The
North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) was a
BritishGreat Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the
Staffordshire PotteriesStoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and surrounding areas in
StaffordshireStaffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
,
CheshireCheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
,
DerbyshireDerbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
and
ShropshireShropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
.
The company was based in
Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
and was nicknamed
The Knotty; its lines were built to the
standard gaugeThe standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
of . The main routes were constructed between 1846 and 1852 and ran from
MacclesfieldMacclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
to
Norton BridgeNorton Bridge is a village in Staffordshire, England. Until 2004 it was served by Norton Bridge railway station.Arguably Norton Bridge is a hamlet as it is in the Parish of Chebsey and does not have its own church.Local amenities...
, just north of
StaffordStafford is the county town of Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. It lies approximately north of Wolverhampton and south of Stoke-on-Trent, adjacent to the M6 motorway Junction 13 to Junction 14...
, and from
CreweCrewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
to Egginton Junction, west of
DerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
. Within these main connections with other railway companies, most notably the
London and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(LNWR), the company operated a network of smaller lines although the total route mileage of the company never exceeded 221 miles (355.7 km). The majority of the passenger traffic was local although a number of LNWR services from
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
to
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
were operated via Stoke. Freight traffic was mostly coal and other minerals but the line also carried the vast majority of china and other pottery goods manufactured in England.
As the NSR was surrounded by other larger railway companies, there were in the 19th century several attempts emanating from other companies or proposals from NSR shareholders to amalgamate with one or more of the other companies that adjoined it. None of these came to fruition and the NSR remained an independent company up to 1923 when it became part of the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway CompanyThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
.
Before the railway
The area of north Staffordshire known today as the
City of Stoke-on-TrentStoke-on-Trent , also called The Potteries is a city in Staffordshire, England, which forms a linear conurbation almost 12 miles long, with an area of . Together with the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme Stoke forms The Potteries Urban Area...
was already a thriving industrial area before the arrival of the railways. The establishment of the pottery industry and the development of coal and ironstone mines in the 18th century had provided a need for materials, most noticeably clay, to be brought into the area. A corresponding need also arose for the resulting fragile goods i.e. pottery to be taken away from the area. This need had given rise in the mid to late 18th century of the construction of the Trent & Mersey Canal (T&M) and its various branches. Opened in 1777 it was a spectacular success and paid dividends reaching 75% in 1822. By 1845 this had fallen to a still impressive 30% despite the onset of railway development in the North West of England. In 1836 the canal carried 184500 LT (187,461 t; 206,641 ST) of goods away and brought in 143610 LT (145,915 t; 160,844 ST).
It was the Trent & Mersey Canal company that built the first railway in north Staffordshire when in 1776 it was granted powers to build a railway, or
platewayA plateway is an early kind of railway or tramway or wagonway, with a cast iron rail. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later....
, from Caldon Low limestone quarries to the canal basin at
Froghall in the Churnet Valley.
Formation of the company
The
Railway ManiaThe Railway Mania was an instance of speculative frenzy in Britain in the 1840s. It followed a common pattern: as the price of railway shares increased, more and more money was poured in by speculators, until the inevitable collapse...
of 1845 found the Potteries still without a railway, although the surrounding towns of Stafford, Crewe, Derby and Macclesfield were all connected to the fledgling railway system. The
Staffordshire Potteries Railway promoted a route from
MacclesfieldMacclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
to the
Grand Junction RailwayThe Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
mainline at
Norton BridgeNorton Bridge is a village in Staffordshire, England. Until 2004 it was served by Norton Bridge railway station.Arguably Norton Bridge is a hamlet as it is in the Parish of Chebsey and does not have its own church.Local amenities...
plus a spur to
CreweCrewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
. At the same time the
Churnet Valley Railway promoted a line from Macclesfield to
DerbyDerby , is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands region of England. It lies upon the banks of the River Derwent and is located in the south of the ceremonial county of Derbyshire. In the 2001 census, the population of the city was 233,700, whilst that of the Derby Urban Area was 229,407...
with a branch to
StokeStoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke or Stoke town, is a component town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England....
. After these two companies applied for the necessary powers to build the lines, Parliament suggested a pause of a year "to afford time for consideration and for maturing some more complete scheme for the accommodation of that important district".
The two companies decided to join forces to make a new approach to Parliament. They also incorporated in the scheme a proposal to join the
Trent Valley RailwayThe Trent Valley Line is a railway line between Rugby and Stafford in England, forming part of the West Coast Main Line.The line was electrified on 25 kV AC system during the 1960s, in the wake of the 1955 British Rail modernisation plan....
into the Potteries. To do this they promoted the
North Staffordshire or Churnet Valley and Trent Junction Railway. This prospective company issued its prospectus on 30 April 1845 from offices at 1 Old Palace Yard,
WestminsterWestminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
,
LondonLondon is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. There was to be a share capital of £2,350,000 (£ as of ). in £20 shares (117,500 shares).
The prospectus outlined the NSR's plans for two main lines. The
Pottery Line running from a junction with the
Manchester & Birmingham railwayThe Manchester and Birmingham Railway was built between Manchester and Crewe and opened in stages from 1840. Between Crewe and Birmingham, trains were worked by the Grand Junction Railway...
at
CongletonCongleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
to the Grand Junction Railway at
ColwichColwich is a civil parish and village in Staffordshire, England. It is situated off the A51 road, about 3 miles north west of Rugeley, and 7 miles south east of Stafford...
was promoted, as 'giving the most ample accommodation to the towns of
TunstallTunstall is an area in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England. It was one of the original six towns that federated to form the city. Tunstall is the most northern town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent....
