Tunstall on the Potteries Loop Line

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Tunstall - Tunstall Branch Line

The Tunstall Branch Line - 2008 (Google Maps)

Red line is the exisiting main Crewe to Derby railway line (North Staffordshire Railway) the blue line is the route of the Tunstall Branch Line from the main line to the Loop Line (in green) at Pinnox Sidings.
The light blue line was the route of a mineral line

"I was born in 1957 and lived in Fairway Road at the top of Greenbank. I attended Tunstall RC school at the top of Roundwell St (now demolished) and walked to and from school each day. I can recall the Pinnox railway being uplifted, and also walking past the entry to Tunstall station, but never ventured in to look at the Station itself.

My grandparents lived on Davenport St near the Pinnox branch roadbridge. We often slid down the embankment to walk down the line towards Longport, and skim broken tiles across Westport Lake. The lake was pretty grimy in those days (mid 1960’s) with a kind of brown foam that used to wash up on the shore – which from memory was mostly a bed of broken roofing tiles from the local factory."

Trevor Ford

"the Pinnox Branch [Tunstall Branch] looking up the line over the canal bridge, with Davenport Street road bridge in the background. Not strictly part of the Loop Line, but it was used for diverting trains up through Tunstall and on to Kidsgrove when the old Harecastle tunnel was out of action for maintenance (the curves at Hanley station were too tight for many locomotives and longer carriages).

You could take a shot from the same position today and the change would be remarkable – there is a new housing estate and of course Westport lake has been tidied up immensely."

Trevor Ford

Close up of the bridge on Davenport Street

photo: taken by Lloyd Boardman & supplied by Trevor Ford

LINE MEMORIES:

"I am adding another facet to '10 miles of the world's worst scenery' by Fred Hughes (Sentinel, November 10, 2008). Every word he said about the 10 miles of depressing scenery was true and very well explained.

My facet was not a spur but an integral part of the loop line. It went off the main line at Longport up through Westport lake.
There have always been two lakes but we never mentioned the plural in my day. It went over a stone bridge separating the two lakes and allowing motorised vehicles through.

The line then went past Downing's Tilery on the left just before the bridge at Brownhills, bottom of Tunstall, and then on to the Sneyd area and then to Norton. Downing's had its own spur for open wagons which then went to Longport for distribution around the country. Coal went along this line from Norton/Sneyd to Longport to form the coal trains. This line was used mainly for freight, but occasionally I have seen passenger trains.

As a lad I worked for the railway at Longport and every day I had to walk along the main line and then on to the loop line, up to Downing's to take stock of its wagons. So I had the best view of the entire loop line, because of the lakes and probably a bit more fresh air.

I preferred Westport Lake in the 1940s before Edward Heath's inauguration. The lake had a lot more natural food for the extensive fishing done in the old days. There was ice skating on the little lake in the winter which was stopped by the wardens. It had to be a very cold snap to ice skate on the big lake.
Hopefully this is another piece of the loop line explained, it's a big shame the then Government and Dr Beeching seemed fit to close it down."

MR D WIGGINS Talke Pits Sentinel Newspaper 21 Nov 2008