Coxes lock mill Addlestone - rail layout?

[synthnut]

Hi all,

I grew up in Weybridge, Surrey and used to go off for bike rides with my mates back in the late seventies here. On the odd Sunday jaunt I remember seeing an occasional grain hopper sitting around. As the mill was operational I never made it there during the week, though it wasn't secured, it was not really the done thing. I know it was capstan shunted from on of the few pics I've managed to dig up, but I can find very little on this fascinating place. it was somewhat manacing as the main, (now demolished) grain silo was truely massive, esecially as a young lad!

Does anyone have any info, pics or maps that show the track plan or workings out in RMweb land?

 

Ttfn,

Ben

[steeveetee]

I grew up in Chertsey and absolutely love this place.

The rail sidings used to be where the terrace of houses are now. A public footpath used to run through the yard, I'm sure a winch or capstan was near the path. I've got a few pictures of the yard before redevelopment but none if any rail traffic. I do remember seeing wagons there on a regular Sunday morning walk with my dad.

There was a crossing where the modern footbridge is now, with a little crossing keepers house.

You're correct, that silo was huge!

I've got some photo's of its demolition.

[synthnut]

I'm glad someone remembers this place! I started to feel like I was out on my own with this one. I'm rather surprised there's not more photographic evidence knocking about of it when it was working. Given the reletive lack of rail served industry compared to the more industrialised parts, I would have expected at least a few photos sculling on the net.

It was quite an impressive place, I certainly remember being a bit intimidated as an 8 or 9 year old lad out on my own there. Everything's bigger when you are young, just remember wagon wheels...

Would love to see any shots that anyone has!

 

Ttfn

Ben

[steeveetee]

I've gad a few browses online for pictures and as you say, there's very little pre-redevelopment.

It closed as a flour mill in April 1983.

If my memory serves me correctly, you could see the ground frame for the sidings from the level crossing at Addlestone station. At least one siding went across the yard, finishing at the waterside between the two mill buildings.

Chertsey museum used to have a collection of slides taken on a visit shortly before closure.

[synthnut]

I think a museum visit is called for some time, both Chertsey and Weybridge maybe. I feel like all the bits of the area I remember have been airbrushed out or carefully hidden from online searches as another place I remember is significantly invisible! Do you remember Whittets Ait on the Wey navigation, by the lock? There was a works that cleaned old oil drums and did solvent and chemical recovery. It was called Wastex or something? Anyhow, it's now expensive housing! Not a single image of the lock area showing it seems to exist on the web. Same as the more industrial view of Coxes lock. Maybe I'm just suspicious, but it feels like the developers would rather their swanky housing didn't have any grubby history! I moved house in 1980, so most memories are late seventies I suppose. I did used to visit the Wey lock later on, but all before the redevelopments in both.

It's a little sad how we seem to be ashamed of our industrial heritage, we do like to keep industry and living so very separate now.

 

I did find a couple of pics of coxes lock on flicker taken by a chap who used to deliver there, but his images are locked from downloading.

Still looking for a track plan....

 

Ttfn

Ben

[steeveetee]

Sorry Ben that it's taken me an age to post this but not getting home much these days.

This is the only photo I've got of the yard prior to redevelopment, all the others are from the canal side. 

This picture was taken in 1982 or '83.

I'm pretty sure the track crossed the yard and went between the concrete silo and the metal-clad building.

The building closest to the camara was a sampling lab and weighbridge office. Behind it the building with the pitched asbestos roof was a workshop, probably for the truck fleet.

Behind these buildings, between them and the railway line was a white bungalow which I'm sure Allied Mills used as offices. There was an article about it in the Surrey Herald because somebody of note once lived there, but I can't remember who it was. The bungalow was where the swimming pool and fitness club now stands. 

 

Regards

Steve

 

[brightspark]

I grew up in Byfleet and Chertsey. Pre-1975 I used to cycle out to Cox's lock along the canal. I can remember box vans being in the yard, perhaps two or three at most. I seem to recall the siding to the mill was very long heading it seemed almost to Addlestone and a single point in the yard for two roads. (Although I could be wrong after this time and I was very young).

I think that the siding was controlled form the box at Addlestone, but by the time I was allowed to loiter there it would have gone and the line controlled by a central box (Wimbledon? or was that later?) perhaps that is why you could see the lever frame from the crossing?

