Chasewater Railway

Chasewater Railway

The Chasewater Heaths station, with the new signal box rebuilt at the station in 2007
Locale	Brownhills West
Terminus	Chasetown (Church Street) (north) Brownhills West (south)
Commercial operations
Original gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Operated by	Chasewater Light Railway & Museum Company
Stations	4
Length	2 miles (3.2 km)
Preserved gauge	4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preservation history

Chasewater Railway

Legend

Chasetown (Church Street)

causeway

Midland Railway

to Brownhills Watling Street

The Chasewater Railway is a former colliery railway running round the shores of Chasewater in Staffordshire, England. It is now operated as a heritage railway.

The line is approximately 2 miles (3.2 km) in length, contained entirely within Chasewater Country Park. The route, which forms a horse-shoe shape around the lake, passes through heathland, including a Site of Special Scientific Interest, and passes over a ¹⁄₄ mile (0.40 km) long causeway.

History

Prior to preservation, the line was part of the network operated by the NCB to serve the coalfields of the Cannock Chase area. The exchange sidings, where the colliery line connected with the Midland Railway, were situated about ¹⁄₄ mile (0.40 km) north of the current Brownhills West Station.

Significant changes happened in 2002/2003 caused by the closure of the old Brownhills station, due to the building of the M6 Toll motorway. This led to the rebuilding of Brownhills West with significantly improved facilities, including a new carriage shed and heritage centre, and completion of the Chasetown section of the line (the 'Chasetown Extension Railway' between Chasewater Heaths and Chasetown Church Street).

In 2016 the Railway was awarded The Queens Award for Voluntary Services.

Stations

Brownhills West
Norton Lakeside Halt
Chasewater Heaths (adjacent to Burntwood bypass)
Chasetown Church Street

Rolling stock

The railway is home to a collection of steam and diesel locomotives of mostly industrial origin, many with local industrial connections. Passengers are conveyed in ex-DMU cars and British Railways Mark 1 coaches, as well as brake vans on gala days. In recent years the railway has also played host to various guest steam locomotives from other lines.

The railway also owns various vintage carriages, some dating back over a century. These, as well as other rolling stock, are accommodated in the newly completed Heritage Centre.

Locomotives

Andrew Barclay No.1964, built 1929. This locomotive has been repainted in GWR green to resemble GWR no. 701

A selection of diesel locomotives participating in the 2007 Diesel Gala

Steam Locomotives
- Hawthorn Leslie 0-4-0ST No. 2780 "Asbestos" built in 1909 (On display).^[1]
- W.G. Bagnall 0-4-0ST No. 2648 "Linda" built in 1940. (Under overhaul).
- Sentinel 0-4-0VBT No. 9632 built in 1957. (Under overhaul).
- Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 1223 "Colin McAndrew" built in 1911. (Operational).
- Neilson 0-4-0ST No. 2937 "Alfred Paget" built in 1882. (In storage).
- Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0T No. S100 built in 1949. (Under restoration).
- Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST No. 917 built in 1902. (In storage).
- Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST, No. 431 "Sheepbridge No. 15" built in 1895. (In storage)
- Hunslet 0-6-0ST No. 3783 "Darfield No. 1" built in 1953. (Operational, currently in the guise of local engine "Holly Bank No. 3").
- Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns 0-6-0T No. 7684 "Nechells No. 4" built in 1951. (On display).
- Peckett and Sons 0-4-0ST No. 2012 "Teddy" built 1941. (Operational)
Diesel Locomotives
- Ruston 0-4-0DE No. 544998 built in 1969. (In storage).
- North British Locomotive Company 0-4-0DH No. D2911 built in 1958. (Operational).
- BR Class 08 no D3249/08 359 built in 1958. (Operational).
- Baguley 0-4-0DM No. 3410 "Martson, Thompson and Evershed No. 4" built in 1955. (Operational).
- Fowler 0-4-0DH No. 4220015 "Toad" built in 1962. (In storage).
- Hunslet 0-4-0DH No. 6678 built in 1968. (Operational).
- Fowler 0-4-0DM No. 4100013 built in 1948. (In storage).
- Brush Bagnall 0-4-0DE No. 3097 built in 1956. (Under overhaul).
- Kent Construction and Eng Co. 4wDM No. 1612 Planet built in 1929. (Operational).
- Ruston 48 4wDM No. 305306 "Ryan" built in 1952. (In storage).
- F.C. Hibbard Planet 4wDM No. 1891 "Derbishire Stone No. 2" built in 1934. (In storage).
- Bagnall 0-6-0DM No. 3119 "Hem Heath" built in 1956. (In storage).
- Kent Construction and Eng Co. 4wDM No. 20 Planet built in 1926. (On long term loan to the National Brewery Museum).
- Baguley 0-4-0DM No. 3027 "Bass No. 5" built in 1939. (Operational).
Diesel Multiple Unit Centre Cars
- BR Class 127 no. 59603.
- BR Class 116 no. 59444.

