Railways and Industries of the Biddulph Valley Volume Two

Railways and Industries of the Biddulph Valley Volume Two
London Midland & Scottish and British Railways Eras

Allan C. Baker

216 pages. 275x215mm. Printed on gloss art paper with colour laminated board covers.

ISBN13 : 9781915069504

£35.00

This book, the second of a trilogy, forms a detailed study of one of the North Staffordshire Railway’s first branch lines, which ran along the Biddulph Valley from Stoke to the Cheshire town of Congleton, which dated from 1860. It also covers the branch from Milton to the Staffordshire Moorland market town of Leek, which opened in 1867. While Volume One covered the history of these lines in the NSR period, along with the four-mile long Longton, Adderley Green & Bucknall Railway of 1875, which was originally independent, in this volume the history of the lines in the London Midland & Scottish Railway and British Railways eras is covered. The story is also taken to the present day and there is a Chapter by Mike G. Fell on the various Station Masters who have over the years, been involved with stations on both lines. The book is profusely illustrated with a wealth of photographs, many of which have never appeared in print before, along with old documents, timetables, maps, plans and gradient profiles, several of which have been specially prepared for these volumes. The illustrations are in monochrome and colour. The third volume will cover the history of the numerous industries the lines served, for example, collieries, iron and steel works and chemical factories which were, by and large, their raison d’être. This coverage will include details of the industrial locomotives that have been involved, along with the private trains of the companies that the NSR and LM&SR allowed to operate over their lines. The author is a native of the Potteries, with a number of books about the railways and industrial archaeology of North Staffordshire to his name.

Railways and Industries of the Biddulph Valley Volume Two - Sample Images

This photograph, along with the next three, illustrate the interesting and unusual operating practice when special passenger trains ran to and from Ford Green during holiday times. This first view shows a returning 10-coach holiday special arriving at Ford Green on 16th August 1958, at the end of the local annual Wakes Holidays, which traditionally took place during the first two weeks of August. The engine is LM&SR standard freight Class ‘4’ 0-6-0 No. 44393, a Stoke allocated engine from at least the time when the railways were nationalised, until it was withdrawn in November 1962. Notice the Class ‘One’ express headlamp code on the engine, the train probably originated at Blackpool or Llandudno, although this engine may only have taken over at Stoke. Having said that, engines of this class are known on occasion, to have worked holiday time passenger trains as far as Blackpool. Crewe men used to refer to them as Stoke Scots! This is a reference to the ‘Royal Scot’ Class express passenger engines, of which Crewe North shed had a large allocation. Notice how well kept the station is despite having had no regular passenger service for over 30 years. The prominent station master’s house is still extant as a private dwelling.

What remained of Leek Station and goods facilities on 4th April 1969, seen from Churnet Valley line bridge