engaged in the construction. The contractor for Loughborough to Syston was Messrs. Gordon and Hector McLeod, and the contractor for the Syston to Leicester, and Leicester to Rugby portions was Messrs David Macintosh. It had three main obstacles, the first being the crossing of the Trent. This was done by means of an elegant three arched bridge built by the Butterley Company. Immediately following this was Redhill Tunnel, provided with elegant castellated portals to placate the local landowner. The bridge was replaced with the present girder bridge in 1900 when the line was quadrupled, and a second bore was provided for the tunnel with identical portals. Finally a substantial cutting was needed at Sutton Bonington.
While the Derby-Nottingham tracks had been supported on stone blocks, the section to Rugby used kyanised timber sleepers. At Leicester there was another magnificent station in Campbell Street, originally planned as a terminus on a spur from the main line. However, it was built as a loop with a single long platform next to the through running lines. It was replaced by the present London Road station in 1892.
Progress to Rugby was hampered by wet weather and the need for several long cuttings and embankments. There were two tunnels, at Knighton and near Ullesthorpe and a bridge over the River Avon and the Oxford Canal at Rugby. This last was not completed in time for the opening and, for seven weeks, passengers had to alight at a temporary platform, to be taken by road into Rugby.
Engineering.
There were 148 bridges in all, and three tunnels. The rails were double headed in lengths at at a gauge throughout of . These were laid either on gritstone blocks from Cromford, laid diagonally, or on embankments, timber sleepers of oak or kyanised larch. For a length near Rugby, Evans's dovetailed bridge rails of , were tried, mounted on longitudinal Memel fir timbers with pine cross sleepers.
The earthworks ensured that the maximum gradient of the line was 1 in 330 (0.3 %). The largest were on the Rugby line at the Leire cutting and embankment. The whole project required approximately of earthworks. There were only two significant bridges and viaducts, one being that over the River Trent, which comprised three cast iron arches of each and the viaduct over the valley of the Avon (now Grade II listed) which consisted of 11 arches of each, elevating the line above the valley floor.
The total cost of construction was just under £1,400,000 ().
Opening.
The line was finally opened in three stages:
On 4 June 1839 the company provided four trains at Nottingham for passenger services on opening day. The first two with six coaches, and the others with two coaches each. Each train was headed by a separate engine, "Ariel", "Mersey", "Hawk" and "Sunbeam". The brass band of the 5th Dragoon Guards entertained the passengers, and played "God Save the Queen" as each train departed. The first train headed by "Sunbeam" with four first class and two second class carriages departed for Derby at 12:30 pm. Five minutes later "Ariel" was attached to a train and departed for Derby. "Ariel" arrived at Long Eaton at 12:48 pm, and Derby by 1:19 pm. After a wait in Derby of just over an hour, the trains returned to Nottingham, where the band of the Dragoons struck up "See, the Conqu'ring Hero Comes".
