Driver Experience - 18th & 19th February 2008
A unique chance
for you to take the controls of the
Green Arrow 4771
before the boiler ticket runs out.
booking essential only 8 places available
Latest News from the Churnet Valley Railway
27/12/07
DMU Centre coach restoration, for the latest pictures click here
21/12/07
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Driver Experience - 18th & 19th February 2008 A unique chance
for you to take the controls of the |
17/12/07
Click here for the 2008 Timetable / running dates
Stanier 8F 2-8-0 48173 arrives at the CVR, click here for the full story
The
Tender (inset bottom left) is originally from Stanier 8F 48305 which visited
the CVR in 2006.
The other Tender (inset) which has been associated 48173 still bears the number
44422.
Coincidentally the 1927 built Class 4F loco 44422 was the first resident operational
engine on the CVR.
5/12/07
Victory
in
Saturday
26th & Sunday 27th April 2008 sees the Churnet Valley Railway in
Staffordshire hold its ever popular 1940s weekend.
Next
year's event promises to be better than ever with the emphasis on what peace
meant to thousands of families separated by war.
Trains will start Cheddleton and Kingsley & Froghall Station from 10.00pm on both days.
For
more details or re enactment and traders booking forms please contact Chris
Fletcher on 01538 360522 or email chris.fletcher@churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk
3/12/07
Work on re-creating the 'up' platform at Kingsley & Froghall continues with very good progress being made. Attention is now focused upon the rebuilding of the original wall between the shelter and the A52 road bridge. To follow the story, please click here.
Pictured below are seven members of the team responsible for the work along with Margaret Mountford, Commercial Manager, enjoying a brief respite from the work. A certain similarity to a well known Disney character and her followers hasn't escaped the photographer's attention !
Snow
White & the Seven Dwarfs or
The Civils celebrate the roof completion ("topping out" in building
parlance)
27/11/07
Click here for the Story of the Stanier 8F, 48173 Locomotive.
The 8F tender arrives at the railway
16/11/07
8F, 48173, COMES
to the CHURNET VALLEY RAILWAY
8F, 48173, has been purchased by a director of the Churnet Valley Railway following the failed purchase by another prospective customer. Some separated parts of the loco should be arriving on Saturday 10th November, with the locomotive and tender (Fowler) following within the next two weeks. The initial stages of a long restoration are planned to commence in the New Year. The locomotive is missing many parts and an appeal is being made to anyone with suitable 8F items for sale and/or the whereabouts of any 8F spares to get in contact..
04/09/07
“STEAM
RAILWAY” visits the CVR.
On the 15th
August Richard Foster, Deputy Editor of the “Steam Railway” magazine visited
the Churnet Valley Railway. Following days of inclement weather the sun came out
to celebrate the event.
The Publicity
Department of David Gibson and David Bard had the pleasure of showing him
around.
Following a
welcoming cup of tea in the MPD ‘Mess Room’ we started by a visit amongst to
the Cheddleton signal box. with talk of the new station loop; our Mk 2 BSO
Coach, now under restoration; the loco shed and C. & W. shed; concentrating
of course on the steam theme, namely the inverted frames of S160, “6046” and
respective inner firebox and boiler, but also the installed machine items from
Swindon Loco Works and our much used blacksmith forge. In the sidings we were
able to show the now silent 7821 “Ditcheat Manor”, Class 4MT Standard Tank
80098, and our “Moorlander” Dining and Kitchen Car set.
All of that in
time for the 11:50 service to Froghall. David Gibson was able to demonstrate,
during the journey, his extensive knowledge of the North Staffs Railway in the
area as well as other past industries in the Churnet Valley, all a complement to
his photographic archives. A detailed study of the progressing restoration of
Froghall Up platform gave Richard an insight into the thoroughness of all of our
CVR restorations.
Next, lunch in
the Froghall Tea Room, very busy on the day, but finished in time to watch the
arrival and run around of S160 “5197” and the opportunity for more
photographs. With the kind offer from our highly respected, but imminent
emigrant, Driver, John Scothan, Richard was able to ride on the footplate via
Leekbrook back to Cheddleton.
The last visit from the “Steam Railway” editorial staff with a view to writing an article was by Tony Streeter, their features writer, in the summer of 2000.The result was being an excellent write up in Issue No 250 in the October of that year. We hope for a similar complimentary article.
Richard Foster on the footplate of 5197
12/07/07
Work on reconstructing the 'up' waiting shelter and platform at Kingsley & Froghall station is continuing with excellent progress being made. Slowly, the scene on the 'up' platform is being returned to how it was in the 1950s & 1960s.