,
BurslemThe town of Burslem, known as the Mother Town, is one of the six towns that amalgamated to form the current city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, in the Midlands of England.-Topography:...
,
Newcastle-under-LymeNewcastle-under-Lyme is a market town in Staffordshire, England, and is the principal town of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It is part of The Potteries Urban Area and North Staffordshire. In the 2001 census the town had a population of 73,944...
, Hanley,
StokeStoke-upon-Trent, commonly called Stoke or Stoke town, is a component town of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, in the ceremonial county of Staffordshire, England....
,
FentonFenton is one of the six towns of the Stoke-on-Trent conurbation which were federated in 1910. It is situated in the south-east of the city. Arnold Bennett called his fictionalised version of Stoke on Trent the "Five Towns", and Fenton has been dubbed the town Arnold Bennett...
,
LongtonLongton is a southern district of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, and is known locally as the "Neck End" of the city. Longton is one of the six towns of "the Potteries" which formed the City of Stoke-on-Trent in 1925.-History:...
and
StoneStone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of...
'. The
Churnet Line was to run from Macclesfield though
LeekThe leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum , also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae...
,
CheadleCheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
and
UttoxeterUttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
to join the
Midland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
line between Burton-upon-Trent and Derby forming a direct link between
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
and Derby.
The company was formally incorporated in April 1845 under the shorter name of the North Staffordshire Railway. As a way of eliminating opposition to the Company's Bills in Parliament, and to allow it to promote a line to
LiverpoolLiverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, the company made an agreement to take over the Trent & Mersey Canal Company. This was achieved by T&M shares being swapped for preference shares in the NSR. These preference shares paid a guaranteed annual dividend of 5% once the entire railway was open. The total purchase cost of the T&M to the NSR £1,170,000.
On 25 November 1845 the
Derby and Crewe Railway was absorbed into the NSR Scheme. This was a line that was being supported by the
Grand Junction RailwayThe Grand Junction Railway was an early railway company in the United Kingdom, which existed between 1833 and 1846 when it was merged into the London and North Western Railway...
(GJR) running between Derby and
CreweCrewe is a railway town within the unitary authority area of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. According to the 2001 census the urban area had a population of 67,683...
via Uttoxeter and Stoke. It was to eliminate the opposition of the Grand Junction company to the other NSR proposals that the NSR agreed to absorb the
Derby and Crewe. However part of the deal was that the proposed line from
HarecastleKidsgrove railway station serves the town of Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England. The station is 12 km north of Stoke-on-Trent. The station is served by trains on the Crewe to Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line...
to Liverpool was abandoned. Despite having arranged to purchase the T&M canal for a considerable sum, to obtain support for the Liverpool extension the NSR agreed to the GJR demand. All that survived of the NSR Liverpool plan was the short branch to
SandbachSandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
from Harecastle.
Parliamentary approval and construction
On 26 June 1846, the three NSR acts were passed with the total of £2,900,000 in share capital being shared amongst the three lines, with seven years allowed for the completion of each line. The
North Staffordshire Railway (Pottery Line) Act provided for the construction of the line from Macclesfield to Colwich with branches to
Norton BridgeNorton Bridge railway station is four miles north-west of Stafford on the West Coast Main Line near the village of Norton Bridge in Staffordshire, England.The main line platforms were removed before electrification in the 1960s...
, Newcastle, Silverdale and Crewe. This act also vested the Trent & Mersey Canal in the NSR. Allocated capital for this work was £1,500,000. The second act, the
North Staffordshire Railway (Harecastle and Sandbach) Act provided for the construction of the line from
HarecastleKidsgrove railway station serves the town of Kidsgrove in Staffordshire, England. The station is 12 km north of Stoke-on-Trent. The station is served by trains on the Crewe to Derby Line which is also a Community rail line known as the North Staffordshire line...
to
SandbachSandbach is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish contains four settlements; Sandbach itself, Elworth, Ettiley Heath and Wheelock....
, allocated capital for these works was £200,000. Finally the
North Staffordshire Railway (Churnet Valley Line) Act authorised the construction of the line from North Rode to Burton, a branch from
TutburyTutbury is a large village and civil parish of about 3,000 residents in the English county of Staffordshire.It is surrounded by the agricultural countryside of both Staffordshire and Derbyshire. The site has been inhabited for over 3000 years, with Iron Age defensive ditches encircling the main...
to Willington Junction near Derby, and the line between Uttoxeter and Stoke; £1,200,000 of capital was allocated to this.
To start the construction work, there was an official 'cutting of the first sod' ceremony. This took place in September 1846 The site chosen for the ceremony was a field in
EtruriaEtruria is a suburb of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England.-Home of Wedgwood:Etruria was the fourth and penultimate site for the Wedgwood pottery business. Josiah Wedgwood, who was previously based in Burslem, opened his new works in 1769. It was named after the Italian district of Etruria,...
. A roped off enclosure for directors was created and the remainder of the field was reserved for invited guests. A mile long procession headed by
John Lewis RicardoJohn Lewis Ricardo was a British businessman and politician.He was the son of Jacob Ricardo and nephew of the economist David Ricardo. In 1841 he married Catherine Duff , the daughter of General Sir Alexander Duff and sister of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife...
,
Member of ParliamentA Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for
Stoke on TrentStoke-upon-Trent was a parliamentary borough in Staffordshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1832 until 1885, and then one member from 1885 until 1918, when the borough was enlarged, renamed Stoke-on-Trent, and split into three single-member...
and chairman of the NSR Company, formed. On Ricardo's arrival, the crowds broke through the roped off area and Ricardo was pushed and shoved. During the actual cutting he buckled the silver spade and had difficulty removing the sod. Finally, his hat blew away.
