Cauldon Lowe Branch Line Re-opening

71000 'Duke of Gloucester', working hard with that distinctive three-cylinder beat, yet still with surplus steam blowing off from her safety valves, climbs towards the summit of the line near Ipstones with the first passenger train on the branch for three quarters of a century on the late morning of Saturday 13th November 2010

Today public passenger trains ran on the Cauldon Lowe branch of the Churnet Valley Railway for the first time since it closed to passenger traffic in 1935, closing completely in 1994. This morning I photographed the unique Standard Class 8P Pacific steam locomotive 71000 Duke of Gloucester (above) as she headed the first train, banked from the rear by the Churnet Valley railway's resident crimson Stanier 8F 8624. That's a lot of power - but the branch has gradients as steep as one in forty, one of the UK's steepest.

Churnet Valley 8F 8624, wreathed in steam and smoke, banks the train up the gradient

For many years the Churnet Valley Railway has operated preserved steam and diesel trains between Oakamoor and Leekbrook Junction (a couple of miles south of Leek) along part of the former North Staffordshire Railway Company's North Rode to Uttoxeter line. The Cauldon Lowe branch runs from Leekbrook Junction eastwards to the stone quarry at Cauldon Lowe and until the 1980s stone trains ran from there via Leekbrook Junction to Stoke on Trent where they joined the main line. Main line trains also used to run up the Churnet Valley from the sand quarry at Oakamoor to Leekbrook where they too turned west to join the main line at Stoke.

Leek
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Stoke---------------------------------Leekbrook------------------------Cauldon Lowe

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Cheddleton
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Consall
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Froghall
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Oakamoor

Schematic of the geography of the Churnet Valley Line (Oakamoor to Leekbrook), the proposed Leek extension, the link to Stoke, and the recently opened Cauldon branch

For decades the lines from Stoke to Leekbrook, and on from Leekbrook to Cauldon Lowe lay unused and overgrown. Moorland & City Railways has now purchased both these lines and the first to be restored to use is the Cauldon Lowe branch. Moorland & City intend to reinstate stone trains from Cauldon Lowe out onto the main line rail system at Stoke, passenger services between Stoke, Leek, and Alton Towers, and perhaps sand trains from Oakamoor too, and are allowing the Churnet Valley Railway running rights over these lines.

Today is a landmark day for the Churnet Valley with the first of these passenger trains operated by 'The Duke' and the 8F. Also brought in to work trains over the opening gala celebrations as well as Duke of Gloucester are Southern Railway rebuilt Bulleid light pacific 34028 Eddystone and LMS Black Five 44767 George Stephenson.

These are exciting times for rail enthusiasts in North Staffordshire. Roll-on the re-opening of the Leekbrook to Stoke line!