Bedfordshire Brickworks Electric Railway System

[highpeakman]

London Brick at the Coronation Brickworks near Elstow in Bedfordshire had an internal rail system linking to exchange sidings on the Midland Main line close, but on the opposite side, to the munitions depot. This was operated by a small 0-4-0 electric locomotive called Ruth (built, I think, by EE at Preston) . The system used an overhead wire for power collection. The system was certainly in use in the early 60s as I remember seeing it when travelling to London on the Midland line. I believe it closed about 1970.

 

I do have some limited information, maps and photos but would dearly love to know more about the system. I joined the IRS and have tried other sopurces to find more but there seems to be very limited information available. I did contact Hanson who owned the brickworks and actually received an invitation to look through the archives but this was withdrawn before I could visit.

 

I purchased a Fleischman 0-4-0 electric shunter which looked similar to Ruth and it is my intention to model a version of this system. Does anyone have any details or more information on the history they could provide please?

[highpeakman]

Should have included this picture of Ruth in my first post. Also a map (1969) of the system showing the link from the main line to the kilns - it also shows the separate narrow gauge line from ther works to the clay pits which was cable worked.

 

(Sorry but I am new to taking an active part in the RM Web and am having to learn how to do things properly).

[stewartingram]

I remember seeing the ng working, and there is a pic of this in OPC's Oxford to Cambridge Railway book. I also worked for a few years at Kempston (Fire HQ) around the time that Fragonset were doing the locohauled trains on the Bletchley line, took a few pics of them at the time so knew the area well. There is an active Bedford-Bletchley Users Assoc, fair bet that someone in it is a historian?

Stewart

[petethemole]

I used to go by there on the bus to/from school in the 60s and often saw Ruth. I seem to remember a faded red livery. It may have started out as the same red London Brick used on their lorries. I see you’ve found the IRS archive article. There’s a photo in the Middleton Press book St Albans to Bedford and another in Railway Nostalgia Around Bedfordshire by David Eatwell. Ruth was built in 1935 by EE, Works No 899 and went new to the Bedford Brick Company at the Coronation Works at Kempston Hardwick. This was later taken over by the London Brick Company. Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service have a lot of material about LBC and the Stewartby area. Sadly the chimneys have gone from the Marston Vale; there were over 100 at one time at the various works, now 4 at Stewartby are listed and that’s it. Mind you, we lived in Ampthill and only got the smoke if the wind was from the north. The people downwind might not miss the chimneys!

 

Pete

[PhilJ W]

The EE locomotive was a standard product, it was also made as a battery electric. There was an article last year in 'Railway Bylines' featuring these locomotives. The main difference was the method of power collection from the OHL.

[PLD]

Indeed the Loco was a standard EE product, but one of those standard designs where no two were actually built the same!! There were quite a number built for overhead power collection - most famously the Blackpool Tramway freight loco and the ones operated by the Govan shipyards over the Glasgow Corpotation Tramways. The unusual thing about 'Ruth' and the Bedfordshire Brickworks was the twin wire overhead as per trolleybuses (note the two trolleypoles) rather than using the running rails as the return. Probably a practical arrangement given how well a nice sticky coating of clay would act as an isulator...

 

With reference to the map - I'm sure I've seen a version somewhere with the 2'6" gauge forming a complete circuit around the clay pit. Given the 'abandoned' line shown on the plan above across the lower end of the pit, would that have been an eairlier arrangement?

[highpeakman]

Thanks very much to everyone for the responses.

 

Yes, I also remember Ruth in red.

 

 

Pete, I also lived in Ampthill for many years, although after this particular works was closed, and I do remember the brickworks (and the smell) very well. I can recall Chimney corner before they knocked the works and chimneys down. There were several cable hauled narrow gauge systems working on the brickworks in the area including one that went under the A421 at Brogborough. Stewartby was the last works working in Marston Vale and was closed about 4 years ago? I think. The narrow gauge at Elstow Coronation works did originally run right round the pit and was changed several times as the pit grew. The IRS site article provides more information about this system and the changes.