One notable event was the first large organised excursion by rail, "got up by the Nottingham Mechanics' Institute. A week later the Leicester Mechanics' Institute returned the compliment to Nottingham". After Thomas Cook began the tourist business, the MCR began organising excursions on its own account, on one occasion conveying some 2,400 people in a single train of 65 four-wheeled carriages and wagons. The fact that MCR's locomotives were all either single driving-wheeled or 0-4-0s, and small at that meant that the heavier the train, the more were added. The excursion must have been a sight to behold.
Competition.
Initially the Midland Counties' Railway did not prosper due to competition from the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway which also transported coal from the East Midlands to London, via Hampton-in-Arden. An ensuing price war between the two companies almost drove both of them out of business.
The MCR made an agreement with the North Midland for exclusive access to its passengers. In retaliation the Birmingham board opposed a bill that the MCR had submitted to Parliament. Both lines were in dire straits and paying minuscule dividends.
The North Midland was also suffering severe financial problems arising from the original cost of the line and its buildings. At length George Hudson took control of the NMR and adopted Robert Stephenson's suggestion that the best outcome would be for the three lines to merge.
Hudson foresaw that the directors of the MCR would resist the idea and made a secret agreement with the B&DJR for the NMR to take it over. This would of course take away the MCR's customers from Derby and the North and, when news leaked out, shares in the B&DJR rose dramatically.
Hudson was able to give the MCR directors an ultimatum, and persuaded the line's shareholders to override their board and the stage was set for amalgamation.
Midland Railway.
In 1844, the Birmingham and Derby Junction Railway, the Midland Counties' Railway and the North Midland Railway merged to form the new Midland Railway.
The Mansfield and Pinxton Railway was finally connected in 1847, and the extension to Chesterfield was built in 1862. Now known as the Erewash Valley Line, it joined near where the three original lines met at Trent Junction, crossing to the up (London) line on the level at Platt's Crossing. This potentially dangerous arrangement was removed when Trent station was built in 1862 and the whole junction was remodelled.
This underwent many changes over the years, the station finally closing in 1968.
Legacy.
Most of the original Midland Counties' Railway line between Nottingham, Derby and Leicester is still operating today as part of the Midland Main Line. The original line into Derby, through what later became the site of Chaddesden Sidings, closed in 1969. Also part of the original route was abandoned when track alterations were put in with the opening of Trent Station in the 1860s. The stretch between Leicester and Rugby was closed in 1961. The line between Trent Junction and Chesterfield, known locally as the Erewash Valley Line, is still today the second most busy in the East Midlands, with freight to the south east of the country. The daily southbound Master Cutler travels along it directly from Sheffield to London, while a few expresses divert at Trowell just north of Trent, to call at Nottingham, before travelling to London. Although the old North Midlands through Derby is the main express line (since trains have to reverse at Nottingham), there is still a half-hourly service from Nottingham itself to London.
In January 2019, Campaign for Better Transport released a report identifying the line between Rugby and Leicester which was listed as Priority 2 for reopening. Priority 2 is for those lines which require further development or a change in circumstances (such as housing developments).


Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway

The Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway was a standard-gauge mineral railway that served an ironstone quarry near the village of Wroxton in Oxfordshire.
The line's history.
The OIR linked the quarry with the Great Western Railway about to the east at a junction just north of Banbury. The line was opened between 1917 and 1919 and closed in 1967; the line was 'lifted', that is the line was formally closed and physically removed from the site, between 1967 and 1968. The quarry was heavily worked in the Second World War. The line also served the Banbury Alcan works at one point. The popular footpath from Drayton to Drayton Lodge crossed the railway at Drayton Crossing.
Wroxton Central Ironstone Quarry was opened by 1919, closed and filled in 1967. Langley Ironstone Quarry was built near Balscot by 1926, and was closed and filled during 1943 when it ran out of ironstone. Dyke Lane Bridge was built in 1940 and abandoned in 1967.
The line was extended to the Balscote Quarry which was worked between 1956 and its closure in 1967. Balscote Quarry, a shorter-lived working, was built by 1956, but closed and filled in 1967. A newer quarry close by its former site is now served by road haulage only.
The mine buildings, manager's house and workers' halt are now a small set of new light industrial buildings, built circa 2006–2008. The track works' permanent way huts (p-huts) still stood at Drayton in 2007 and Horley in 2002. A few old OIR fence posts/gates remain to this day along the route. Banbury's Ruscote and Hardwick estate's (Daimler Avenue, Devon Way and Longelandes Way) are also built over a large part of its route, including most of the former Pen Hill farm grading works (Longelandes Way). Other built over places include the proposed minor Pin Hill maintenance depot (Pin Hill Road) and major active Pen Hill maintenance depot (Beaumont Road). Despite the development that has occurred north of Banbury since closure, much of the line of the route can be walked today.
Locomotive fleet.
The OIR operated its own fleet of steam locomotives: 0-6-0T and 0-6-0ST locomotives built by Hunslet, Hudswell Clarke, Peckett & Sons and 0-4-0ST's built by Hudswell Clarke, Hunslet, W. G. Bagnall and Peckett & Sons. There was also a Vertical Boilered loco supplied by Sentinel. The earliest locos carried names associated with Oxford University eg "The President" and "The Dean". Later locos carried boys and girls names, typically the 0-6-0 locos being male eg "Graham", "Frank" etc. while the smaller 0-4-0 locos otherwise eg "Betty", "Jean" etc. They also purchased thirteen Rolls-Royce Sentinel diesel-hydraulic locomotives fitted with Rolls-Royce C range engines in the 1960s. Several of these Sentinel locomotives are still in existence, with the largest collection (named "Betty", "Jean" and "Graham") at Rocks By Rail Museum. A single locomotive is also preserved nearby at the Nene Valley Railway ("Barabel"), and a further example at the East Somerset ("Joan"). All five locos above are in restored and operational condition.
Local geology.
Many heavy clay and Ironstone deposits surround Banbury and Wroxton.
The Edge Hill Light Railway connection.
The firm behind the Oxfordshire Ironstone Railway was one of the backers of the ill-fated 1920–1922 Edge Hill Light Railway.
There was talk of reopening the by then overgrown, but workable line early in to World War II but, it was decided that the Oxfordshire Ironstone line was to be considered adequate to serve the area's requirements.


