The Chasewater Railway is a former colliery railway running round the shores of Chasewater in

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

, England. It is now operated as a

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) ...

. The line is approximately in length, contained entirely within Chasewater Country Park. The route, which forms a

horseshoe A horseshoe is a product designed to protect a horse hoof from wear. Shoes are attached on the palmar surface (ground side) of the hooves, usually nailed through the insensitive hoof wall that is anatomically akin to the human toenail, altho ...

shape around the lake, passes through heathland, including a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

, and passes over a long

causeway A causeway is a track, road or railway on the upper point of an embankment across "a low, or wet place, or piece of water". It can be constructed of earth, masonry, wood, or concrete. One of the earliest known wooden causeways is the Sweet T ...

History

Prior to preservation, the line was part of the network operated by the NCB to serve the coalfields of the

Cannock Chase Cannock Chase, often referred to locally as The Chase, is a mixed area of countryside in the county of Staffordshire, England. The area has been designated as the Cannock Chase National Landscape, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and muc ...

area. The exchange sidings, where the colliery line connected with the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 in rail transport, 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had ...

, were situated about north of the current Brownhills West Station. Significant changes happened in 2002/2003 caused by the closure of the original Brownhills West station due to the building of the M6 Toll

motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

. This led to the rebuilding of Brownhills West slightly north of the old station with significantly improved facilities, including a new carriage shed and heritage centre, and completion of the Chasetown section of the line (the 'Chasetown Extension Railway' between Chasewater Heaths and Chasetown Church Street). In 2016 the Railway was awarded The Queen's Award for Voluntary Services.

Stations

* Brownhills West * Norton Lakeside Halt * Chasewater Heaths (adjacent to

Burntwood Burntwood is a former mining town and civil parish in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England. It is approximately west of Lichfield and north east of Brownhills, with a population of 26,049 and forming part of Lichfield district. T ...

bypass) * Chasetown Church Street The buildings at Brownhills West house Chasewater Railway Museum.

Rolling stock

The railway is home to a collection of

steam Steam is water vapor, often mixed with air or an aerosol of liquid water droplets. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization. Saturated or superheated steam is inv ...

and

diesel locomotive A diesel locomotive is a type of railway locomotive in which the prime mover (locomotive), power source is a diesel engine. Several types of diesel locomotives have been developed, differing mainly in the means by which mechanical power is con ...

s of mostly industrial origin, many with local industrial connections. Passengers are conveyed in ex- DMU cars and

British Railways Mark 1 British Rail Mark 1 is the family designation for the first standardised designs of railway carriages built by British Railways (BR) from 1951 until 1974, now used only for charter services on the main lines or on preserved railways. Followin ...

coaches, as well as

brake van Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Ireland, Australia and India for a Rolling stock, railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the Conductor (transportation), guard. The equivalent North Americ ...

s on gala days. The railway has also played host to various guest

steam locomotives A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

from other lines. The railway also owns various vintage carriages, some dating back over a century. These, as well as other rolling stock, are accommodated in the Heritage Centre. Chasewater is also home to only preserved rake of MGR wagons in the UK. Currently there are 10 examples of various types at the railway. All locomotives listed below have been confirmed via the cited source.

Locomotives

* Steam Locomotives **

Hawthorn Leslie R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company, Limited, usually referred to as Hawthorn Leslie, was a shipbuilding, shipbuilder and locomotive manufacturer. The company was founded on Tyneside in 1886 and ceased building ships in 1982. History The comp ...

No. 2780 "Asbestos" built in 1909 (On display/awaiting overhaul). ** W.G. Bagnall No. 2648 "Dunlop No. 6" built in 1940. (Operational) **

Sentinel Sentinel may refer to: Places Mountains * Mount Sentinel, a mountain next to the University of Montana in Missoula, Montana * Sentinel Buttress, a volcanic crag on James Ross Island, Antarctica * Sentinel Dome, a naturally occurring granit ...