 

Yes I have David Eatwell's book and the Middleton press one also. I also purchased a copy of "GEC Traction" by Roger Bradley to see if there was any additional information but sadly not.

 

Thanks for the tip, I will contact Bedfordshire and Luton Archives and Records Service and see if they have any additional information.

 

PLD: I had noted the "trolley" arrangement and have tried hard to find out more about the electric system at the brickyard but without luck so far. In the main I am curious as to why an electric locomotive was chosen for such a short length of track especially as they had to install the overhead wires. I had wondered if the trolley system used because it was available cheaply with many trolley bus systems in use but you may well have a good point? I can't think that use of a steam or diesel loco would have caused any issues at this site and surely would have been cheaper to acquire. The company presumably already had a heavy duty supply of power for the kilns so was that part of the reason? I am also curious about the operational side and how many trains used the sidings up to the 60s. I am also unsure when the system was installed but presume it was 1935 when Ruth was built?

 

Stewart: Thanks for suggesting the User Group historian although, of course, that is a different line but I guess they may still have the information. I will follow that one up.

 

Thanks again to everyone for comments but if anyone else can answer the questions above I would be grateful.

[PhilJ W]

The narrow gauge was cable operated so this would probably have also been electrically powered. In the claypits themselves it was quite possible for the draglines used for extracting the clay to be electrically powered also, it would be far easier to lay a cable than to deliver coal or oil to the pit. The kilns would have been coal fired, as evidenced by the tall chimneys that once abounded in the area. IIRC the waste heat from the kilns in some brickworks was used to generate electricity.

[jamie92208]

IIRC there wouldn't be too much coal going into the Bedfordshire pits. I think they mainly produced Fletton bricks that had quite a bit of carbon in the clay and they were to some extent self firing.

 

Jamie

[Ian Smeeton]

I had a trip down to Stewartby, (Hanson Brick) about 10 years ago.

 

The reason for the visit was to pick up abou half a cubic yard of Oxford Blue clay for a project which was stillborn*

 

On arrival, I was obvously seen as a pain in the behind, and cooled my heels for a while, but after that, was taken in hand by someone who obviously thought the same.

 

After following him through the brickyards(?) alongside the kilns, me in my Ford Escort, him in a landrover with Bl**dy Great Chunky Tyres and bouncing over discarded/droppped bricks with an emergency stop in the interim we arived at the destination.

 

This was a point where two conveyors overlapped, end of one dropping onto the next, taking clay from the pits to the moulding/wire cutting shop for cutting int standard bricks for firing.

 

My guide collected the clay from the drop from one conveyor to the other, and we loaded it into the back of my car, which never really recovered.

 

Myself, being of curious but unknowledged bent, looked at the surroundings, noting the fact that we were obviously on the track of a concreted over siding complex commented:

 

"This looks lije the cutting edge of Victorian thechnology, only updated by the modern materiels handling"

 

At that, my guide softened a bit, and showed some obvious pride in the work that they did there.

 

Apparently, there used to be 240 Brick Kiln blocks and their associated chimneys in the Bedford area and Stewartby was the last working one. The kilns had been converted to gas fired many years earlier, and because of this each bank of 14 individual kilns could work on a 7 day cycle.

 

The Kilns were filled by large forklifts (4 Tine instead of 2) loading stacks of unfired bricks very precisely and quickly into the kiln.

 

The Kiln entrance was bricked up and wet clay used to form a seal

 

The kiln was fired by gas and took one -two days to reach the point when the (4%) oil content of the Oxford Blue clay combusted in the carefully controlled atmosphere burning out all the residual moisture of all kinds, leaving the fired caly, or ash in brick form.

 

2-3 Days combustinng follopwed by severla days of cooling, then at something over 100 degrees C the seal would be broken and the stack of fired but hot bricks were remeved by the same sort of Forklift.