Construction work went ahead under the supervision of the Consulting Engineer,
George Parker BidderGeorge Parker Bidder was an English engineer, architect and calculating prodigy.Born in the town of Moretonhampstead, Devon, England, he displayed a natural skill at calculation from an early age...
. By February 1847 there were 1,318 men and 60 horses working between
MacclesfieldMacclesfield is a market town within the unitary authority of Cheshire East, the county palatine of Chester, also known as the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The population of the Macclesfield urban sub-area at the time of the 2001 census was 50,688...
and Colwich and they had removed 80000 cubic yards (61,164.4 m³) of earth, driven 843 yards (771 m) of tunnel heading and erected 12000 yards (10,973 m) yards of fencing.
On 2 July 1847 the
North Staffordshire Railway Act was passed. The act was necessary was because of problems encountered with the construction of the Crewe branch. The opportunity was taken to authorise several other deviations and small branches. It also consolidated the previous acts and importantly, forced the NSR to ensure that all lines were completed by specifying that ordinary
dividendDividends are payments made by a corporation to its shareholder members. It is the portion of corporate profits paid out to stockholders. When a corporation earns a profit or surplus, that money can be put to two uses: it can either be re-invested in the business , or it can be distributed to...
s were not to exceed 5% until the Churnet Valley and Willington lines had been opened.
Work continued apace and by 3 April 1848 the first freight trains were run. Passenger services started on 17 April 1848 and the first passenger train left the temporary station at Wheildon Road, Stoke, hauled by locomotive No. 1
Dragon, heading for a temporary station at Norton Bridge on the
London and North Western RailwayThe London and North Western Railway was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. It was created by the merger of three companies – the Grand Junction Railway, the London and Birmingham Railway and the Manchester and Birmingham Railway...
(LNWR). The opening of the line gave the Potteries a railway link with Birmingham and London which made it an instant success with the public. Profits for the first two months were £1,668 'exceeding expectations'.
The remaining lines under the original Acts were opened in stages but all were completed and open by the end of 1852 when the Stoke to Newcastle and Newcastle to Knutton sections opened. A few months after the opening of the first line, the imposing permanent station in Winton Square, Stoke was opened on 9 October 1848.
Stoke stationStoke-on-Trent Railway Station is a main-line railway station in central England. It is located on the Stafford to Manchester branch of the West Coast Main Line and serves the Staffordshire city of Stoke-on-Trent...
then became the headquarters of the NSR.
Later lines
Later branches constructed in the nineteenth century included lines from Stoke-on-Trent to
CongletonCongleton is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Dane, to the west of the Macclesfield Canal and 21 miles south of Manchester. It has a population of 25,750.-History:The first settlements in...
via
SmallthorneSmallthorne is an area in the city of Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. It is in the north-east of the city, near Burslem...
and
BiddulphBiddulph is a town in Staffordshire, England, north of Stoke-on-Trent and south east of Congleton, Cheshire.-Origin of the name:Biddulph's name may come from Anglo-Saxon bī dylfe = "beside the pit or quarry"...
; Stoke-on-Trent to
LeekLeek is a market town in the county of Staffordshire, England, on the River Churnet. It is an ancient borough and was granted its royal charter in 1214.It is the administrative centre for the Staffordshire Moorlands District Council...
; Newcastle to
SilverdaleSilverdale is a suburban village and civil parish in Staffordshire, west of Newcastle-under-Lyme. In 1932 it became part of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme and is now, with the exception of the north-eastern end, part of the Silverdale and Parksite ward....
,
KeeleKeele is a village and civil parish in northern Staffordshire, England. It is approximately three miles west of Newcastle-under-Lyme, and is close to the village of Silverdale...
and
Market DraytonMarket Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
(junction with the
Great Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
);
AlsagerAlsager is a town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, to the north-west of the city of Stoke-on-Trent, and east of the railway town of Crewe...
to
AudleyAudley is a rural village approximately four miles north west of the town of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. It is the centre of Audley Rural parish....
, Leycett and Keele, and
RocesterRocester is a village and civil parish in the East Staffordshire district of Staffordshire, England. Its name is spelt Rowcestre in the Domesday Book.-Geography:...
to
AshbourneAshbourne is a small market town in the Derbyshire Dales, England. It has a population of 10,302.The town advertises itself as 'The Gateway to Dovedale'.- Local customs :...
.
Also opened in the nineteenth century was the only NSR line to achieve any degree of fame, the
Potteries Loop Line from
EtruriaEtruria station is a closed station in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, which served the areas of Etruria and the larger district of Newcastle-under-Lyme. It closed on 30 September 2005....
via Hanley, Cobridge, Burslem, Tunstall, Pitts Hill, Newchapel and Goldenhill to
KidsgroveKidsgrove is a town in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England, near the border with Cheshire. It forms part of The Potteries Urban Area in North Staffordshire, along with Stoke-on-Trent and Newcastle-under-Lyme. It has a population of 24,112...
Liverpool Rd. Authorised in stages in 1864–5, it opened to traffic in 1873. Its fame came from several mentions and a description of a journey on a Burslem to Hanley train in
Arnold Bennett's- Early life :Bennett was born in a modest house in Hanley in the Potteries district of Staffordshire. Hanley is one of a conurbation of six towns which joined together at the beginning of the twentieth century as Stoke-on-Trent. Enoch Bennett, his father, qualified as a solicitor in 1876, and the...
