Track at Cosgrove Wharf

I was wondering whether anyone could shed light on the origin of the narrow gauge track (looks about 2ft gauge) I keep running past on the wharf at Cosgrove, on the Grand Union Canal? I'm guessing that it has something to do with the adjacent sand workings?

09015

 

The 2'0" gauge track set in concrete at Cosgrove Wharf, on the Grand Union Canal just south of Leighton Buzzard, is all that remains of George Garsides Grovebury Quarry system. This network of lines was much altered over the years, as the quarries developed, but the system was unusual as the sand could be conveyed by narrow gauge railway, to the wharf on the canal, to a tipping dock alongside a siding on the south side of Leighton Buzzard to Dunstable branch, or into the Leighton Buzzard Tile Works, in Grovebury Road. Motive power was provided by Simplex locomotives, rotated as required from Garside's stock used in their quarries connected to the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (this line was of course never connected to the LBLR, as it was on the other side of the Dunstable branch). Rolling stock consisted of skips, skips and more skips, a few flat wagons and a fuel tank wagon for the quarry plant. The wharf closed in October 1965 and final closure of Grovebury System was in 1969.
The full history of the quarries and their railways in this area is quite complex, and for full details I recommend you read Sydney Leleux's book on the "The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway".

William Shelford
Archivist, Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society Ltd

 

Um, actually Cosgrove is North of Leighton Buzzard (within Milton Keynes?), and the track referred to was as far as I know nothing to do with Garsides or the LBLR. I'm pretty sure the track at Cosgrove was to do with quarrying, but I am away from home so cannot consult my source - "Industrial Locomotives of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire" published by the Industrial Railway Society http://www.irsociety.co.uk/books/books.htm .

Odd coincidence that both Grovebury and Cosgrove should have canal wharfs with 2ft gauge track remains.

 

Apologies for confusing Grove and Cosgrove. Ken is quite right, Cosgrove on the canal is just north of Wolverton.

According to the "Industrial Locomotives of Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire & Northamptonshire “book published by the Industrial Railway Society, this tramway ran from Cosgrove Gravel Pit, westwards for about 800 yards to a wharf on the Grand Union Canal. The pit was in existence by 1931, owned by C.R.Whiting, a washed sand and gravel merchant and was taken over c1950 by the Cosgrove Sand & Gravel Co. A Simplex locomotive (MR 9204/1946) was used on the tramway from new until 1963, when use of the line ceased.