ICI Buxton (Tunstead, etc) Railways in the 1960s

[PGH]

This topic was originally envisaged as only illustrating some of the early diesels at ICI's Tunstead and Hindlow Quarries which were rebuilt in their workshops into very unusual looking machines, including the steam loco conversion now at the National Stone Centre and recently illustrated in this forum.  However in the course of scanning old negatives I thought some of the other photos taken at the time (1960s) might be of interest.  The limestone trains in ICI's own fleet of hopper wagons and the locos that worked them on BR have been well covered in prototype and model form and photos have appeared on RMweb and elsewhere of industrial locomotives at Tunstead in recent years, but little (if anything) has been published on ICI's internal railways in earlier years. 

 

I first visited the area in 1961 when many quarries still operated internal railway systems both standard and narrow gauge and access either officially on weekdays or unofficially at weekends was usually no problem.  However in the 1960s ICI were not particularly receptive to visits, official or otherwise, or photography on their premises (in my experience at least) and unofficial visits were sometimes terminated prematurely, so my collection of available photographs on the ICI sites is rather limited.

 

By 1960 the only remaining ICI locations in the Buxton area with rail traffic and industrial locomotives were Tunstead, Hindlow, Smalldale and Buxton Central.  Most of the locomotive details and dates are from information published by the Industrial Railway Society. 

 

 

 

 

In 1961 Tunstead Kilns were still both supplied and served by rail.  In the sidings below the eight vertical kilns are a selection of wagons including 16-ton mineral wagons, covered hoppers, wooden 5 plank P.O. wagons and conflats with containers.

 

 

 

 

At the top (quarry side) of the kilns coal was delivered in BR hopper and mineral wagons.  Limestone was transported to the vertical kilns by a short 2ft gauge system from the loading point at the crushing mill, just off the photo to the right, to the wagon tippler at the kilns, just left of centre.  Despite this short length the system had an unusually large amount of wagons and sidings.  In the right foreground is a group of 8 parallel sidings containing mainly empty wagons while in the distance beyond is a series of 20 parallel sidings containing full wagons.  In effect the system acted as a mobile stockpile so that limestone could be stored in the wagons while the crushing mill was operating and used to keep the kilns continuously supplied when stone was not being crushed at weekends.

 

 

 

 

This enlargement of the above photo shows a Simplex loco on a train of empty wagons in front of the wagon tippler building and beyond a train of full wagons waiting to be unloaded. 

 

 

 

 

Sidings in the limestone cutting at the south end of the kilns.  The cutting was excavated in 1929-1932 parallel to the ex MR Great Rocks Tunnel and formed the first stage in the development of Tunstead Quarry.

 

 

 

 

By the 1960s limestone was only quarried at Tunstead and Hindlow with mechanical loading, and hand loading of stone into narrow gauge wagons had ceased in the mid 1950s with the closure of other quarries.  Here at Hindlow a 150RB electric shovel loads an AEC articulated dumper.  Note the armoured cable supplying power to the shovel disappearing off the bottom of the photo.

 

 

 

 

Cowdale Quarry was situated in Ashwood Dale alongside the ex MR Buxton branch and closed in 1956, still operating up to closure with hand loading of limestone into 2ft gauge skip wagons.  After closure the quarry was stripped of all locomotives, rolling stock and any easily removable buildings and machinery, apart from oddly enough one 2ft gauge Simplex loco chassis.  The track however remained in place for about another 10 years, and the sketch plan above recorded in 1963 shows the complex track system required for hand loading.  There are over 100 sidings for loading wagons at the quarry face and Motor Rail Simplex locomotives would have been continuously traversing the 'main line' circuit dropping off empty wagons and picking up full wagons for delivery to the crushing mill or kilns.

 

 

 

 

 

Buxton Central Quarry was situated alongside the ex MR main line opposite the northern leg of the Buxton branch triangular junction.  The quarry closed in 1951, but the kilns were operated until 1961 supplied with limestone by lorries from Tunstead which tipped the stone into 2ft gauge wagons used to feed the kilns.  By 1963 when this photo was taken the Motor Rail Simplex loco which worked the standard gauge sidings below the kilns had been transferred away.  The black line on the quarry floor to the right of the kilns is redundant 2ft gauge 'V' skip wagons.  On the main line a passing northbound freight is headed by a 9F and banked by a 2-6-4T.