The Old Wives' TaleThe Old Wives' Tale is a novel by Arnold Bennett, first published in 1908. It deals with the lives of two very different sisters, Constance and Sophia Baines, following their stories from their youth, working in their mother's draper's shop, into old age. It is generally regarded as one of...
.
Twentieth century construction included a branch from Leek to Cauldon Lowe via Waterhouses from where the narrow gauge
Leek and Manifold Valley Light RailwayThe Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in Staffordshire, Great Britain that operated between 1904 and 1934. When in operation, the line mainly carried milk from dairies in the region, acting as a feeder to the standard gauge system. It also provided passenger...
(L&MV) was constructed through the Hamps and Manifold river valleys to Hulme End near
HartingtonHartington is a village in the Derbyshire Peak District, England, lying on the River Dove close to the Staffordshire border. According to the 2001 census, the parish of Hartington Town Quarter, which also includes Pilsbury, had a population of 345...
. Although the L&MV was nominally independent the NSR both worked and operated the line.
Finally in 1910,
a very short line was built from Stoke-on-Trent to Trentham Park. It was authorised as part of an alternative line to Newcastle-under-Lyme but construction work beyond Trentham was quickly abandoned owing to rising costs. The same act of parliament also transferred the
Cheadle Railway to the NSR. The Cheadle Railway was a small local company constructed with NSR's backing, built at great cost over a period of twelve years. It was a short line from
CresswellCresswell is a village in Staffordshire, England. It is approximately one mile SE of Blythe Bridge and has a population of approximately 300....
to
CheadleCheadle is a small market town near Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, with a population of 12,158 according to the 2001 census. It is roughly from the city of Stoke-on-Trent, north of Birmingham and south of Manchester...
, this line, only four miles long, included a very difficult tunnel. The line was opened from Cresswell to Totmonslow 7 November 1892 and to Cheadle, 1 January 1901.
A full list of authorisation and opening dates for sections of the NSR is given below.
Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway
The Macclesfield, Bollington and Marple Railway (MB&M) was a joint line which the NSR participated in. A short line of just under 11 miles (18 km) it was opened with the
Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire RailwayThe Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was formed by amalgamation in 1847. The MS&LR changed its name to the Great Central Railway in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension.-Origin:...
(MS&L) in 1869 to give the NSR to Manchester independently of the LNWR. As relationships between the NSR and the LNWR grew better the reason for the line lessened as the MB&M route to Manchester was 5 miles longer than the LNWR route. Both passenger and freight traffic was handled by the MS&L (or as it later became the
Great Central RailwayThe Great Central Railway was a railway company in England which came into being when the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway changed its name in 1897 in anticipation of the opening in 1899 of its London Extension . On 1 January 1923, it was grouped into the London and North Eastern...
) with the buildings maintained by the NSR.
Running powers with other companies
As a company with only a small route mileage the NSR made extensive use of running powers and in exchange granted running powers to other companies.
The earliest agreements were reached with the LNWR. In 1849 an agreement was reached where LNWR traffic could work over the NSR system but in exchange a certain amount of the LNWR London trains had to be routed via Stoke. These Manchester to London Euston restaurant car expresses were unique in often being hauled by NSR tank engines from Manchester to Stoke-on-Trent where the LNWR express engines took over for the run via Stone, Sandon, Colwich, and the main line to London Euston. The NSR received a payment for every through passenger on these trains and employed a small army of ticket inspectors to examine and clip (with its distinctive 'P' clip) every ticket during the Stoke-on-Trent station stop. The agreement did give the NSR access to destinations such as
LlandudnoLlandudno is a seaside resort and town in Conwy County Borough, Wales. In the 2001 UK census it had a population of 20,090 including that of Penrhyn Bay and Penrhynside, which are within the Llandudno Community...
, Manchester, Stafford,
WolverhamptonWolverhampton is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands, England. For Eurostat purposes Walsall and Wolverhampton is a NUTS 3 region and is one of five boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "West Midlands" NUTS 2 region...
and
BuxtonBuxton is a spa town in Derbyshire, England. It has the highest elevation of any market town in England. Located close to the county boundary with Cheshire to the west and Staffordshire to the south, Buxton is described as "the gateway to the Peak District National Park"...
. NSR goods trains were able to run to places such as Liverpool and
RugbyRugby is a market town in Warwickshire, England, located on the River Avon. The town has a population of 61,988 making it the second largest town in the county...
. The LNWR also used running rights over the Uttoxeter–Ashbourne line to run through coaches from Buxton to London via Nuneaton. As well as the running power agreements with the LNWR there was a very short joint line of 32 chains (644 m) at Middlewood and three jointly owned stations; Ashbourne, Colwich and Macclesfield Goods.
Equally important in terms of traffic but not as extensive in terms of route were the running power agreements with the
Midland RailwayThe Midland Railway was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844 to 1922, when it became part of the London, Midland and Scottish Railway....
(MR). For the NSR passenger traffic into Derby and Burton was authorised and good traffic as far afield as
WellingboroughWellingborough is a market town and borough in Northamptonshire, England, situated some from the county town of Northampton. The town is situated on the north side of the River Nene, most of the older town is sited on the flanks of the hills above the river's current flood plain...
. The arrangements with these two companies allowed the NSR to run its longest passenger service, between Derby and Llandudno. These trains only ran 44.5 miles (71.6 km) on NSR rails, with 6.5 miles (10.5 km) over MR but with the majority, 67.5 miles (108.6 km) over the LNWR.
In 1867, an independent local company built the
Stafford and Uttoxeter RailwayThe Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway was created by Act of Parliament in 1862, to run between Stafford and Uttoxeter in Staffordshire, England.It opened for traffic in 1867. It was nicknamed the Clog and Knocker....