 

What really impressed me was at the emergency stop mentioned earlier, actually caused by one of these forklifts racing across in front of our little convoy was the blast of heat from one of the adjacent kilns, even though it was the next to be emptied through my open window at thirty yards distance.

 

From memory, I beleive that the heat generated is something aroubd 1400 deg C, and once temperature is reached the oil content in a rarefied atmosphere is the fuel used.

 

Absolutely stunning and totally rivetting to me as an outsider looking at the business end for the first time.

 

If Stewartby is now gone, I am a sad man.

 

Regards for the off topic digression.

 

i am sure that there are some brickmen on here who will set the records fully straight, but I did learn a lot, and this was the catalyst which started GREASE, The GReetham Engineering Appreciation SociEty which runs from my pub, going out to look at Big Boys Toys in the real world..

 

Join Us!

 

Ian

[highpeakman]

Ian

Just to confirm that Stewartby closed in February 2008. I understand that Hanson Brick HQ is still in Stewartby but most brick production moved to Fletton, Peterborough. I see from the web that there is a plan to retain the chimneys as a historic monument to the brickfields. Not long before closure there had been plans to make Stewartby a "Super Brick Works" with a major investment but it came to nothing.

 

I found another site with some basic information on the Bedford Brickfields in general and it included another picture of another overhead wired electric loco which was quite different to Ruth. It was smaller and had a pantograph to a single wire. It is carries number 16 and is shown outside some kilns but I do not know which works - I have to assume that it is not the same site as Ruth worked at (Elstow) as it is a different wiring system. It also looks as if it may just have been used to carry pallets of bricks between the kilns and the factory or storage areas. There is no explanation on this website. However, does this mean that there were several different electric lines in use around the Bedfordshire pits, especially around the kilns?

 

I am not attaching the photo as I am not sure about copyright. I have got to get to the museums and find out more as this is driving me mad - the more I discover, the more I don't know!

 

Site link: www.clutch.open.ac.uk/schools/marston-brickies00/website/transport/rail%20way.html

 

Don

[petethemole]

The same vehicle appears in this website:

 

http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/CommunityArchives/Stewartby/LondonBrickCompany.aspx

 

It’s almost certainly within the main Stewartby Works. Looking at it the other day I was wondering why a shed (as in hut) would have a pantograph on top, and decided it must have been something that moved. Now all is clear. The posted URL didn’t work, by the way, I googled on the central bit. I’ve been on the site before though, looking up old haunts. The Stewartby works swimming pool was open to the public and we Ampthill lads used it a lot, We’d sometimes hang round Stewartby station and crossing in the hope of something interesting passing on the Bletchley line. There was usually a rake of bogie brick wagons in the siding but we never saw them being moved; it was probably done in the morning before we got there.

Further along by Millbrook station was the remains on an old, closed single chimney works. If there had been a fence it was long gone and you could push one of the NG side-tipping clay trucks along a remnant of track. Officialdom in its various forms would have a fit now!

 

Pete

[highpeakman]

Pete

 

Sorry about the link. I had seen the picture you show but had missed the pantograph. I agree that it is almost certainly Stewartby.

 

Try this http://clutch.open.ac.uk/schools/marston-brickies00/website/transport/rail%20way.html

 

(I seem to be struggling to post this link although I have sucessfully done it into other documents. As I mentioned I am new to posting on this site).

 

If this does not work then maybe I could post the actuial picture. There is no mention of copyright on the original picture.

 

I moved to the area about 40 years ago but much of that infrastructure was already disappearing. Unfortunately I never had the time (or probably interest) then to do any real investigation. Why is it that we also become much more interested in such things when we are older and most of the traces and memories have vanished?

 

Don

[Lambton58]

Hi

I guess from the map in the OP that you've seen the IRS article? If not, it's on the IRS website click the I.R.Record

Archives link, then Index of Back Issues and scroll down to Vol 4, No 35, Feb 1971.