 

 

 

 

On the old Cromford & High Peak line to the west of Buxton rail traffic had ceased at ICI's Harpurhill works and in 1963 the sidings were empty apart from this unusual very short internal user wagon.

 

To be continued

Edited January 13 by PGH
Not now relevant

[PGH]

 

 

View south from just north of Peak Forest Station October 1965.  The large corrugated iron building on the left is ICI's Smalldale Lime Grinding Plant and beyond, in the centre of the photo, is the disused ICI Smalldale Quarry crushing plant.  Between the two can be seen the elevated embankment which once carried the 2ft gauge line from the quarry.  Peak Forest Station is just beyond the road overbridge.  The ICI sidings are above the low wall on the left, while the other three tracks left of centre served S.Taylor Frith's Peak Forest and Holderness Quarries.

 

 

 

 

The ICI sidings were shunted by a Motor Rail Simplex loco and the working loco RS 9 looks rather small compared to a BR hopper wagon.  A similar loco RS 12 was spare.  There is a useful modelling detail in the foreground - the oil drum propped on the wall with an oil stain below.

 

 

 

 

Detail of a portable wheel chock to prevent runaways.  When the wagon wheel contacts the hinged shoe it is standing on the flat portion thereby the weight of the wagon clamps the device to the rail.

 

 

 

 

Great Rocks Quarry was situated on the east side of the main line just south of Peak Forest Station.  The quarry closed circa 1922 although the kilns operated for a few years after that.  By 1965 only a few ruined buildings remained and this timber chute for loading wagons.

 

 

 

 

View north from Buxton Bridge (the overbridge next to Great Rocks Junction signal cabin) October 1965.  In the sidings to the right of the main line are three lines of redundant ICI 5-plank P.O. wagons.  The area to the right is the site of ICI's Long Sidings Quarry closed circa 1939 and in the foreground is the pit and water crane for servicing BR locos working the Tunstead trains, with the turntable just off the picture.  In the distance crossing the main line at a high level is a pipeline carrying waste from Tunstead in the form of slurry to fill the old quarry workings.

 

 

 

 

ICI 5-plank P.O. wagons at Long Sidings.  Note the tarpaulin bar supports above the end of each wagon and the end of one of the timber bars (upside down) in the nearest wagon.  Small lettering on the wagons read: "EMPTY TO TUNSTEAD KILNS PEAK FOREST L.M.R. FOR LIME TRAFFIC ONLY" or "EMPTY TO BRIGGS SIDINGS HINDLOW L.M.R. FOR LIME TRAFFIC ONLY"

 

 

 

 

ICI internal user van No.4

 

To be continued

Edited September 13, 2023 by PGH

[PGH]

Internal steam operation at Tunstead ceased about 1960 with the transfer of four diesel locomotives from ICI's Winnington Works in Cheshire and the conversion of one steam locomotive to diesel power.  The final five steam locomotives comprised three Avonside 0-4-0STs, one Avonside 0-6-0ST and one Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST.

 

 

 

 

In 1961 RS 4 Avonside Engine Co. No.1843, built in 1919 as it says on the tank, stands outside the loco shed situated just south of the crushing plant.  The main part of the two brick road shed is behind the loco and probably held 4 locomotives.  RS 4 is standing on a siding leading to an 'annexe' which held one locomotive and had a water tank on the roof.  Steam locomotive livery was light grey and on RS 4 lined in black.

 

 

 

 

By August 1963 three redundant steam locomotives - RS 1 Avonside 0-6-0ST, RS 5 Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST and RS 4 - were stored at the South Central Workshops.  They were sold for scrap shortly after.

 

 

 

 

The last (complete) steam loco to leave Tunstead was RS 16 Avonside Engine Co. No.1908 of 1925, seen here at the South Central Workshops sidings behind Great Rocks Junction signal cabin in 1965.  It went to the Middleton Railway for preservation in 1966 and is now fully restored and carrying the post preservation name FRED at the Maldegem steam centre in Belgium.  It still carries one of the Buxton Lime Firms RS 16 plates on the rear of the bunker.