, later incorporated into the
Great Northern RailwayThe Great Northern Railway was a British railway company established by the Great Northern Railway Act of 1846. On 1 January 1923 the company lost its identity as a constituent of the newly formed London and North Eastern Railway....
(GNR). The GNR built its GNR Derbyshire and Staffordshire Extension from
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and
Derby FriargateDerby Friargate Station was the main station in Derby on the Great Northern Railway Derbyshire Extension popularly known as the Friargate Line.- History :-Friargate Bridge:...
via
MickleoverMickleover is a suburb located two miles west of the city centre and is the most westerly suburb of the City of Derby in the United Kingdom.-History:...
to
Egginton JunctionEgginton Junction railway station is a former railway station in Egginton, Derbyshire.- History :It was opened by the Great Northern Railway on its Derbyshire Extension in 1878, jointly with the North Staffordshire Railway....
with running powers over the NSR from Etwall, through
UttoxeterUttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
, to Bromshall Junction. The GNR granted the NSR running rights to
NottinghamNottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
,
ColwickColwick is a suburb in the east of Greater Nottingham in England. It forms part of the Nottinghamshire borough of Gedling, although Colwick Country Park is actually within the city boundary. It lies between the River Trent and the railway line, with nearby places being Netherfield , Bakersfield ,...
,
LeicesterLeicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
and
PeterboroughPeterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
. Apart from excursion trains to Nottingham and goods trains to Colwick, the NSR did not take advantage of these powers.
Although the NSR had joint ownership of the MB&M with the MS&L the NSR did not have running powers over the rest of the MS&L and was content to let the MS&L handle all traffic north of Middlewood. Finally with both the NSR and the
Great Western RailwayThe Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) expanding into Shropshire running rights were agreed for NSR trains to run to Hodnet and Wellington and in return GWR goods trains could run to Stoke.
Amalgamation proposals and financial strength
There were several proposals made either to the NSR or by it, to merge or lease or sell the company to other railway companies. The first was in 1849 when the LNWR, using its financial strength, made suggestions about a merger. To avoid this the NSR had to agree to the running powers outlined above. A further attempt in 1851 got as far as a parliamentary bill being submitted for amalgamation until the select committee appointed to look at the bill reported against the idea. The LNWR made a further attempt in 1855 which failed because of concerted opposition by the MR, MS&L and GWR. Less than twenty years later, in 1870, these four companies all combined to look at taking over the NSR following a decision by the NSR board to sell or lease the company. The four rival companies were unable to agree on who would take what share of the NSR and the proposal floundered.
In 1875 the MS&L proposed an amalgamation which initially found favour with the NSR board and shareholders but eventually fell through when the MS&L finances were investigated and it was found that the MS&L was no stronger financially than the NSR. Only two years later some NSR shareholders proposed a merger with the MR, the board dismissed the proposal with the chairman reminding shareholders that
The NSR had a small mileage and had to collect traffic for the large companies which surrounded it. They made profits from good mileages while the NSR had to do a great deal for comparatively little return.
The quote about little return was accurate. In 1877 the NSR dividend was only 2% compared with the dividend of 6% paid by the LNWR to its shareholders. A year later the dividend fell to its lowest ever point of only 1⅝%. However it recovered and after 1881 never fell below 3%. In 1891 the NSR paid a 5% dividend for the first time, a level not to be reached again until 1913.
In 1913 the NSR ranked as the eighteenth largest company by route mileage with 216 miles (348 km). Passenger numbers stood at 7,200,000 and goods traffic handled by the NSR consisted of 1750000 long tons (1,778,088 MT) of goods, nearly 4000000 long tons (4,064,200 MT) of coal and coke and over 2000000 long tons (2,032,100 MT) of other minerals. Among the 1750000 long tons (1,778,088 MT) of goods was 150000 long tons (152,408 MT) of pottery, over five-sixths of the entire production in Britain.
Grouping
Under the
Railways Act 1921The Railways Act 1921, also known as the Grouping Act, was an enactment by the British government of David Lloyd George intended to stem the losses being made by many of the country's 120 railway companies, move the railways away from internal competition, and to retain some of the benefits which...
, the NSR was one of the eight major companies designated to form the North Western, Midland and West Scottish Group. This group became the
London, Midland and Scottish RailwayThe London Midland and Scottish Railway was a British railway company. It was formed on 1 January 1923 under the Railways Act of 1921, which required the grouping of over 120 separate railway companies into just four...
(LMS). The act came into force on 1 January 1923 but along with the
Caledonian RailwayThe Caledonian Railway was a major Scottish railway company. It was formed in the early 19th century and it was absorbed almost a century later into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway, in the 1923 railway grouping, by means of the Railways Act 1921...
, the NSR amalgamation into the LMS was delayed until 1 July 1923 due to certain legal requirements not being completed by the due date.
Other interests
In common with most other British railway companies, the NSR decided early on that it was advantageous to carry out its own maintenance work in all departments and also to undertake much of its own new construction work.
Stoke railway worksStoke railway works was set up in 1864 by the North Staffordshire Railway in the city of Stoke-on-Trent in the county of Staffordshire, England....
were opened in 1849, capable of producing carriages, wagons and other equipment. Construction of locomotives followed later, commencing in 1864.
Ownership of the Trent & Mersey canal made the NSR the biggest canal owning railway with 130 miles (209 km) of waterways owned. The T&M owned
Rudyard LakeRudyard Lake is a reservoir in Rudyard, Staffordshire constructed by the engineer John Rennie, for the Trent and Mersey Canal company in 1797/98 to feed the Caldon Canal....
which the NSR made use of as a leisure complex, building a golf course, in 1905, on land adjoining the lake. A further area of interest, again via ownership of the T&M, was the lease on Caldon Low quarries. Associated with the quarry was the tramway that ran from the quarries to Froghall making the NSR the operator of lines of three different gauges.
