Description:The Stephenson Locomotive Society (Midland Area) ran the last train on the Stafford to Uttoxeter line on 23 March 1957. This photograph taken by Dr J.E.C. Peters shows the locomotive arriving at Chartley & Stowe (Stowe-by-Chartley) Station with 200 railway enthusiasts on board. The line had been closed from around 1951 and most of the track was dismantled shortly after this excursion.
This last journey from Stafford called at the following stations: Stafford Common, Salt & Sandon, Ingestre & Weston, Chartley & Stowe, Grindley and finally at Bromshall Junction (Bramshall) and in reverse order on the return journey.
The line was opened in December 1867 by the Stafford-Uttoxeter Railway Company. It was nicknamed the Clog and Knocker. Nineteen years later the company folded and the line was sold to the Great Northern Company. Passenger traffic was withdrawn in 1939, but the line was kept open for milk traffic. The high cost of maintenance proved too expensive and the line closed in 1951, having never shown a profit. It was mostly broken up by 1959 although a part remained (at the Stafford end) for military traffic using the sidings at RAF Stafford (16 MU) until around 1975.
The Locomotive is a British Rail 2-6-2T, Ivatt, Tank No. 41224 built at Crewe in 1948. It was withdrawn from service in 1967 and subsequently scrapped.
Acknowledgement: Thank you to Mr J Bennett, Mr Chris Coates, Mr Ian Hazlehurst and Six Bells Junction for the additional information.