 

 

 

 

The fifth steam loco RS 8 0-4-0ST Avonside 1913 of 1923 was converted to diesel power with hydraulic drive in ICI's South Central Workshops in 1960 and is seen here in this rather poor view outside the loco shed with RAMSEY one of the ex Winnington Ruston 165DE locos.  Before I could get a better view I think at this point I was collared by an official and ejected !

 

 

 

 

I never did get a reasonable photo of RS 8 at Tunstead, this being in shadow from a distance outside the South Central Workshops in 1967.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1974 RS 8 went to the Bahamas Locomotive Society at Dinting and was photographed there in 1986.

After the closure of Dinting it was transferred to the National Stone Centre at Wirksworth, where it remains in a vandalised condition.

 

To be continued

Edited September 13, 2023 by PGH

[PGH]

As previously mentioned in addition to the steam loco conversion RS 8, four diesel locomotives were transferred to Tunstead from ICI's Winnington Works circa 1960.  They were CAVENDISH an English Electric 0-6-0DE and three Ruston & Hornsby 165DE 0-4-0DE locos, RAYLEIGH, TREVITHICK and RAMSEY.  CAVENDISH and RAYLEIGH were soon returned back to Winnington. 

 

 

 

 

 

TREVITHICK was rebuilt in 1963 at South Central Workshops with a raised cab and lowered engine casing similar to RS 8, numbered RS 142 and is shown working near the kilns in 1967.

 

 

 

 

TREVITHICK at South Central Workshops in 1969, with an ex MR bracket signal on the main line behind.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In 1978 TREVITHICK was acquired by the Southport Locomotive & Transport Society and photographed at Southport in September 1980.

It was scrapped there three years later.

 

 

 

 

The fourth ex Winnington loco RAMSEY was transferred to ICI subsidiary Settle Limes Ltd., Horton-in-Ribblesdale, Yorkshire in 1961 and in return Tunstead received a Ruston & Hornsby 165DS 0-6-0DM.  This was rebuilt in a similar way to TREVITHICK and received the number RS 143, although it doesn't seem to have been carried on the loco as seen here outside South Central Workshops in 1967.

 

 

 

 

and here behind Great Rocks junction signal cabin in 1969.

 

 

 

 

RS 143 went to the Midland Railway Centre in August 1976 and was scrapped there about December the following year.

 

To be continued

Edited September 13, 2023 by PGH

[Ruston]

Excellent. Is Cowdale quarry the one that had the Egyptian style buildings that faced onto the A6?

[PGH]

Excellent. Is Cowdale quarry the one that had the Egyptian style buildings that faced onto the A6?

 

Yes it is.

[PGH]

ICI's Hindlow Quarry received a new Ruston & Hornsby 88DS 4wDM in 1957 to replace an Avonside 0-4-0ST and this was subsequently rebuilt with raised cab and lowered engine casing and numbered RS 2.  I only saw this loco once while under repair in the loco shed at Hindlow, so I didn't photograph it.

 

 

 

 

In April 1961 another 88DS arrived secondhand from ICI's recently closed Silvertown Works in Essex, named J.B.GANDY.  The above photo (enlarged section of a poor negative) shows it outside South Central Works soon after arrival with the Avonside 0-6-0ST, still as built and in ICI blue livery.  It received the number RS 89.

 

 

 

 

J.B.GANDY was rebuilt similar to RS 2 and is shown above working at Hindlow in 1968.

 

 

 

 

Briggs Sidings at Hindlow with J.B GANDY at the entrance to the ICI sidings and a BR loco waiting to back hoppers into the yard.  They seem to be having trouble with the point in the foreground.  Everything seems to have a generous coating of lime dust from the nearby kilns.

 

 

 

 

A rather hazy view of Hindlow Limeworks, the two road loco shed is on the left.

 

to be continued

 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by PGH

[PGH]

 

 

It seems curious that whilst they rebuilt the standard gauge locos with raised cabs and lowered engine casings to improve visibility they did exactly the reverse with some of the larger 2ft gauge Simplex locos by adding a steel box above the front casting.  The box was used to contain batteries, and as they didn't carry lights I assume it would have been for electric engine starting, although clearly on RS 82 photographed at Hindlow it can't have been working as there is a starting handle in place.

 

 

 

 

The larger Simplex locos also had air brakes, with the engine driven compressor alongside the radiator.