North Union Railway

The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, operating in Lancashire. It was created in 1834, continuing independently until 1889.
Formation.
The North Union Railway (NUR) was created by an Act of Parliament on 22 May 1834 which authorised its founding as the first-ever railway amalgamation. The two companies amalgamated were the Wigan Branch Railway and the Preston and Wigan Railway. The Preston and Wigan Railway had the Act authorising it to construct the railway in place but was underfunded and sought the amalgamation to help gets its railway under way. The first chairman of the company was Sir Thomas Dalrymple Hesketh, Bart. He had previously held the same position at the Preston and Wigan Railway.
Construction.
When it was created, the North Union Railway consisted of the line constructed by the Wigan Branch Railway(WBR) but little else. All its locomotives and rolling stock were supplied by the Liverpool and Manchester Railway.
Within a month the railway appointed Charles Vignoles as engineer on the railway at a salary of £1,200 (equivalent to £ in ).
Work was started on the construction of the Wigan to Preston section of the railway. As Preston stands upon a ridge rising sharply from the north bank of the River Ribble reaching it involved some engineering, the North Union reached its terminus by descending gradients as steep as 1 in 100 to the valley, crossing the river and cutting into the rising ground as far as Fishergate. The river bridge was of five arches, each spanning 120 ft. The line was completed in 1838 and a trial run was held on 22 October with a train running from Wigan to Preston, and the line opened to the public on 31 October 1838.
The colliery line known as Springs Branch that had been authorised at the same time as WBR was opened on the same day, 31 October 1838.
In 1846, in conjunction with the Ribble Navigation Company, the North Union obtained powers to build a branch to Victoria Quay on the River Ribble. This line was built to convey coal from the Wigan district to the river for shipment.
The L&NWR continued to improve the route and in 1864 installed the Winwick cut-off between Golborne junction and Winwick junction (on the former Warrington and Newton Railway) which provided a route for trains to avoid Lowton, Parkside and Earlestown junctions.
Stations.
The NUR opened the Wigan to Preston section with the following stations:
Bolton to Preston.
The North Union Railway was concerned to protect its interests and had many disagreements with rival railways and canals.
The North Union Railway opposed the proposed Bolton and Preston Railway (B&PR), whose original Act of 15 July 1837 made for an independent route through to Preston. A further Act of 4 July 1838 was enacted withdrawing the B&PRs powers to build beyond Chorley and instead authorised an extension to join the North Union Railway's line at Euxton, north of Chorley.
The Bolton & Preston Act was passed with the proviso that the line north of Chorley should be delayed for three years so that a compromise could be reached between the two companies about running trains into Preston.
There was immediate competition between the two companies for the Manchester to Preston traffic and they tried to undercut each other's fares. The North Union managed to maintain the upper hand in the competition as they were able to extract tolls from its rival for running trains along its Euxton to Preston stretch.
The rivalry was short-lived as the Bolton & Preston Railway was acquired by the North Union Railway by an Act of 10 May 1844.
Operations.
In 1834 the Wigan Branch Railway had offered John Hargreaves, an established carrier in the North West, the lease for operating the goods service on their line. Hargreaves, in partnership with his son (also called John Hargreaves) declined the offer and made a counter offer which was accepted by the new North Union Railway, as this was now after the merger of the railways. The son, John Hargreaves junior therefore became the sole lessee over the Wigan section for goods traffic with the exception of those who already had the right to operate their own trains, mainly coal mine owners. The L&MR continued to provide all the passenger services for the line.
When the first section of the Bolton to Preston line opened on 4 Feb 1841 it met the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Railway (MB&BR) coming up from Salford which had opened on 29 May 1838. This railway was built by the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal Navigation and Railway Company who had in 1831 converted from a canal company. Their railway terminated at Bolton Trinity Street station and part of the enabling Act for the Preston to Bolton section made provision for the station to be converted to a through station to allow for traffic to Preston.
In the same way as the L&MR provided operational services to the WBR and NUR over the Parkside to Wigan section, so the MB&BR provided operational services to the NUR over the Bolton to Preston Section.
In 1846 arrangements were being made for the line to be leased jointly to the Grand Junction Railway (GJR) and the Manchester and Leeds Railway (M&LR) but before this happened the GJR became part of the London and North Western Railway (L&NWR), the arrangement continued however with the L&NWR and the M&LR jointly leasing the NUR.
On 9 July 1847 the Manchester & Leeds Railway changed its title to the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&Y) but the leasing arrangement continued. The NUR continued independently under this leasing arrangement with the L&NWR owning and the L&YR . This was the situation until 26 July 1889 when it was jointly absorbed by the L&NWR and L&YR.
The NUR was absorbed by the two larger companies by the simple expedient of the section from Euxton to Bolton (the former B&PR) being taken by the L&YR and the section from Parkside to Euxton going to the L&NWR.
Accidents and incidents.
On 28 June 1847, the boiler of a locomotive exploded, injuring one person.
Later years.
To cope with ever-increasing traffic, the line was quadrupled between 1889 and 1891.
The stretch between Euxton Junction and Preston, which included the major part of Preston station, remained in joint ownership up to 1921 when the L&YR was absorbed by the L&NWR so from that date the former North Union Railway had only one owner. This section of the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Carlisle had been the only part not wholly owned by the L&NWR.
Balshaw Lane and Euxton station was opened by the L&NWR on 2 September 1905, it closed on 6 October 1969. Services restarted from this station now named Euxton Balshaw Lane on 15 December 1997.