Compare the two pictures below to get an idea of how the project is evolving. Visit here for the full story or, better still, come down and visit us to see the progress first hand.
Kingsley & Froghall in the 1960s
Kingsley & Froghall in July 2007
05/07/07
Over the last months the Churnet Valley Railway has assembled an impressive array of serviceable wagons and vans. They will form the basis of regular freight train operations during the coming year offering photographic opportunities and (possible) Brake Van rides.
Wagons available
include,
YLO GWR 40T “Gain A” Bogie Wagon, DB996724
4 Wheel 14T Esso Tank Wagon, 2305/164490
LMS 20T Goods Brake Van, 731790
ZDV 4 Wheel Tube Wagons, B740140, B 740971
LNER 4 Wheel Tube Wagon, 181358
ZEV 19T Hopper Wagons, “Catfish” DB993545, DB99534
24T Hopper Wagons, “Dogfish” DB993363, DB993431
VEA 12T Vent Vans, 230017, 230029, 230235, 230237, 785811
VAA 30T Vent Van, 200056
ZDV 13T Medium Goods, ADB461501, ADB461230
And at their destination at Kingsley & Froghall
05/06/07
Class 37, 37075 (D6775) has now arrived at the Churnet Valley Railway and was in action over the weekend of the Diesel Gala. Now 45 years old, having been built by Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn in 1962, it has the honour, investigations suggest, of being the first Class 37 ever to have run over the North Staffordshire rails south of Leekbrook.
Owned by Paul Bayliff and the 5C Locogroup, 37075 will be in operation throughout the 'Anything Goes' weekend, running on the 23rd & 24th of June.
The Class 37 Loco is scheduled to remain at the Churnet Valley Railway for at least 12 months.
37075 leaving Cheddleton during the Diesel Gala Weekend
02/04/07
The Churnet Valley Railway is delighted to announce the appointment of two Educational Officers. David Lowndes and Graham Joiner will be responsible for planning and organising educational visits to the railway from surrounding schools. If you're involved in education please visit their new page to see what's on offer.
23/09/06
A significant number of historical photographs have again been added to the gallery section. This is in addition to the several hundred already added to Galley 6 over the last few months. The work of creating the sub-galleries within gallery 6 is still ongoing and will be for some time but definitely visit the gallery to see what's been achieved so far. The pictures are best viewed via Broadband as the file sizes have been left fairly large to preserve the quality of the original pictures.
22/08/06
The 24th of August was the railway's 10th anniversary of passenger operation on the Churnet Valley Line.
The first passengers since 1966 travelled from Cheddleton to Leekbrook and back on 24th August 1996. Although just under half a mile in each direction, his event was a huge milestone in the history of the CVR, all passenger operation previously being confined to Cheddleton yard and marked the culmination of years of determined effort, started back in 1973. For more information on Cheddleton, please click here.
For the next two years passenger services continued from Cheddleton to Leekbrook whilst work continued apace to refurbish the trackwork two miles further south to Consall. The first passenger train ran from Cheddleton to Consall and back on the 11th July 1998. Consall station, as such, consisted of a derelict waiting shelter overhanging the canal (the only remains of the original station), a platform and the remains of the original station building floor protected by steel barriers. A very basic station facility was established in a static railway coach for several years before an exact replica of the original station building was erected in 2000. The award winning site has only recently been completed and now boasts two working platforms, a fully functional signal box, replica iron fencing and, of course, the replica station building, now nicely weathered. For more information on Consall, please click here.
On the 11th August 2001 passenger services were extended another two miles south to Kingsley & Froghall. Again, a very basic station site greeted the first passengers with tickets being sold out of a wooden hut and a tea room operating out of a portacabin. Over the subsequent few years a new station building was erected on the site of the original, the car park extended and the site developed. This work is steadily continuing, the disused 'up' platform now the main focus of attention. For more information on Kingsley & Froghall, please click here.
The Churnet Valley Railway is an organisation operated almost entirely by volunteers. We always welcome new staff - you don't need to have any railway knowledge to come along and help. We need people to do all sorts of jobs - from gardening, painting, working in the souvenir shop, making tea/cakes/sandwiches, right through to being a driver, guard or signalman. Feel free to come along to Cheddleton Station any weekend for further details of jobs available. You will be made very welcome and given appropriate training where necessary. See the 'becoming a volunteer' page for more details.
If you would like to help us in other ways, you can buy shares in the Railway (the share prospectus for the Froghall Extension share issue is still available) or you can join our support organisation, the North Staffordshire Railway Company (1978) Ltd.