My recollection of the crossing keepers house was that it always looked empty and overgrown.

 

Also Network Southeast did a very nice poster of a train crossing the bridge with the mill to the left. I can't seem to find it on the web.

[Steve O.]

Hi,

Digging around on www.old-maps.co.uk with co-ordinates of 506121, 164170 (or hopefully this link will work: http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html)...

The post-WWII 1:2,500 map shows a long siding, then loop, then fork into two sidings, perpendicular to the quay.

You may get more detail if you subscribe (I don't).

Cheers, Steve.

[roythebus]

ISTR the track was still in place in the 1980s when I used to drive trains on the SW. Addlestone was by then controlled from Feltham box. I don't recall seeing any movements into or out of the mill a I suspect the sidings had been disconnected from the main line by then.

 

Like so many odd connections that had been removed by that time, I didn't take much notice of them as they were no longer used.

[dibber25]

Seven bulk grain wagons standing in the siding at Coxes Lock Mill. I have one or two shots of the canal side of the mill with the special motor barges with the collapsible wheelhouse to get under the bridge, but no other railway shots.

CHRIS LEIGH

[synthnut]

Ooh, wow, I only ever saw one or maybe two grain hoppers in the yard. Not sure i ever looked further up the sidings though, so maybe they only ever pulled a couple in at a time. I would have loved to see how they shunted them with the capstans.

I'm still surprised how under documented this location was.

 

Ttfn,

Ben

[brightspark]

I have just looked up Branch Lines around Ascot by Mitchell & Smith. It contains an extract of the 1936 map of the mill. It shows a long siding going towards Addlestone. Inside the gate of the mill is a passing loop. Where the loop ends the line crosses the road and then splits into two sidings that end at the wharf. It also shows an internal tramway!

[synthnut]

...Thanks for the lead on the book. I've just ordered that as I haven't seen it before. Got my eye on the Effingham jct edition too as I live in Ashtead these days. Always intrigued to find more rail related local history...

 

Ttfn,

Ben

[RuthFlint]

My granddad William Champion worked on the railways all his working life. His father and brothers also worked on the railway.

His last job was to operate the crossing gates to allow lorries to get across the railway to the mill. In those days this was the only way across to the mill. Today the crossings have been replaced by a footbridge and the road access is from the other side of the railway.

He also had a small signal box close to the crossing and I believe he operated some points, which I assume were for the siding. (see attached photo).

My Granddad, Grandmother and their children 3 girls and 5 boys lived in a small railway cottage which was built into the railway bank on the opposite side of the railway to the mill. My father and some of his siblings were born in this cottage. There was no electricity in the cottage and the only lighting was by gas lanterns.

My dad learnt to swim by falling into the canal. My uncle work at the mill as a boy, I believe he filled sacks. The family were able to buy older bread cheap from the mill. My granddads brothers used to throw the lumps of coal which were too large to fit into the boiler onto the railway bank near the cottage as they passed.

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the old crossing gates and house. I visited with my dad as a child and I believe the house was still occupied, we returned a few years back and the house has been replaced by an office block.

Edited June 12, 2017 by RuthFlint

[steeveetee]

My granddad William Champion worked on the railways all his working life. His father and brothers also worked on the railway.

His last job was to operate the crossing gates to allow lorries to get across the railway to the mill. In those days this was the only way across to the mill. Today the crossings have been replaced by a footbridge and the road access is from the other side of the railway.

He also had a small signal box close to the crossing and I believe he operated some points, which I assume were for the siding. (see attached photo).

My Granddad, Grandmother and their children 3 girls and 5 boys lived in a small railway cottage which was built into the railway bank on the opposite side of the railway to the mill. My father and some of his siblings were born in this cottage. There was no electricity in the cottage and the only lighting was by gas lanterns.

My dad learnt to swim by falling into the canal. My uncle work at the mill as a boy, I believe he filled sacks. The family were able to buy older bread cheap from the mill. My granddads brothers used to throw the lumps of coal which were too large to fit into the boiler onto the railway bank near the cottage as they passed.

Unfortunately I do not have any pictures of the old crossing gates and house. I visited with my dad as a child and I believe the house was still occupied, we returned a few years back and the house has been replaced by an office block.

Edited June 13, 2017 by steeveetee

[steeveetee]

Fantastic memories Ruth.