Bletchley TMD

Bletchley TMD is a railway traction maintenance depot situated in Bletchley, Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, to the north east of Bletchley railway station, on a siding off the Marston Vale line. The depot is operated by London Northwestern Railway. The depot code is BY but, in steam days, the shed code was 1E.
History.
The original London and North Western Railway locomotive shed in Bletchley was a wooden and galvanised iron building that catered for some twelve engines, with three roads accommodated within the facility. However during the 1870s the shed collapsed in a gale, burying stabled locomotives and was replaced by two gabled roof spans with numerous ducts and chimneys. When newly rebuilt, it would measure in length, with a maximum width of . These sheds were situated just north of the railway station on a siding to the west side of the West Coast Main Line, on a site now occupied by today's carpark.
Towards the end of the 19th century, a number of LNWR Lady of the Lake class steam locomotives were employed as pilot engines, with ‘Bletchley Shed’ as their home depot by then considered an intermediate Loco Shed. The end of British Rail steam in Bletchley came on Monday, 5 July 1965 when 24 steam engines stabled in the Locomotive Shed departed for other parts of the country, the last one taking the 2pm parcels train to . This was locomotive No. 48610 LMS Stanier Class 8F 2-8-0, which had been stabled at Bletchley for ten years. With the end of steam, the TMD was relocated to the Bedford side of the Varsity line flyover, in a new purpose built facility.
Present.
Bletchley TMD began in the modern era in 1965 (though it had existed since 1850, in the age of steam). It closed on 30 June 2008 and its (expired) lease returned to Network Rail. Bletchley had won awards for the reliability of its trains as recently as March 2007, and was said to deliver six times better than average reliability. London Midland phased in the fleet of 37 Class 350//2 Desiro trains, which are maintained by Siemens at the King's Heath depot in Northampton. These replaced the Silverlink Class 321 fleet which had been serviced at Bletchley. Most of the engineers & technicians transferred to the Siemens site and the cleaners to London Midland.
The local press had previously expressed concern that the previous diesel trains used on the Marston Vale Line were based at Tyseley TMD in Birmingham, with consequent long delays to service resumption in the event of train failure.
Following the introduction of the Class 230 diesel units, which are used exclusively on the Marston Vale Line, the depot was bought back into use in September 2018.


Bath Tramways

Bath Tramways Company and its successors operated a horse drawn tramway service in Bath between 1880 and 1902. From 1903 until its closure in 1939 an expanded route carried electric trams operated by Bath Electric Tramways Company.
History.
The first service ran on 24 December 1880. The initial line was from the Bath Spa railway station via Southgate Street, High Street and Walcot to Grosvenor College. It used six horse drawn cars built by George Starbuck of Birkenhead, with a stable and depot in Kensington.
The service was not profitable and on 26 May 1884 the company was taken over by the Patent Cable Tramways Corporation. Seven further 12-seater cars were purchased. It entered liquidation and was taken over by Dick, Kerr & Co. on 11 August 1888. This was taken over by the Bath Road Car and Tramways Company, who already ran the buses in the area, on 1 April 1889. The horse drawn service continued until 1902 when the company was taken over by Bath Corporation and modernised and electrified by the Bath Electric Tramways Company, a subsidiary of British Electric Traction.
The tracks were taken up and replaced by a track. Six electric cars were brought in December 1903 and on 2 January 1904 the new service opened. Additional lines to Bathford, Combe Down, Weston and Oldfield Park were constructed. The company fleet was blue and yellow. There were 18 55-seat tramcars all purchased in 1903 and 1904 from G.F. Milnes & Co. which operated from a new depot in Beehive Yard off Walcot Street. In 1905 an additional line to Newton St Loe opened and proposals were drawn up to connect this with Bristol Tramways although this was never built. To operate this line the fleet was joined by four single-decked 30-seat cars known as 'whippets'. On 3 July 1933, a tram ran away backwards on Wells Road and crashed into another tram. A passenger was killed and fifteen were injured.
In 1936 the company was taken over by the Bristol Tramways and Carriage Company who began to replace the trams with their buses. The Newton St Loe line closed in 1938 with the rest closing in May the following year.
One of the original horse-drawn tramcars has been preserved, and is now at the Ipswich Transport Museum. It was built by Starbuck Car and Wagon Company of Birkenhead as a single deck vehicle around 1880, and operated in Bath until around 1884. It was then purchased by the Bradford and Shelf Tramway Company, where it was probably used as a trailer to a steam tram, although details are sketchy. By 1894 an upper deck had been added, and the tram was sold again to Cambridge Street Tramways, becoming their number 7. The Cambridge system closed in 1914, and the vehicles were sold at auction. Tram number 7 became a workshop extension to a bungalow in Ely, where it remained until it was rescued in 2003 by the museum. The vehicle was renovated between 2012 and 2019, assisted by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and its previous history became apparent as the layers of paint were stripped away.
Proposal to re-introduce.
In 2006 a private group Trams for Bath proposed their re-introduction. In 2015 a further initiative was under discussion by a new group Bath Trams.
In 2017 Bath and North East Somerset council announced it was to carry out a feasibility study of a light rail system. The study was produced by Atkins, and in January 2018, Bath Council identified four routes which could have tram routes and identified that the proposals would need further consideration.


