Tuesday 24 September 2013

Introduction

This is an updated version of the introduction to a blog posted on RMweb here - for a variety of reasons that blog died about 18 months ago. I intend to continue the story here, probably without reposting any of the early material, other than this introduction.

Having drifted away from the hobby many years ago, I recently returned and decided to take up the challenge of 2mm Fine Scale. I used to be quite happy doing simple kit-bashing and scratch-building of rolling stock on proprietary chassis and bogies in N gauge, but had little experience of soldering (and what I had was long, long ago).

Choice of prototype wasn't too difficult. I've always had a liking for the GWR. In recent years I've had a strong preference for steam over diesel, though that wasn't true in my earlier years, when I looked upon steam as being old-fashioned, dirty and generally second-best to the then-new diesel and electric locomotives.

Initially I was intending to model the traditional branch line terminus, somewhere in the West Country, set in the golden age of mid 1930s. Looking around for somewhere specific, I couldn't find anything that inspired me, so I cast my net a bit wider. Going back to early 1900s introduces some interesting changes in the livery - I am not sure I really like the darker green on locomotives, but I do like the Indian red frames and the extensive brasswork, and the fully lined-out chocolate and cream coaches would be an interesting challenge to my skills and eyesight.

I had been researching my family tree for the past few years, and realised that offered an interesting possibility - Market Drayton, where many of my father's ancestors had lived. This is a town in the northeast corner of Shropshire, adjacent to Staffordshire and Cheshire, and with GWR lines running north to Crewe and south to Wellington, together with a North Staffordshire Railway ('Knotty') line eastward to Stoke. These lines all opened in the 1860s, and closed in the 1960s. Little remains - I believe that Market Drayton station is now buried beneath a superstore and its car park.

Market Drayton will be a fairly substantial undertaking - two platforms, one being an island, two bays, two separate good yards (one for GWR, one for Knotty), a fairly large goods shed, and a small Knotty engine shed. Having made up a few lengths of Easitrac, just to confirm my expectation that there won't be any problems in that part of the project, I decided to postpone the building of points and baseboards and laying of track whilst I start on the rolling stock that I will need for the layout.

I acquired two good sources for the area - "By Great Western to Crewe" by Bob Yate and "The Stoke to Market Drayton Line" by C R Lester. From these I could put together a reasonable picture of the traffic through Market Drayton. Nominally my target is 1905, though I might allow it to slip to 1910 if necessary.

Passenger traffic
Knotty
About five trains a day to/from Stoke. Probably still 4-wheelers, though there might be a couple of six-wheelers in the rakes, and hauled by a 2-4-0T or 2-4-2T.

GWR
About six trains a day each way between Crewe and Wellington. Basically stopping trains, unclear whether these would be 4/6 wheel or bogie (Dean clerestory) during this period, but two of these trains would have slip coaches or other through sections attached, serving Manchester.

Cheshire and Shropshire were both substantial producers of milk, so there would be siphons (and the Knotty equivalents) attached to various passenger trains.

Goods traffic
This is rather more interesting than my original proposed branch line terminus. There were two or three local trains a day in each direction, but the Crewe-Wellington line also saw some fairly heavy through goods traffic, about fifteen trains a day in each direction. These included manufactured goods between Wolverhampton and Manchester, fruit and vegetables from Worcester (and broccoli from Cornwall) to various northern destinations and possibly meat from Liverpool to London. I've also come across a creosote tank wagon which ran between Manchester and Hayes, via Market Drayton.

The GWR introduced fast vacuum-fitted freights from about 1904 - some ran on this line.

Local traffic included two cattle trains, one in each direction, on Monday mornings - though I've not yet found how the empties returned. There were at least two breweries in Market Drayton, so the transportation of beer by rail seems plausible. There was at least one foundry, making agricultural implements, so coal and iron from the Potteries and finished machines outwards would be likely. I have the names of two coal merchants with offices at Market Drayton.

So I made a start by building up some GWR goods vans and open wagons, to be followed in due course by a few coaches and then some locomotives.

Alternate History
I am also debating whether to use one of the "might-have-been" alternatives for Market Drayton. From what I can see, the Knotty enjoyed a very profitable monopoly over goods traffic to and from the Potteries, and local businessmen vigorously supported the provision of alternative routes to break this monopoly. In particular there was an interesting possibility in the Wellington, Drayton and Newcastle Railway proposal of 1861 (which would presumably have been taken over by the GWR in due course, meaning that all three lines from Market Drayton would have been GWR) - the potential for this line to bring china clay from Dorset for the pottery industry was apparently very popular. There were various proposals for the Potteries Junction Railway between Shrewsbury and Stoke on Trent, via Market Drayton, which did eventually obtain Parliamentary approval - but it never raised enough finance to construct the line.

Actual History
Nantwich and Market Drayton Railway opened first, single line branch, operated by GWR from opening (though initial plans had been for LNWR to operate it).
  • Incorporated 1861.
  • Construction started 1862.
  • Construction completed and line opened 1863.
  • Taken over by GWR 1897.
Wellington and Drayton Railway opened next, double track, and was accompanied by doubling of the NMDR. Similarly operated from inception by GWR.
  • Incorporated 1862
  • Construction started 1864
  • Construction completed and line opened 1867
  • Taken over by GWR 1877.
North Staffordshire Railway branch from Newcastle to Market Drayton opened third, in 1870. To be pedantic, it was an extension of the Newcastle-Silverdale branch onwards to Market Drayton, the Silverdale branch serving various coal pits and iron works.

Gingerbread?
For anybody who is still reading, and wondering where the Gingerbread Line fits in - Market Drayton was famous for its gingerbread. The Market Drayton Railway Preservation Society  was formed in 1992 with the aim of reopening part of the Nantwich to Market Drayton line, apparently using the name "Gingerbread Line", though it appears to have abandoned those ambitions and is now merely a social/historical railway enthusiasts group.

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