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Cannock Chase Military Railway (Pt.1)


Andy Y

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It appears to have been produced purely as a guide for an organised walk on 28/2/2004. Doesn't appear to include any reference to CCDC or any organised body. I was thinking it might have been a private publication for some walker / rambler outing. Amazing coincidence finding it though.

 

Will scan and post tomorrow night....

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laugh1.gif I've got a tidied up version of that snap to use in Part 3. That pic seems to be the construction workers rather than the trainees or POWs (they probably got treated better!) and I reckon there are 40-50 men in each of the opens. That's about 2.5 tons of flesh and bone to each wagon. Apparently they used to have to get out and walk when the locos struggled (that'll be most of the journey then ;)).

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Just scanning the booklet now - 24hrs later than thought. The paper is a tad on the thin side so I'm having to play with the settings so you don't get two sides in one shot....

 

I'll be back in about an hour.....

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:)

 

Some bare bones of information at the Record Office have shown that the line didn't cross Milford Common where I thought it did from the other info seen. More in due course on that.

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Ok, as almost promised he's the scans of the booklet I found the other day. As stated there's nothing on it stating any copyright nor an author. Happy to remove these images if anyone feels there's a copyright issue.
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The colour centerfold plan:
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And the laminated route plan for the walk. The orange text hasn't come across very well - happy to read and type if it can't be read.
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Hope this is some help. :)

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That's a well written guide Chris; thanks for doing that! I see the map has been a bit vague at the Milford end too.

 

Harry and I believe we may have found part of the Messines Model yesterday but it would need a bit more work to see if we're right.

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Guest oldlugger

A most unusual "railway" Andy - really fascinating. I've always been intrigued by old railways; either ones still in situ but buried under profuse vegetation and hidden from view, or ones like this one in Staffs, that are now just earthworks and the odd relic. What a great model you could make from this. Are there any photos of the track, or are you reserving that for part 2?

 

Excellent stuff...

 

Cheers

Simon

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That's a well written guide Chris; thanks for doing that! I see the map has been a bit vague at the Milford end too.

 

Harry and I believe we may have found part of the Messines Model yesterday but it would need a bit more work to see if we're right.

 

No problem chap. Amazing how much the Chase has finished in nearly 100 years. Also amazing that historic relics such as the model village are now buried under vegetation and soil. Seems to be a chapter most are happy to forget.

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Before moving onto subsequent parts of this topic I've revisited the OP in light of further information at the Milford Common end of the route, the apparent greed of a local landowner and the Messines Model at Coppice Hill.

 

The revisions are shown in grey text in the OP.

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As an indicator that there's more to come on this topic than initially anticipated I've formed a composite aerial map.

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Amazing.

Our family used to picnic just south of Milford Common in the late 1950s.

So that finally explains the wide road-like walking tracks the purpose of which we were never able to fathom!

I've been back to the area once since moving to Australia in the early 1970s and it all seemed so much smaller - the lovely subtle smells of English countryside (the ferns, loam etc) however are unchanged!

Any visitor who doesn't know the area should also consider calling in to Little Haywood which is nearby.

It's in the fork of the WCML and the line to Stoke which leaves the WCML at Colwich.

Between the lines there is a canal and also the shallow River Trent. A pleasant canal-side pub completes the scene. Parking can be a problem but it's worth it.

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Any visitor who doesn't know the area should also consider calling in to Little Haywood which is nearby.

It's in the fork of the WCML and the line to Stoke which leaves the WCML at Colwich.

Between the lines there is a canal and also the shallow River Trent. A pleasant canal-side pub completes the scene. Parking can be a problem but it's worth it.

And don't forget Shugborough Hall, ancestral home of the Earl of Lichfield, which is a major attraction not much more than a stroll from Little and Great Haywood. http://www.shugborough.org.uk/

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And don't forget Shugborough Hall, ancestral home of the Earl of Lichfield, which is a major attraction not much more than a stroll from Little and Great Haywood. http://www.shugborough.org.uk/

 

We combined it with our 'Members' Day Weekend' this year but be warned unless you are an NT member it can be very pricey and even if you are an NT member you still have to pay for some of it (I'm led to understand that a prior conversation with our great leader might lead to a hint on easing some of the financial painwink.gif).

 

BTW the Shugborough Hall official car park is very conveniently sited for another local attraction (and apologies for veering off the OT)

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  • 10 months later...

Just stumbled across this thread, why hadn't I noticed it before? Think it deserves bumping back into play again.

 

Wagonbasher and myself organised a walk over the route from Milford Common to Chase Road Corner about 10 years ago and I think the booklet 2ManySpams has reproduced was the one I produced for it, were you on that walk Chris? Perhaps Andy Y might like to resurrect his research and continue the story, once he's got RMWeb day out of the way!

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  • 1 year later...

If you are in the area, why not visit the museum of The Staffordshire Regiment near Lichfield? I am a trustee of the museum having served as an officer in The Staffordshire Regiment and can recommend  it. The Staffords are a regiment "with no frills, but plenty of guts." Details can be found at: http://staffordshireregimentmuseum.com/

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 why not visit the museum of The Staffordshire Regiment near Lichfield? I am a trustee of the museum having served as an officer in The Staffordshire Regiment and can recommend  it.

 

Excellent; I didn't know that Chris. We must pay a visit again as it's been some time..

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Following the archaeological excavation of the 1917 built Messines Model on Cannock Chase over the past few weeks I went to see the final results prior to it all being covered over again next week. Here are a few photos taken in between showers.

 

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The wreath in the foreground was laid by Lieutenant Colonel Mike Beale of the New Zealand Defence Force to commemorate the NZ Troops who were in the battle for Messines Ridge.

 

An excellent blog on the excavation can be found here http://greatwarcannock.blogspot.be/

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

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