Isabel Line

gon2seed

gon2seed

(and me! - Ed)
Chatting to a bloke, at the cafe on the road from Brocton to Pie Green across the Chase, t'other day. Testing out my new road cycle, and stopped for a brew and a Mars Bar. He seemed to know all about railways, so I asked him about this former line. I knew it went beyond Weston and Gnosall, but wasn't sure how far. He says it used to go twixt Uttoxeter and Shewsbury and closed in the 50's. He said that this was pretty short sighted, as this would be a useful line now! Don't know about this at all, but it does make a useful cycle track between the Doxey Rd and Beaconside!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stafford_and_Uttoxeter_Railway

http://picasaweb.google.com/JANenFONS/StaffordToUttoxeterRailwayPastAndPresent#

Particularly for sad spackers, who can't drive their car!!!!!! Ed :rolleyes:
 
stoofer34

stoofer34

Well-Known Forumite
2akkep.jpg
 
Wormella

Wormella

Well-Known Forumite
It does always seem odd that there's no line that runs from Stafford to say Nottingham or Derby - that would have gone via Uttoxeter I'm guessing. It would make visiting my brother a bit easier (he lives in Nottingham)

Does anyone kow why it was called the Isabel line / trail?
 
Withnail

Withnail

Well-Known Forumite
It might be named after Lady Isabel who was the last inhabitant of Stafford Castle before it was destroyed in the Civil War.

Or it might not - i don't really know.
 
Toble

Toble

Well-Known Forumite
Google Earth map of the full line?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fwww.tonyblews.co.uk%2Fkmz%2FStafford_and_Uttoxeter_Railway.kmz&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.977057,56.513672&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12

Or download the file:

http://www.tonyblews.co.uk/kmz/Stafford_and_Uttoxeter_Railway.kmz
 
Mr X

Mr X

Well-Known Forumite
Toble said:
Google Earth map of the full line?

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=http:%2F%2Fwww.tonyblews.co.uk%2Fkmz%2FStafford_and_Uttoxeter_Railway.kmz&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=31.977057,56.513672&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=12

Or download the file:

http://www.tonyblews.co.uk/kmz/Stafford_and_Uttoxeter_Railway.kmz
Click to expand...
FAntastic! Have a skill point! Did you do this of have you found it on the internet?

I'd worked out most of it from the satellite photos, but couldn't figure out the bit around Weston; on the map stoofer34 posted there is a station labeled as Ingestre. Why was it called Ingestre if the line actually went through Weston?
 
Mr X

Mr X

Well-Known Forumite
Wormella said:
It does always seem odd that there's no line that runs from Stafford to say Nottingham or Derby - that would have gone via Uttoxeter I'm guessing. It would make visiting my brother a bit easier (he lives in Nottingham)
Click to expand...
It's also interesting that having looked along the full length it doesn't appear to have been built on anywhere. Presumably it would therefore be theoretically possible to reopen the line, should it be decided that the line would be useful?!
 
Toble

Toble

Well-Known Forumite
Mr X said:
FAntastic! Have a skill point! Did you do this of have you found it on the internet?

I'd worked out most of it from the satellite photos, but couldn't figure out the bit around Weston; on the map stoofer34 posted there is a station labeled as Ingestre. Why was it called Ingestre if the line actually went through Weston?
Click to expand...
Did it myself, just after i'd got bored mapping every canal in the uk http://www.ukwrs.co.uk/gecm/

Weston/Ingestre had 2 stations. Ingestre and Weston on the Stafford/Uttoxeter line, and Weston and Ingestre on the North Staffordshire Railway.

Probably as the NSR station was build first, the SUR one had to have a different name, or to quote Wikipedia:
It was opened by the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway in 1867. Originally called Ingestre it was actually much closer to Weston and was renamed (also Ingestre for Weston) in 1870 to avoid confusion with Weston and Ingestre on the North Staffordshire Railway.
Click to expand...
 
Toble

Toble

Well-Known Forumite
Mr X said:
It's also interesting that having looked along the full length it doesn't appear to have been built on anywhere. Presumably it would therefore be theoretically possible to reopen the line, should it be decided that the line would be useful?!
Click to expand...
That would really upset the Castletown folk. As if they aren't permanently upset already.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
My place almost backs onto the the line and I have about a yard of rail and a spike, should you wish to make a start at re-instatement. Most of the trackbed is available, although a couple of bridges have gone. The tunnel at Lower Loxley is still extant. When I used to travel to Lincoln it was far faster, and cheaper, to cycle to Uttoxter and catch the train there than to endure the journey, and wait, through Stoke..

It was still in use as far as the RAF into the 70s.
 
Fonzie-NL

Fonzie-NL

Well-Known Forumite
Withnail, your 100% correct.
These past and present pictures were composed by me and my brother.
Some present pictures have also been taken by us.

Some articles about the old Stafford to Uttoxeter railway can be found here on our picassa site (Taken from the Railway World magazine 1957) :

http://picasaweb.google.com/JANenFONS/StaffordToUttoxeterRailwayRailwayWorldArticles#

Our friend Jim Foley has collected a lot of pictures about the S&UR, with the help of us and a lot of other friends:

http://picasaweb.google.com/clogandknocker/OldStaffordToUttoxeterRailwayLine#

By the way... We are still looking for any images of the old Stafford to Uttoxeter railway. :D
Even after all these years new images keep popping up.
 
Fonzie-NL

Fonzie-NL

Well-Known Forumite
Mr X said:
Wormella said:
It does always seem odd that there's no line that runs from Stafford to say Nottingham or Derby - that would have gone via Uttoxeter I'm guessing. It would make visiting my brother a bit easier (he lives in Nottingham)
Click to expand...
It's also interesting that having looked along the full length it doesn't appear to have been built on anywhere. Presumably it would therefore be theoretically possible to reopen the line, should it be decided that the line would be useful?!
Click to expand...
Unfortunately re-instating the whole line would be quite difficult, as Gramaisc also indicated:

- Hopton cutting has been completely filled and used as a dump (God knows what they used to fill this....)
- Hopton bridge and the bridge over the river and canal at weston have been removed including all embankments.
- The embankment at Weston towards Hixon has been removed and used for road widthening elsewere.
- The infamous "black bridge" at Weston over the A51 was removed.

It would be very interesting to see this railway line returned. But I doubt I will see it in my lifetime....

The only railway line they DID talk about relaying is the old Wellington to Stafford line for freight duties.
 
Gramaisc

Gramaisc

Forum O. G.
As Fonzie says, the bridge here was eventually removed, as also was, previously, the embankment running away on both sides.

The trackbed would have made a nice cycle-track, most of the way to Uttoxeter ( and avoiding Weston Bank ), although there might be 'security' issues through the RAF and safety issues with the tunnel. Although the old rail tunnel is still in use on the Manifold track...
 
John Marwood

John Marwood

I ♥ cryptic crosswords
I thought it referred to the colour of the under pants that were worn by the train drivers

A kind of yellowgrey stain
 
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