Narrow gauge railway

Chasewater Light Railway - narrow gauge railway

Volunteers are currently working to establish a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge narrow gauge railway close to the heritage centre.

References

↑ "Asbestos Special 1st January 2012". Retrieved 12 February 2012.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chasewater Railway.

Heritage railways and railway museums in England

Operational railways

Narrow gauge	Amerton Railway Amberley Museum Railway Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway Bure Valley Railway Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway Gartell Light Railway Great Whipsnade Railway Great Woburn Railway Hastings Miniature Railway Hayling Seaside Railway Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry Kirklees Light Railway Launceston Steam Railway Leighton Buzzard Light Railway Lynton and Barnstaple Railway North Gloucestershire Railway Perrygrove Railway Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway Rudyard Lake Steam Railway Ruislip Lido Railway Seaton Tramway Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway South Tynedale Railway Southend Pier Railway Steeple Grange Light Railway Volk's Electric Railway Wells and Walsingham Light Railway Wells Harbour Railway West Lancashire Light Railway Yaxham Light Railway

Standard gauge	Aln Valley Railway Appleby Frodingham Railway Avon Valley Railway Battlefield Line Railway Bluebell Railway Bodmin & Wenford Railway Bowes Railway Bristol Harbour Railway Cambrian Heritage Railways Chasewater Railway Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway Cholsey Wallingford Railway Churnet Valley Railway Colne Valley Railway Dartmoor Railway Dartmouth Steam Railway Dean Forest Railway Derwent Valley Light Railway East Kent Railway (heritage) East Lancashire Railway East Somerset Railway Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Eden Valley Railway Elsecar Heritage Railway Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway Epping Ongar Railway Foxfield Railway Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Great Central Railway (heritage railway) Great Central Railway (Nottingham) Helston Railway Isle of Wight Steam Railway Keighley and Worth Valley Railway Kent and East Sussex Railway Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway Lavender Line Lincolnshire Wolds Railway Mid-Norfolk Railway Mid-Suffolk Light Railway Middleton Railway Midland Railway – Butterley Nene Valley Railway North Norfolk Railway North Tyneside Steam Railway North Yorkshire Moors Railway Northampton & Lamport Railway Northants Ironstone Railway Peak Rail Plym Valley Railway Ribble Steam Railway Rother Valley Railway Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway Severn Valley Railway South Devon Railway Spa Valley Railway Stainmore Railway Swanage Railway Swindon Cricklade Railway Tanfield Railway Telford Steam Railway Watercress Line Weardale Railway Wensleydale Railway West Somerset Railway Yorkshire Wolds Railway

Centres and museums

Planned railways

Berkeley Vale Railway Bideford Railway Heritage Centre Combe Rail Don Valley Railway Lea Bailey Light Railway London Post Office Railway North Dorset Railway North Somerset Railway Poulton & Wyre Railway Southwold Railway Tarka Valley Railway Wisbech and March Bramley Line

Closed sites

Abbey Light Railway Ashford Steam Centre Cadeby Light Railway Great Yorkshire Railway Preservation Society North Woolwich Old Station Museum

Coordinates: 52°40′34″N 1°56′48″W / 52.6761°N 1.9467°W / 52.6761; -1.9467

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/17/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.