Moorlands and City Railway

Well if the PWay gang...

... in public on the trackbed, I'd say it's something for the late night channels

 

Stoke to Endon has always planned to be done by MCR Contractors.

Endon - Leek Brook is planned as CVR until the time comes for upgrading for freight. Initially though the plan is to run a Heritage service similar to our Cauldon Operations. As mentioned previously, we were informed at a volunteers meet that they are hoping for this to occur at some point in 2014, but negotitations are still ongoing with Network Rail.

 

Not quite MCR because today we moved down onto CVR metals for this thrilling episode.
A nice sunny spring day with two teams. One looking at the Oakamoor sidings and another taking down two oak trees that were overhanging the line and on a steep cutting side. Both came down with a bit of a crunch but were soon sawn into manageable proportions and stacked lineside to await collection. A butterfly seemed to like the oak sawdust.

 

Nice to see the update reports back in full swing again.
Thanks to all.

 

A delightful time in the valley at the moment everything is begining to start afresh, just a few photos of it plus one of a member under instruction driving the Hi Hab and another of some of the group who bought their chairs to sit on , anyone would think it was a works outing. We did some work as well!, then helped the other group to tidy the tree cutting area.

 

Thats very astute of you Ralph, on that sleeper changer with 360 degree vision with standing room only apart from the 3 seated members of the gang.

 

An orange tip. Appropriately hi-vis.

 

Excellent pictures. Please keep them coming.

JP

 

As an ex - pat Potter and a very early member of what was then the North Staffordshire Railway Society, can I echo the sentiments encouraging you to continue posting? I love the Churnet Valley line and also the Biddulph Valley line, from Stoke to Leekbrook. I grew up there, went to Abbey Hulton Primary School in the late Fifities, and knew the line when it was full of goods trains, from Oakamoor, Caldon Low, Bellerton Lane and Chatterley Whitfield collieries.

I have long dreamed of seeing trains back on the line. I am a 40 + year Severn Valley man now, through work and circumstance, but I am still rooting for you. Please ignore the negative stuff from people who have their own axes to grind, for whatever reason, and just carry on.

All the best,

jtx

 

Today's soap - Easter holiday time so the gang was down to a skeleton of 7. Three stalwarts needing some exercise did a line walk from Cheddleton to Froghall whilst two of us took down some birch trees overhanging the line near the southern entrance to Leekbrook Tunnel. That didn't take long so we then helped reassemble the weed killer apparatus and get it installed on the sleeper carrier, ready for action in the next few weeks. The N7 was on duty with footplate experience trips early on, followed by a service train.

 

Any news anyone.
The interest is still there.

 

Pway gang were out on Wednesday, 3 of us walked down from Threshing Barn Crossing to Bradnop Station, lopping encroaching vegetation. Other members then weedkilled the branch, after having done the same on the CVR.

 

Has nothing happened in May?

 

Guys been keepting Iain's thread upto date Neil
https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/churnet-valley-railway.177295/page-5#post-859756

 

Neil, no progress due to your absence swanning around Oz .

Actually the 'A' team have been up the Cauldon line the last few weeks - line inspections and then vegetation control - hours of fum armed just with loppers and a bow saw. Facebook is up to date with pics etc too.

 

The Z team meanwhile have been busy replacing the pads on the concrete sleepers between Cheddleton to Consall, with the exception of 2 weeks ago where we managed to weedkill the line from Froghall Junction to Ipstones whilst the weather was kind to us.That was a long day from 8-00 am to 6-30 pm, looking at the track this Wednesday its really had a good effect. The Endon line is next when we get another Wednesday with a bit of sunshine. Sorry no photos, I take my camera then forget to take the photos, sign of old age creeping on maybe.

 

You'll just have to get on Facebook Ralph

 

it certainly was a long day but I enjoyed every minute of it