Tutbury Jinnie

Tutbury Jinnie was the name given to a local rail service between the stations at Burton upon Trent and Tutbury. The service consisted, at various times, of up to eight trains on weekdays and two on Sundays.
Background.
Until 1949, the service also served stations at Horninglow, Stretton and Rolleston.
Although popular, increased use of road traffic lead to the loss-making service being withdrawn at the beginning of the 1960s. The last train was the 20:12 Tutbury-Burton service on 11 June 1960. The name is commemorated in the name of the 'linear park' - the Jinnie Trail, which follows the route of the old railway line. The last train to use the line was a short freight hauled by a diesel shunter. The track remained in place for some years afterwards, until well into the 1970s.


Spilsby branch

The Spilsby branch was a railway line built in Lincolnshire, England by the Spilsby and Firsby Railway Company. It was made to connect the market town of Spilsby with the main line network. It opened in 1868, and was worked by the Great Northern Railway.
The Company was never financially successful, and its proprietors sold it to the Great Northern Railway in 1891. The passenger service was withdrawn as an economy measure on the outbreak of World War II in 1939 and never reinstated, and the line closed completely in 1958.
Beginning.
In the early decades of the nineteenth century, Spilsby was a thriving market town. However when the Great Northern Railway opened the East Lincolnshire Line, the line passed some distance from Spilsby. Towns that were directly served by the new railways developed commercially, and Spilsby declined. A meeting at Spilsby in 1864 agreed that a branch line was the solution, and on 5 July 1865 the Spilsby and Firsby Railway Company was authorised.
The new company had difficulty in raising its £25,000 authorised share capital, and the building of the short line of 4 miles and 14 chains was delayed. The line opened on 1 May 1868; there was one intermediate station at Halton Holgate. The Great Northern Railway worked the line for 40% of receipts. The train service was seven trains each way daily; when the Skegness line opened, there was a Sunday service in summer.
The track had been very lightly laid, and had to be renewed (with second hand materials) in 1880.
Operation.
The Great Northern Railway had to provide direct financial support of £250 annually to keep the line going, but the agricultural depression of the 1880s pushed the line under, and there remained no option but to sell to the GNR; this took effect on 1 January 1891, by Act of 25 July 1890; the purchase price was £28,000. The line was generally level, but the last three-quarters of a mile to Spilsby climbed at 1 in 66, placing a limitation on the loading of locomotives.
A steam railmotor was tried on the branch in the 1930s, but was unsuccessful.
Closure.
On 10 September 1939 the passenger service on the line was suspended as a war economy. The branch closed completely after the passage of the last train on 30 November 1958; the bridge over the Steeping River would have needed reconstruction, and the income on the line could hardly bear the cost.
See also.
Lincolnshire lines of the Great Northern Railway


Audley End Railway

The Audley End Miniature Railway is a miniature railway in Essex, England.
Overview.
The -gauge circuit was built by Lord Braybrooke and was opened on 16 May 1964 by famous racing driver Sir Stirling Moss. The railway runs for through woodland adjacent to Audley End House, former home of the Braybrookes, now in the ownership of English Heritage.
The woodland contains a large number of teddy bears and other soft toys arranged in displays. The line has two tunnels and crosses the River Cam and River Fulfen. The bridge across the Cam retains the original World War II pillbox.
The site is also home to the Saffron Walden & District Society of Model Engineers who run short circular , and tracks at both raised and ground levels on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer months.
In January 2019 the railway's owners announced they will sell nine locomotives, including four by David Curwen to “raise £180,000 and secure the railway's future”. The auction by Dreweatt's was scheduled for 12 March 2019.