Although the NSR principally served the urban areas of the Potteries, it did promote the area for tourism, especially the
Churnet ValleyThe River Churnet is a river that flows in Staffordshire, England. It is a tributary of the River Dove.- Etymology :The origins of the name "Churnet" are unknown, though it is thought to derive from the pre-English, British name for the river.- Course :...
which local hoteliers had labelled as "Staffordshire's little Switzerland". The company issued a 150 page guide called
Picturesque Staffordshire to support this promotion and dispel the widespread held idea that the county was dull and bleak In addition to the tourist traffic generated the NSR owned three hotels; the
North Stafford in Stoke (opposite Stoke station), the
Churnet Valley in Leek and the
Hotel Rudyard at Rudyard.
Officers of the company
| Name |
Period of tenure |
| Chairmen |
| John Lewis Ricardo John Lewis Ricardo was a British businessman and politician.He was the son of Jacob Ricardo and nephew of the economist David Ricardo. In 1841 he married Catherine Duff , the daughter of General Sir Alexander Duff and sister of James Duff, 5th Earl Fife...
|
1845–1855 |
| Thomas Broderick |
1855 |
| John Lewis Ricardo |
1855–1862 |
| Thomas Broderick |
1862–1865 |
| Charles Pearson |
1865–1874 |
| Colin Minton Campbell |
1874–1883 |
| Sir Thomas Salt Sir Thomas Salt, 1st Baronet , was a British banker and Conservative politician.His grandfather John Stevenson Salt, , married Sarah Stevenson, the granddaughter of John Stevenson, founder in 1737 of a banking company in Stafford...
|
1883–1904 |
| Tonman Mosley (later Lord Anslow) Tonman Mosley, 1st Baron Anslow, CB, KStJ, DL was a British businessman, judge and politician.-Family:Tonman Mosley was born at East Lodge, Anslow, Burton upon Trent, Staffordshire, and baptized at Rolleston-on-Dove, Staffordshire, the younger son of Sir Tonman Mosley, 3rd Baronet, of Ancoats, and...
|
1904–1923 |
| General managers |
| Samuel Bidder |
1847–1853 |
| James Forsyth |
1853–1863 |
| Percy Morris |
1863–1876 |
| Martin Smith |
1876–1882 |
| William Phillipps |
1882–1919 |
| F A Lowry Barnwell |
1919–1923 |
| Resident Engineers |
| Samuel Bidder |
1845–1848 |
| James Forsyth |
1848–1865 |
| James Johnson |
1865–1870 |
| Thomas Dodds |
1870–1874 |
| Locomotive superintendents |
| Thomas Angus |
1874–1875 |
| Charles Clare |
1875–1882 |
| Luke Longbottom |
1882–1902 |
| John Adams |
1902–1915 |
| John Hookham |
1915–1923 |
Locomotives
NSR motive power came from a mixture of sources. Before the establishment of Stoke works there was a complete reliance on outside contractors. The first locomotives were either purchased from contractors building the line or firms such as Sharp Brothers and Company, Kitson, Thompson and Hewitson, the
Vulcan FoundryVulcan Foundry was a British locomotive builder sited at Newton-le-Willows, Lancashire .-History:It was originally opened in 1832 as Charles Tayleur and Company to produce girders for bridges, switches and crossings, and other ironwork following the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway...
or Jones and Potts.
Originally the resident engineers were responsible for the locomotive stock and the first four holders of this post were all primarily civil engineers. In 1863 the new general manager, Morris, commissioned an outside report on the NSR locomotive fleet which recommended the rebuilding of 50 engines. By the time this report was produced a new engineer, Johnson, had been appointed. He undertook the improvements but the results were unsatisfactory and Johnson left in 1870 after only five years in post. The only significant event of Johnson's tenure was the building of the first engines at Stoke works when three 0-6-0T engines were built in 1868. Johnson's successor, Dodds, fared no better as his patented wedge motion, a type of
valve gearThe valve gear of a steam engine is the mechanism that operates the inlet and exhaust valves to admit steam into the cylinder and allow exhaust steam to escape, respectively, at the correct points in the cycle...
, was unsuccessful. Dodds was dismissed in 1875 and a new post of locomotive superintendent created with a locomotive engineer, Angus, in charge. Although only in post for two years Angus replaced all the wedge motions with
Stephenson valve gearThe Stephenson valve gear or Stephenson link or shifting link is a simple design of valve gear that was widely used throughout the world for all kinds of steam engine. It is named after Robert Stephenson but was actually invented by his employees....
.
There followed a long period of locomotive construction internally with all locomotives between 1875 and 1900 coming from the company works. The vast majority of these being
tank enginesA tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
although a small number of tender engines were constructed. Most engines, whether tank or tender locomotives were built with either 2-4-0 or 0-6-0 wheel arrangements. An urgent need for heavier goods engines prompted the company to go to contractors and a small number of 0-6-0 designs were purchased from Nasmyth, Wilson and Company. In 1903 five 0-6-2T engines were purchased from Vulcan Foundry and with the exception of two locomotives for shunting purchased from
Kerr StuartKerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner...
in 1919 these were the last engines not to be built by the company at Stoke.
Apart from engine No 1 of 1848 being named
Dragon only two other NSR engines were ever named, in 1882 Class C 2-4-0 No. 55 was named
Colin Minton Campbell and Class C No. 54
John Bramley Moore after the chairman and deputy chairman of the company, respectively.