I remember the cottage by the crossing which was at the end of Hamm Moor Lane.

My earliest memories of it was as a small child in the late 70's or very early 80's and it was occupied then.

I went inside it in about 1986-87 when it was sadly derelict and the mill was being redeveloped.

It backed onto a builders merchants yard called Dangerfield.

[Nearholmer]

I recall what I think was the ground-frame hut, looking pretty much abandoned when I was involved in renewing 33kV cabling in the area, which was probably c1982-84. It's stretching my memory a bit, but I think that the frame was still in place, also the turnout from the main line, the track of the siding, and the point-rodding, but it looked as if it hadn't been used for months, if not a couple of years.

 

Kevin

[RuthFlint]

I was wondering if anyone still interested in this topic. I have managed to find an aerial photo showing the mill, the railway sidings, the crossing keepers cottage(where my dad was born).  

https://catalogue.millsarchive.org/coxes-lock-mill-addlestone-3

If you search  Addlestone in www.old-maps.co.uk there are a number of 1:2500 maps of various dates which show this area in detail.

 

 

Ruth 

 

 

 

[SED Freightman]

On 13/06/2017 at 22:53, Nearholmer said:

I recall what I think was the ground-frame hut, looking pretty much abandoned when I was involved in renewing 33kV cabling in the area, which was probably c1982-84. It's stretching my memory a bit, but I think that the frame was still in place, also the turnout from the main line, the track of the siding, and the point-rodding, but it looked as if it hadn't been used for months, if not a couple of years.

 

Kevin

I may be completely wrong (or thinking of somewhere else), but I vaguely recall that there was some sort of legal complication which prevented BR from terminating the ability to serve the private siding or disconnect it, prior to the conclusion of long drawn out negotiations with the owners.  Possibly their interests were eventually brought out to allow disconnection.

[Mark white]

Hi Guys, I lived at the mill house in the 70s uptill 1980 when the mill was closed. My father was the general manager.

u have a lot of old mill photos along with the original deeds. Happy to share if anyone is interested 

reagrds 

Mark white 

[Gordon A]

26 minutes ago, Mark white said:

Hi Guys, I lived at the mill house in the 70s uptill 1980 when the mill was closed. My father was the general manager.

u have a lot of old mill photos along with the original deeds. Happy to share if anyone is interested 

reagrds 

Mark white 

 

Yes please.

 

[Nick Holliday]

There are a couple of earlier aerial views at Britain From Above, such as this extract:

Lack of reference to either Addlestone or Coxes in their titles made them slightly elusive.

[Binky]

I grew up in Addlestone in the 1980s and could see the mill buildings by stepping out of my house into the street. I remember walking across the yard whilst on family walks which would go along the edge of the mill pond and canal, the mill was closed by then.

My father and uncle built a small layout based on the mill and lock area however I don't know how true to prototype it was, he passed away in 2013 and the layout found a new home.

I remember us having at least 2 paperback books featuring old photographs of Addlestone, if I find them or any photographs of the layout I will scan any photos of interest.

[Binky]

I've found 3 publications with various photographs of the mill buildings over the years. If anyone wants to see scans please let me know and I can e-mail them.

[Bert Blissett]

Hi guys: I've only just picked up on this, whilst researching the subject of this siding.

If it's of any help, I was Asst Yard Manager at Eastleigh from 1970 to 1972: the traffic to Coxes Lock was by then the only regular flow of grain wagons on our patch, but it had survived the closure of Feltham Marshalling Yard in Jan.1969. Always in 2-axle wagons (bogie grain hoppers were concentrated on more major flows elsewhere), usually metal-bodied but with the occasional antique-looking wooden-bodied one. The regular traffic was from Tilbury, and reached Coxes Lock (after the closure of Feltham) via an elaborate circuit involving Temple Mills and Eastleigh (in practical terms, the siding at Addlestone could only be shunted in the Up direction): any wagons for Coxes Lock were attached in a block on one of our 3 Up services/day from Eastleigh back to Temple Mills. The same Eastleigh - Temple Mills services would have collected the empty wagons, so the total mileage of the circuit would have been more than 4 times the loaded distance Tilbury - Coxes Lock...I don't know when the last such traffic passed, but (from the earlier postings) likely to have been in the mid-1970s.