 

My regret is that by the time I used the Bletchley-Bedford line to work in the early 1990s all the industrial lines had gone.

 

Thanks for the links to the other historic sites - interesting to know where names like Forders Sidings came from. Pillinge lives on as the name of the lake at the Forest of Marston Vale country park. Well worth a visit and accessible by rail using Milbrook Station.

 

Ralph

Lambton58

[highpeakman]

Ralph

 

Yes Thanks, I have seen the IRS article but that seems to be all they had.

 

I would love to know more about the operation of both the Coronation and Stewartby electric railways but it is proving a problem to find records or someone with knowledge at this time. I plan to visit the County Archives in Bedford in future to see what they have.

 

The best link for general history of the brickworks in the area would probably be this one but little railway information is contained. It does appear to show one of the small electric overhead wire locos - probably the same one shown outside the kilns - inside the press shed. That seems to confirm my comment previously that small electric locos were used to move the bricks between the press sheds, kilns and storage. The Coronation system though worked to the railway exchange sidings on the Midland main line so was more extensive.

 

http://www.bedfordshire.gov.uk/CommunityAndLiving/ArchivesAndRecordOffice/CommunityArchives/Stewartby/LondonBrickCompany.aspx

 

Don

[highpeakman]

Another link showing a similar type of loco to "Ruth" except that it uses a pantograph instead of trolley pick ups. This one is preserved in Scotland.

 

http://www.srpsmuseum.org.uk/10014.htm

 

Don

[highpeakman]

RE last post - should have said bow collector.......... not pantograph

[highpeakman]

I have discovered more information:

 

It seems that London Brick at Stewartby purchased four type 4w WE electric locomotives - the same type number as Ruth except they were 2'11" gauge. 2 were purchased in 1929 (Wks No 750,751) and 2 in 1930 (Wks No 791, 792). They were made at the Dick, Kerr & co works in Preston.

 

Wks no 899 was shown as the same type but standard gauge was sold to Bedford Brickworks (Coronation works) in 1935 - this was Ruth. However they also supplied a "Power Transfer Car" (Wks no 904) - I am not sure what that was - any ideas?

 

They were the same general type supplied to Spondon works, Croydon Power Station & Sheffield Power station.

[PLD]

Another link showing a similar type of loco to "Ruth" except that it uses a pantograph instead of trolley pick ups. This one is preserved in Scotland.

 

http://www.srpsmuseum.org.uk/10014.htm

 

Don

 

That is one of the two Fairfield's shipyard locos, as I mentioned in post #6... One of the other shipyards also had a similar loco.

 

Picture below is another variation on the theme - the single trolley pole on the Blackpool Tramway freight loco which was originally used to haul coal wagons between the rail connection in fleetwood and the yard at Thornton Gate, then when that traffic ended was used by the p-way department and is now preserved at Crich.

[merddinemrys]

Hello there

 

This is all bringing back memories - not of the railway unfortunately as I didn't have the real interest or wherewithall in those days to investigate. I've lived in Ampthill all my life and remember the smell (funny, I've just noticed it's gone!!) and the Pool in Stewartby where I won second prize at one of the School swimming gala's!

 

I have pictures somewhere of the chimneys at Chimney Corner coming down. The site was opened to the public for the event - though at a distance! I do recall how large the kilns were though. I seem to recall that the late Fred Dibnah was responsible though there was a competition to win the opportunity to press the button! This must have been late 70s / early 80s.

 

Narrow gauge is my thing and I'm sure I have material about the NG systems in the various Marston Vale brickworks somewhere.

 

David

[highpeakman]

Thanks PLD for the info and the picture of the loco at Crich. I passed there on Monday morning! If I had known this was there I would have gone in. However I now only live about an hours drive away from Crich so I will go and have a look shortly.