The NSR also used a small number of
railmotorRailmotor is a term which was used by several British railway companies for a steam railcar.-Overview:William Bridges Adams started building railmotors as early as 1848, but only in small numbers...
s with three being purchased in 1905 from
Beyer, Peacock and CompanyBeyer, Peacock and Company was an English railway Locomotive manufacturer with a factory in Gorton, Manchester. Founded by Charles Beyer and Richard Peacock, it traded from 1854 until 1966...
. They were used on routes such as the Stoke–Newcastle service but were not a success. The vehicles did survive until grouping but had been taken out of service for some time some years earlier. In addition to the NSR locomotives were the two engines of the Leek & Manifold and the three engines that worked the Caldon Low quarries. The former were purchased from Kitson and Company and the latter from
Henry HughesThis article is about a British rail-locomotive maker. For the Detroit auto-maker, see Brush Motor Car CompanyBrush Traction is a manufacturer and maintainer of railway locomotives, part of the FKI group , based at Loughborough in Leicestershire, England situated alongside the Midland Main Line.-...
and W. G. Bagnall.
At grouping 196 steam locomotives were absorbed into the LMS along with the three railmotors and one battery electric locomotive. This last engine was built at Stoke in 1917 for shunting the copper works at
OakamoorOakamoor is a small village in north Staffordshire, England.Although it is now a rural area, it has an industrial past which drew on the natural resources of the Churnet valley....
. Four engines under construction at Stoke in 1923 were completed and also added to the LMS stock. Although many of the locomotives were not old, due to the LMS policy of standardisation all NSR engines had been withdrawn from service by 1939. The one exception was the battery electric shunting locomotive which remained in service until 1963.
Two NSR locomotives are preserved. NSR No. 2, an 0-6-2T L class (one of the four constructed in 1923) and the battery electric locomotive. Both form part of the national collection at the
National Railway MuseumThe National Railway Museum is a museum in York forming part of the British National Museum of Science and Industry and telling the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001...
.
Locomotive depots
The largest
locomotive depotMotive power depot, usually abbreviated to MPD, is a name given to places where locomotives are stored when not being used, and also repaired and maintained. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine sheds", or, for short, just sheds. Facilities are provided for refuelling and...
was at Stoke, with 125 engines at grouping. The next largest was Alsager with an allocation of 15 engines. Other NSR depots existed at Macclesfield, Derby, Uttoxeter, Burton and Crewe. Stoke also had sub-sheds at
Market DraytonMarket Drayton is a small market town in north Shropshire, England. It is on the River Tern, between Shrewsbury and Stoke-on-Trent, and was formerly known as "Drayton in Hales" and earlier simply as "Drayton" ....
, Leekbrook and Ashbourne. NSR engines were also sub-shedded at other companies depots, with arrangements existing at the LNWR sheds at Stafford, Liverpool Edge Hill and Manchester Longsight and the GNR shed at Nottingham Colwick.
Locomotive liveries
Up to 1882 locomotives were a bright green with black and white lining with a
Staffordshire knotThe Stafford knot, sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Staffordshire knot, is a distinctive three-looped knot that is the traditional symbol of the English county of Staffordshire and of its county town, Stafford. It is a particular representation of the simple overhand knot, the most basic...
emblem on the tank or tender sides. Longbottom introduced a new livery of a red brown with black, yellow and
vermilionVermilion is an opaque orangish red pigment, similar to scarlet. As a naturally occurring mineral pigment, it is known as cinnabar, and was in use around the world before the Common Era began. Most naturally produced vermilion comes from cinnabar mined in China, and vermilion is nowadays commonly...
lining. Longbottom was succeeded by Adams who changed the livery once more to a crimson shade called Madder Lake with yellow and vermilion lining. The knot emblem was replaced by the company coat of arms and the words
North Stafford.
Coaching stock
The NSR coaching stock was, even until grouping, predominantly four and six wheeled vehicles. Four wheeled carriages were the norm from the start and the last were constructed in the 1880s, although by then they had progressed from the unbraked coaches of the 1840s with the introduction of the
communication cordOn trains, the expression emergency brake has several meanings:* The maximum brake force available to the driver/engineer from his conventional braking system, usually operated by taking the brake handle to its furthest postion, through a gate mechanism, or by pushing a separate plunger in the cab*...
in 1869 and the
simple vacuum brakeThe vacuum brake is a braking system employed on trains and introduced in the mid-1860s. A variant, the automatic vacuum brake system, became almost universal in British train equipment and in those countries influenced by British practice. Vacuum brakes also enjoyed a brief period of adoption in...
in 1883. The first
bogieA bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
coaches were introduced in 1906 for use on the Derby–Llandudno service and these were followed by further examples until 1923. By 1919 all carriages, except 13 four wheelers used on miners trains, had been fitted with steam heating and a number of vehicles had been fitted with through pipes to allow use in trains equipped with Westinghouse brakes. Most carriages were constructed at Stoke but some were purchased from companies such as the
Metropolitan Carriage, Wagon and Finance CompanyThe Metropolitan Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company was a Birmingham, England based manufacturer of railway carriages and wagons, based in Saltley and subsequently Washwood Heath....
.
One area were the NSR was a pioneer was in the use of electrical lighting being the largest of only three British railway companies to switch from oil to electric lighting and not use any form of gas lighting. The first coach was fitted in 1897 and new stock constructed from 1899 had electric lighting as standard. Conversion of the remaining stock was slow and in 1910 there were still some oil lit carriages in service.