No. 9632 built in 1957. (Under repairs/overhaul) **

No. 9366 built in 1945. (Operational) ** Neilson No. 2937 "Alfred Paget" built in 1882. (Under overhaul). ** Peckett and Sons No. 917 built in 1902. (In storage). **

Hudswell Clarke Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. History The company was founded as Hudswell and Clarke in 1860. In 1870 the name was changed to Hu ...

, No. 431 "Sheepbridge No. 15" built in 1895. (In storage) **

Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the Leeds city centre, city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside (ward), Hunslet and Riverside ward of Lee ...

No. 3783 "Darfield No. 1/Hollybank No.3" built in 1953. (Operational, returned to service in 2021) *Diesel Locomotives ** BR Class 08 08472 (Operational). **

North British Locomotive Company The North British Locomotive Company (NBL, NB Loco or North British) was created in 1903 through the merger of three Glasgow locomotive manufacturing companies; Sharp, Stewart and Company (Atlas Works), Neilson, Reid and Company (Hyde Park W ...

No. 27656 built in 1957. (In storage). ** North British No. D2911 built in 1958. (In storage/under repairs). ** Baguley No. 3590 "Bass No. 11" built in 1962. (In storage). ** Fowler No. 4100013 built in 1948. (In storage). **

No. 6678 built in 1968. (Under overhaul). ** Andrew Barclay & Sons. No.659 'Sam' (Operational). **

No. 9000 built in 1983. (Operational - donated from Sellafield Ltd.). **

No. 8999 ‘Redwing’ (Under repairs). ** Brush Bagnall No. 3097 built in 1956. (Under overhaul). ** Kent Construction and Eng Co. No. 1612/21 Planet built in 1929. (In storage). ** Ruston 48 No. 305306 "Ryan" built in 1952. (Under restoration). ** Ruston 165 No. 313394 "Jammo" (Operational, on loan from Telford Steam Railway). **

No. D615 built in 1938. (In storage). ** Bagnall No. 3119 "Hem Heath" built in 1956. (In storage). ** Bagnall No. 3208 built in 1961. (In storage). ** Bagnall No. 3097 (In storage). ** Kent Construction and Eng Co. No. 20 Planet built in 1926. (On long term loan to the National Brewery Museum). ** Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns 8366/Bagnall No. 530003, "Myfanwy" built in 1962. (Operational, on loan to Foxfield Railway). ** Thomas Hill No. 01568 "Helen" built in 1976. (Operational). **

Simplex In geometry, a simplex (plural: simplexes or simplices) is a generalization of the notion of a triangle or tetrahedron to arbitrary dimensions. The simplex is so-named because it represents the simplest possible polytope in any given dimension. ...

No. 15097 (works number 1930) "Ubique" built in 1919. (Storage). ** Simplex No. 15099 (works number 2028) "Morris" built in 1920. (Operational/Storage). ** GEC Traction 5383/306 (Storage) ** GEC Traction 5414/251` (Storage) ** GEC Traction 5454/267 (Storage) ** FC Hibberd Co Ltd No. 1612 (In storage) * Diesel Multiple Units ** BR Class 127 Centre coach no. 59603. (Operational, used as hauled coaching stock). ** BR Class 116 Centre coach no. 59444. (In storage, awaiting overhaul). ** Northern Rail Class 142 no. 142 029. (Under overhaul) ** Northern Rail Class 142 no. 142 030. (Operational) ** Northern Rail Class 142 no. 142 027. (Storage/spares)

Narrow gauge railway

There is a gauge

narrow gauge railway A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

behind the heritage centre, where there are a few shed buildings, and a line that stretches along the heritage centre close to the steam shed.

References

External links

*
Chasewater Railway Museum

Chasewater Country Park
{{Coord, 52.6761, -1.9467, type:landmark_region:GB-STS, display=title Heritage railways in Staffordshire Lichfield District Burntwood Brownhills Norton Canes