 

 

 

 

On my first visit to Buxton Central Quarry the last two working 2ft gauge locos were locked in the shed. 

By the time of a later visit they had kindly removed the shed revealing RS 72 and RS 53 inside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 2ft gauge 'V' skip wagons were either outside framed by Hudson or inside framed by Hudson or Bagnall.

 

to be continued

Edited January 13 by PGH
Not now relevant

[Ruston]

Yes it is.

Make that yes it was. Apparently the one right next to the road was accidentally demolished recently.

 

Those inside-framed skips are interesting. There used to be quite a few at the Moseley that came from there. Unfortunately they were weighed in by Northwest Water whilst in storage.

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Thank you PGH...very interesting and impressive set of pictures.

 

Dave

[pharrc20]

Excellent photos of the Tunstead shunters PGH those should prove useful for trains12 to make some up for his Great Tunsley Dale layout that is based on the railway operations at Tunstead.

 

Cheers Paul

[PGH]

Make that yes it was. Apparently the one right next to the road was accidentally demolished recently.

 

 

 

Unless there has been some further developments since 2011 that demolition was no accident, further details here:

 

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/community/viewtopic.aspx?t=4028&pid=1&txtSearch=cowdale&lblnWhere=all&lblnMatch=any

 

and photos of the buildings here:

 

http://www.aditnow.co.uk/album/Ashwood-Dale-Limestone-Quarry-User-Album/

 

 

There are traces of the same building style in my photo of the ruins at Great Rocks Quarry (Post #2)

[PGH]

Later diesel locos were not rebuilt

 

 

 

 

WALLACE AKERS a Yorkshire Engine Co. 235hp 0-4-0DE, named after a former ICI director, was supplied new to Winnington Works in 1956 and transferred to Tunstead about January 1967.  It is seen here at South Central Workshops in July 1967.

 

 

 

 

It went to the Peak Railway Society in 1982 and was photographed at Buxton in October 1983.

 

 

 

 

Ruston & Hornsby 395305 a 165DS 0-4-0DM was transferred from ICI's Weston Point Works in Runcorn to Smalldale circa 1966 and replaced the Motor Rail Simplex locos RS 12 and RS 9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

View from Peak Forest station overbridge in October 1983 by which date all the ICI track had been lifted.

The former line to Holderness Quarry had been cut back to Peakstone Ltd's hopper in left distance and just visible in front is their yellow ex BR 07001 0-6-0DE. 

Edited September 13, 2023 by PGH

[rope runner]

Great pictures, thank your for putting them up - a lot of interesting and atmospheric shots

 

Paul A. 

[Joe MCMLXI]

Great set of photo's PGH, thanks for posting and sharing.

joe

[Captain Nick]

Hi PGH. I have only just come accross this thread and seen your wonderful photos. I'm just about to do a model very much based on the Buxton Central Lime Kilns which I remember very well from my youth. If you have any more photos of this structure I should be very grateful if you would post them. There are a couple of things that have intrigued me about this structure. One is were they fueled by coal or oil during the late fifties (converted from coal perhaps earlier) and the other is the purpose of the gantry arrangement which could be swung out at rightangles to the kiln or kept alongside it when not in use. Would you have any ideas? Best regards Nick

[PGH]

On 05/10/2013 at 14:50, Captain Nick said:

Hi PGH. I have only just come accross this thread and seen your wonderful photos. I'm just about to do a model very much based on the Buxton Central Lime Kilns which I remember very well from my youth. If you have any more photos of this structure I should be very grateful if you would post them. There are a couple of things that have intrigued me about this structure. One is were they fueled by coal or oil during the late fifties (converted from coal perhaps earlier) and the other is the purpose of the gantry arrangement which could be swung out at rightangles to the kiln or kept alongside it when not in use. Would you have any ideas? Best regards Nick

 

This is from the history of Buxton Lime on the Tarmac Ltd website:

(During the Second World War) Many of the old kilns the company operated were closed down as it proved impossible to get them to conform to the blackout regulations, although two kilns at Buxton Central Quarry were fitted with closed tops which also had the effect of increasing the production rate.

 

but it doesn't help with the method of firing.  I would guess that they were coal fired, same as the kilns at Tunstead which were coal fired until converted to gas firing in the 1970s, but see the note below regarding the gantry arrangement.