Coaching liveries
Coaching stock was originally claret but in 1875 was changed to Victoria Brown and white (except for branch line trains which carried an all over Victoria Brown livery) with gold and blue lining. Victoria Brown was the same red brown colour as Longbottom had introduced for NSR locomotives. In 1882 waist panels were additionally painted white. This colour scheme lasted until 1896 when it was changed to an overall Victoria Lake (brown) colour with gold and blue lining. Adams changed the livery to Madder Lake in 1903 to match the locomotives, the lining became yellow and red. A final minor change was to paint the waist panels of first class compartments cream to distinguish them. A constant presence was the company coat of arms being displayed on the coach sides.
Goods stock
Over its life the NSR built or bought many thousands of goods wagons. Early wagons had
dumb buffersA buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another....
with
spring buffersA buffer is a part of the buffers-and-chain coupling system used on the railway systems of many countries, among them most of those in Europe, for attaching railway vehicles to one another....
being introduced from 1870. Early wagons were not of high capacity e.g. typical open wagons were only of 4 long tons (4.1 MT) capacity. but capacities grew to 10 long tons (10.2 MT) on average by 1923.
The NSR handed over to the LMS 6,612 goods wagons of which over 5,000 were open wagons for the transport of coal and other minerals. This number was dwarfed by the number of wagons owned by the pits, ironworks, other industrial operations and traders in the Stoke area. An unusual set of wagons to be seen were the bright yellow with red lettering vans owned by the
Barnum and BaileyRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is an American circus company. The company was started when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum was merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The Ringling brothers purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1907, but ran the circuses...
circus who had their main English depot in Stoke.
Goods liveries
Goods vehicles were painted red oxide with white lettering and a white Staffordshire knot. The letters
N.S.R with only two full stops were carried in small letters. From 1912 the letters were increased in size but changed to just
N S with a central knot and no full stops.
The Knotty
The NSR is one of the few railways to become the subject of a play. In 1966,
Peter CheesemanPeter Cheeseman, CBE was a British theatre director who is credited with having pioneered "theatre in the round".-Career:...
, artistic director of The Victoria Theatre, Stoke wrote a musical documentary about the NSR called
The Knotty. Featured in the play were the voices of several NSR staff who had been interviewed especially for the play.
NSR main lines and branch lines—opening dates
Ricardo, North Staffordshire Railway chairman described the network as being like "a small octopus"; but not one NSR station was more than 30 miles (48.3 km) from Stoke-on-Trent. Dates of authorisation and opening are given in the following table.
| Section of Line |
Date Construction
Authorised |
Passenger
Service Started |
Goods
Service Started |
| Stoke-on-Trent – Norton Bridge |
26 June 1846 |
17 April 1848 |
3 April 1848 |
| Stoke-on-Trent – Uttoxeter |
26 June 1846 |
7 August 1848 |
7 August 1848 |
| Uttoxeter – Burton-on-Trent |
26 June 1846 |
11 September 1848 |
11 September 1848 |
| Stoke-on-Trent – Crewe and Congleton |
26 June 1846 |
9 October 1848 |
9 October 1848 |
| Stone–Colwich |
26 June 1846 |
1 May 1849 |
1 May 1849 |
| Congleton–Macclesfield |
26 June 1846 |
18 June 1849 |
18 June 1849 |
| Churnet Valley Line |
26 June 1846 |
13 July 1849 |
13 July 1849 |
| Tutbury–Derby |
26 June 1846 |
13 July 1849 |
13 July 1849 |
| Harecastle–Sandbach |
26 June 1846 |
3 July 1893 |
21 January 1852 |
| Stoke-on-Trent – Newcastle-under-Lyme |
26 June 1846 |
6 September 1852 |
6 September 1852 |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme – Knutton |
2 July 1847 |
May 1863 |
6 September 1852 |
| Knutton–Silverdale |
13 August 1859 |
May 1863 |
1850 |
| Silverdale – Market Drayton |
29 July 1864 |
1 February 1870 |
1 February 1870 |
| Etruria–Shelton |
2 July 1847 |
January 1862 |
1850 |
| Shelton–Hanley |
13 August 1859 |
13 July 1864 |
20 December 1861 |
| Hanley–Burslem |
5 July 1865 |
1 November 1873 |
1 November 1873 |
| Burslem–Tunstall |
5 July 1865 |
1 December 1873 |
1 December 1873 |
| Tunstall–Goldenhill |
5 July 1865 |
1 October 1874 |
1 October 1874 |
| Goldenhill–Kidsgrove |
5 July 1865 |
15 November 1875 |
15 November 1875 |
| Rocester–Ashbourne |
22 July 1848 |
31 May 1852 |
31 May 1852 |
| Biddulph Valley Line |
24 July 1854 |
1 June 1864 |
28 August 1860 |
| Milton–Leekbrook |
13 July 1863 |
1 November 1867 |
1 November 1867 |
| Audley Line |
29 July 1864 |
28 June 1880 |
24 July 1870 |
| Cresswell–Tean |
7 August 1888 |
7 November 1892 |
7 November 1892 |
| Tean–Cheadle |
7 August 1888 |
1 January 1901 |
1 January 1901 |
| Waterhouses – Hulme End (L&MV Light Railway) |
6 March 1899 |
27 June 1904 |
29 June 1904 |
| Leekbrook–Ipstones |
6 March 1899 |
5 June 1905 |
5 June 1905 |
| Ipstones–Waterhouses |
6 March 1899 |
1 July 1905 |
1 July 1905 |
| Trentham Park Branch |
21 August 1907 |
1 April 1910 |
1 April 1910 |
External links