Bid to re-open Potteries line for freight services.

[Xenophon PCDGS]

Moorland and City Railways have bid for £1.65 million from the Government's Regional Growth Fund with the aim of re-opening the Stoke on Trent to Leekbrook Junction line for the purposes of freight traffic. They said that its bid was based on land which could be developed at Fenton, of which about 100 acres could be turned over to rail-based industries.

The Leekbrook Junction to Cauldon Low line in the Staffordshire Moorlands is operating as part of the Churnet Valley Railway and the proposed freight trains could use this line to go further than Leekbrook Junction.

 

[NightatLaira]

What is the axel loading limit for the track currently? And is it single or double? I know that they have some fairly modern looking level crossings through Endon.

 

[185]

A lot of the trackbed is good nick if I remember right.

 

[CosherB]

I thought this was already going ahead? They reinstated Leekbrook to Cauldon Lowe last year, and Stoke to Leekbrook was going to be opened this year, wasn't it?

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

I thought this was already going ahead? They reinstated Leekbrook to Cauldon Lowe last year, and Stoke to Leekbrook was going to be opened this year, wasn't it?

It cannot proceed without the bid monies being made available, as is the case for the Todmorden Chord project.

 

[OuterDistant]

It's single line, or at least was when you used to be able to see it! Here's how it looks now when I get to see it on the way to work. I believe that it's in much better nick further to the north.

 

[Chris125]

Im afraid they are almost certainly going to be unsuccesful, this just isnt what the scheme is aimed at. The GCR have already come to this conclusion after their own bid failed and they were considering whether to apply again - ultimately its about rapid job creation.

 

[martinsh]

The Leak Brook Junction to Caldon Low line in the Staffordshire Moorlands is operating as part of the Churnet Valley Railway and the proposed freight trains could use this line to go further than Leak Brook Junction.

The names of the places are Leekbrook and Cauldon. Opinion varies as to whether it is Low or Lowe.

 

[Xenophon PCDGS]

The names of the places are Leekbrook and Cauldon. Opinion varies as to whether it is Low or Lowe.

Well spotted, young man. I will have to double check the spelling of places in future when receiving from my information sources. Modern Railways refer to "Caldon" in a recent news "snippet" but Cauldon is the correct spelling....Leak instead of Leek is down to my spellchecker not picking it up, as both words are proper words in their own right.

EDIT : The words have now been corrected in the original thread posting.