The Kinver Light Railway

 We came across a railway that I had to admit I had never heard of before. The attraction we had been heading for was the rock houses at Kinver in south Staffordshire, now protected by the National Trust. The dwellings, hewn into a sandstone hilltop, had been occupied until the mid-twentieth century, and it was therefore a fascinating location in its own right. One of the tour guide’s families had lived in the houses when he was a small boy, and in earlier times as many as 46 people had occupied the location at one time.

Inside one of the houses was a photograph of the Kinver Light Railway’s car No. 49. During the early twentieth century, the extended tramway brought visitors to the location - by then a curiosity and tourist attraction. The residents in one of the rock houses provided afternoon tea for the sightseers.

Starting at Amblecote, where it connected with the established Dudley and Stourbridge tramway system, the line was built to a 3-foot 6-inch gauge and ran for just over 4 miles. It. Trams were single deck and power was supplied by an electric overhead cable. The railway operated between 1901 and 1930, when it lost out to increased competition from motor buses. We were told by the on-site NT volunteer staff that nothing remains of the tramway set-up at Kinver itself. The former course can be traced in part, though, and evidence remains of some former culverts, depot inspection pits, bridge abutments and some odd bits of rail.

 

SVR August 2022

A wet Worcestershire morning suggested yet another trip on the SVR instead of a bike ride. We started off at the Guild of Railway Artists summer Railart exhibition, housed above the museum at Kidderminster station and always an interesting display. The skies had cleared by the time that ex-GWR panier tank 7714 took us to the Engine House at Highley for lunch and 34027 Taw Valley, posing as 70 Elizabeth and in purple livery to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, eventually delivered us to Bridgnorth and back. Western diesel D1015 Champion in BR blue was also on duty.

    

The Tenbury and Bewdley Railway

The line opened in 1864 and was then operated by the Great Western Railway from 1870. A branch from Tenbury connected to the GWR/LNWR Joint Hereford to Shrewsbury main line at Wooferton, the east to south curve at the junction providing a through route to Leominster. To the east, the branch joined the Severn Valley Railway on a west to south curve, just north of Bewdley. There were 5 passenger trains a day each way between Tenbury and Bewdley, a pattern that continued until 1960. The passenger service finished completely in 1962 and the line was closed to goods two years later.

Little remains of the Tenbury branch today. The crossing of the River Severn was by Dowles bridge and the masonry foundations are still in place and just visible through the trees from trains on the SVR. Various bridge supports and retaining walls are still in situ along the former course of the line, which crosses quiet lanes and some very attractive countryside. The section through Wyre Forest has been surfaced for use by walkers and cyclists as part of their family mountain bike circuit but that relatively short stretch is the only advertised passable section. Given that so many old railway routes have now been adapted as cross-country trails, this certainly feels like a good opportunity lost, so far.

The photos include the bridge remains at Neen Sollars, where there was also an intermediate village station. The pub here, the Live and Let Live, is recommended. It provides a warm welcome and better than average pub grub in substantial portions and at a reasonable price. The Wyre Forest cycle trail incorporating former track bed begins at the visitor centre, where there is also a café.

 

The Newquay Branch

The ex-GWR line from Newquay connects this sizeable and popular seaside resort to the Penzance to Paddington main line at Par. The single coach DMU takes around 50 minutes to make a one-way trip and departures are roughly two hours apart. Given that no other rail services have survived along the Atlantic coast/Bristol Channel anywhere between St Ives and Weston-super-Mare, apart from the West Somerset heritage railway, this does not seem like a massive commitment of resources, especially when you take into consideration how Newquay itself has grown, how choked its roads are in summer [as recently sampled] and how many visitors head that way for holidays. Up-grading is in the pipeline, however, with a new passing loop at Goss Moor and the reopening of the second platform at Newquay, which will allow an hourly service in future, including regular trains to Falmouth. We waited at the level crossing next to the first station out of Newquay, Quintrell Downs, as the lunchtime train for Par pulled away.

 

Cows on the Line

It would be hard to imagine a more authentic excuse for the late departure of a 1950s rural branch line train than that of cows straying onto the tracks. The first departure from Buckfastleigh in this instance, however, was the 10.30 for Totnes Riverside on Saturday 30^th July in 2022. It was an age-old problem that simply added to the overall ambience that the South Devon Railway so effectively manages to recreate. There was no urgency for us in terms of missing the connecting train from a junction station or finding that the Saturday morning market was already winding up for the day. In contrast, we were in no hurry at all.

Particularly low water levels in the River Dart, itself, had apparently tempted the untimely incursion. An announcement over the Tannoy explained that the owner would need to be identified, the cows rounded up and guided back whence they came, and that this might take some time. It was actually completed remarkably quickly, given the circumstances. The diesel shunter-hauled permanent way train that had first sounded the alarm returned to its Buckfastleigh base quite smartly. The fireman of 4575 Class Prairie 2-6-2 tank No. 5526 then took charge of the token. The guard blew his whistle and waved his green flag, and we were away. The rest was just plain sailing.

Tiny

Tiny is a very special survivor, being the only remaining ex-GWR broad gauge loco still in existence. Built by Sara and Co. in 1868 for the South Devon Railway, she was employed as a dockside shunter in Plymouth. From 1927 onwards, she was mounted on the platform at Newton Abbott station, before becoming part of the National Collection and moving to Buckfastleigh station in 1980, where she can now be found on display in their museum.