 

I have a few more photos showing the kilns, unfortunately of rather poor quality:  

 

 

 

Taken in 1961 showing the kilns still in use with wagons in the sidings and the Simplex loco visible just to the right of the elevated weighbridge cabin

 

 

 

In 1963 after closure of the kilns

 

 

 

An enlargement from the previous photo

 

 

 

I can't help with the gantry arrangement, although it seems to be connected to a pipe or something extending over the top of the kilns.  If the kilns were actually oil fired I suppose it might be an oil delivery arrangement ????

 

I have a track plan of the sidings, if that's any help.

Edited September 13, 2023 by PGH

[Captain Nick]

Hi PGH. Thanks for posting those photos, none of which I have seen before. I have read the piece on the Tarmac web site but it seemed inconclusive regarding these kilns which have obviously been changed and modified throughout their working lives.  I have a few photos taken of this plant, those mainly being E R Morten copyright, (his son was my science teacher  1960-63), however they don't answer the mystery of the gantry. Also missing from photos are coal waggons but there again, so are the oil tankers. There does seem to be a tank arrangement between the inner two upper kilns which is connected to the gantry pipework. My late father, a former Allsop Moor quarryman, was the areas (GMWU) union branch secretary from 1947 to 1963 and frequently visited all the local quarries as the majority of quarrymen were members, so I guess he would have known. As for the closed tops, there is photographic evidence that these were closed off well before 1939, possibly as early as 1934. Many thanks for the photos and information. I would be interested to see the track plan.  Best regards Nick

[PGH]

Nick,

Track plan of Buxton Central as requested:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by PGH

[Captain Nick]

Hi PGH. Thanks for posting the track plan. I hadn't realised that each pair of kilns had their own narrow guage feed although by the looks of things either track could feed all four. Best regards. Nick

[Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71]

Mornin' all,

 

For those, like me, who enjoy seeing period views of a particular area grouped together, why not have a look at these Wallace Sutherland images of the Peak District (and surroundings)

 

 http://www.sutherland.davenportstation.org.uk/ws-002.html

 

They mesh very nicely with this great set of pictures.

 

Dave

Edited October 13, 2013 by Torr Giffard LSWR 1951-71

[highpeakman]

Hi PGH

 

Have only just come across this thread but wanted to express my appreciation of the pictures and descriptions in this posting. They are so interesting.

 

I lived in Derby when I was young (late 50s and early 60s) and was often taken to to the Buxton area and I was always fascinated by the quarrying operations. I am currently engaged on building a model loosely (very!) based on Wirksworth and the C&HP but using elements and, hopefully, atmosphere from the Buxton area.

 

Thanks again for the posting. (If there is any more it would be most welcome).

 

Those Peak District photos also brought back many memories - Thanks to Dave for that link also.

 

Don

[gridwatcher]

Fantastic thread chaps. Please keep feeding my fascination. As a lad I watched the 25s pounding through Hale and Ashley with 18 bogie hoppers and always wondered what happened up in the hills. Great stuff. 

[Allegheny1600]

I must second all the appreciative comments on here, chaps!

A wonderful thread that brings back many memories for me of an area I love very much.

My own childhood memories going back a long way when I lived in/near Windley were of hearing all the quarry machines working away, my parents told me these were Euclid's - what an evocative name! Later, of course I realised these would have been working near the Wirksworth quarries but we did take trips further north to the Buxton area and even to the 'Blue John' mine as my dad was an alabaster baubler until the late '60's/early '70's.

I come from a quite long line of such workers but missed my vocation as what stone was available in my later childhood was unsuitable for turning due to changed methods of quarrying, more powerful explosive giving many fracture lines in the stone!

Cheers,

John Edge.

[Colombo]

Hi PGH,

 

Thank you for your photographs, which have been an inspiration.

 

The Clay Cross Model Railway Society has been building an exhibition layout based on Hindlow Station and featuring Beswick's Limeworks round about the late 40s, and early 50s. Whilst there is still some work remaining, it had its first outing to the Soar Valley Model Railway Society's exhibition on 6th and 7th Sept.

 

I have attached some photos below.

 

In particular, we have not been able to find a photo of the lift cage in the open shaft. Any help would be appreciated.

 

Regards,

 

Louis Heath