 

Hopefully they may some history as well. So far the only info I have managed to find about the locos is in the book "GEC Traction" and, while an excellent book, other than works numbers, customers and date of production it has no information on this specific series of loco at all.

 

I've done a search of the web including the NRM archives catalogue and so far have not been able to find out anymore either. Somewhere some info must exist!

 

David

I believe there were two narrow gauge systems at Stewartby. One which used the type of locos shown above (but narrow gauge rather than standard - pictures shown in the links above) and the other was the cable hauled system bringing the clay from the pits (continuous?). Coronation pit at Chimney corner used both cable hauled narrow gauge for the clay pit and standard gauge electric (using Ruth -as described above) between the kilns and Midland exchange sidings. My interest is not so much in the cable hauled systems but if you find any info about the electric loco hauled systems I would be very grateful.

 

Don

[stewartingram]

As an infrequent traveller along the Vale whilst at school, in my Grandad's car, and also on the Bletchley railway, I do remember the brickworks around here. No fine detail, but as a trainspotter , if it had wheels and a number, well....!

The Chimney corner site I assume to be the one adjacent to the Midland mainline bridge, where the A6 snakes from one side of the line to the other? And Coronation pit is further south, on the right where the turn for Stewartby village is? If so, then Chimney corner definately had electric locos which I am sure were n.g, as I did get numbers there occasion in passing. Further on, it must have been the sw end of the present Marston Moretaine bypass, which now crosses the site, there was another brickworks which used a continuos cable-hauled wagon system, similar to the one at Fletton (Peterborough). I remember the wagons at both sites constantly moving, and trying to get their numbers. As for Coronation pit, I can vaguley remember seeing the line their, was there a bridge or tunnel arch that was visible? I seem to recall a loco there but too far away to be visible properly.

I still have that picture in a book of a loco at Stewartby; for copyright reasons I cannot post it here, but pm me & I'll arrange something if you want.

Stewart

[PLD]

Thanks PLD for the info and the picture of the loco at Crich. I passed there on Monday morning! If I had known this was there I would have gone in. However I now only live about an hours drive away from Crich so I will go and have a look shortly.

 

Hopefully they may some history as well.

 

Certianly worth a try, but if you want to visit their archives write/e-mail to book an appointment at least a couple of months in advance - they're not known for the speediness in responding...

[petethemole]

The Coronation Works was the one at Chimney Corner; the road that does the s-bend under the MR line was the A418 but is now the B530. I haven't been up to that area since my Dad sold our old house in '85; the nearest I've been has been up the M1, past some of the old Marston Brick Co sites. Coronation pit was/is west of the main line south of the works. The pit between the road and the main line, between Chimney Corner and the Stewartby turning, wasn't started until after I left the area; I remember it as fields, but saw it develop on periodic visits home that also involved trips to Bedford. I always assumed it served the main works at Stewartby, which had a huge capacity. Looking at Google map now I can't yet work out how they'd get the clay from that pit to either works.

 

North of Chimney Corner, immediately west of the main road, was the pit of Eastwoods Flettons' Kempston Hardwick works, later taken over by Redlands. If I remember right, the NG system in that pit was loco-hauled, with little i/c locos. The works was west of the pit, next to the Bletchley line. Further north still, on the east side of the MR line was Elstow Works of the LBC.

 

Pete

[highpeakman]

As you say Pete, Coronation pit was west of the Midland line. The pit you could see from the B530 (east of the Midland line) was Quest pit - The draglines could be seen working this pit for many years from the road between Chimney Corner and Ampthill. Conveyor belt systems were used to take the clay from this pit to Stewartby. There was another pit just south of Stewartby between the Midland line and the Bedford-Bletchley line and this was Rookery Pit. There are several other pits which are now either landfill or leisure sites. The last worked are the named ones above with, I think, Quest being the last one worked.

 

I had not realised that Kempston Hardwick also had a NG system.

 

Don