The history behind Rolleston-on-Dove - a layout that became the precursor for a community restoration project.
ROLLESTON-ON-DOVE
Clive Baker
FACT FILE
Layout Name: Rolleston-on-Dove
Scale/Gauge: EM
Size: 18' x 2'.
Era/Region: North Staffs 1920s to BR 1960s, East Staffordshire
Layout Type: End to end
Conception
The layout began its existence as part of a community activity and, after 17 years, still promotes what has become a successful community project. To celebrate the Millennium, residents of the Staffordshire village of Rolleston-on-Dove staged an exhibition to commemorate the previous 100 years, a static model diorama depicting the village's railway station formed part of that event.
Its builder had hoped that the model would provoke interest and jog the memories of one-time rail travellers; the station having closed in 1949 and the line in 1968, becoming the Jinny Nature Trail in 1985, he had become anxious that this once vital local amenity would be forgotten. With little response, he returned the diorama to a garden shed, where it gathered four year’s worth of dust and cobwebs. The name “Jinny”, as applied to the nature trail that utilizes the disused track-bed between Rolleston-on-Dove station and that of Stretton & Claymills, refers to the local passenger train that shuttled between Burton upon Trent and Tutbury; serving the route since the opening of the line in 1848 until 1960 and described as a “Grand Old Lady” by the Member of Parliament who tried desperately to save her, had won the hearts of many local travellers throughout her many years of service.
Despite an apparent lack of interest, reference did materialise during the ensuing years, thus developing into what is now an extensive archive. Rather than store the various documents, diagrams and photographs, some of them a little dog-eared, in a box file, the author generated a Powerpoint presentation, which has proved to be a useful visual aid when presenting lectures to various groups with an interest in railways and heritage transport in general. By 2007, the diorama had been developed into a working model, encouraged by the growing collection of information and memorabilia, the original diorama had been extended at both ends to include, not just the platforms, booking hall and waiting shelter, but the whole entity that comprised Rolleston-on-Dove station with signal cabin, signals, carriage/cattle dock and its, quite complex, point-work.
The model has been constructed to the scale of 4mm:1ft, the track laid to EM gauge standards, utilizing components retrieved from an earlier layout. The three scenic baseboards are open-framed, constructed from 6mm plywood and the two storage boards have been built using recycled timber, to accommodate three cassettes each. The buildings are based on the prototypes, reference sourced from the few photographs available from which side and end elevations were generated digitally, prior to being used as blueprints for the construction of the actual models, using various thicknesses and embossed patterns of styrene sheet. The side and end elevations proved their worth at a later date when building the digital models referred-to later in this article.
Going Public
The time had come to take the layout back to the public. A very popular event known as 'Community Day' is staged each summer at John of Rolleston Primary School; an event where any project relating to the locality can be demonstrated, the author took advantage and occupied a classroom complete with a whiteboard and projector, where not only the working layout could be accommodated but also the Powerpoint presentation, beamed from a continuous loop. Despite the sun shining, thus attracting the majority of visitors to the outdoor activities, the model did capture the interest of a fair proportion of punters, the comment of one such person triggering the next chapter that eventually became the 'Rolleston-on-Dove Station Heritage Group'. Observing the movement of trains passing through the station, a gentleman enquired "Where actually is this?" Pointing to the access road to the goods yard, the author explained that it represented the current path to the Jinny Nature Trail. "Oh". He replied. "I walk my dog along there every day, I didn't realise it had been a station". "Where do you live"? To which he replied. "Station Road".
Prototype History
At this point, a brief history of the rail network situated in the Trent and Dove valleys, as indicated in the accompanying map, and the station itself will help the reader: The "Burton Branch" of the North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) opened September 11th, 1848, linking Stoke-on-Trent with Burton upon Trent, passing through the parish of Rolleston some three miles from the route’s destination. Said to have been refreshed by ale brewed specially at a neighbouring farmhouse, now the "Jinny Inn", the navvies completed the work, which involved the moving of many tons of earth from the high ground towards Craythorne to form an embankment across the Dove flood plane, in just a year. The new line crossed what became Station Road by an iron bridge, the third such structure at this location, the first bridge having been washed away in a flood and replaced by a temporary wooden structure that accommodated a single track only. Running powers were granted by the Midland Railway (MR), which enabled the “Knotty”, as it was affectionately known, to enter Burton station via North Staffs Junction.
In 1849, the NSR acquired powers to build a line diverging from the Burton Line at Marston Junction, to Derby via a junction with the MR at Willington. This route remains operational. April 1st, 1868, saw the building of the "Hawkins Lane Branch" to serve the London & North Western Railway’s Horninglow Street goods yard at Burton. In later years the Great Northern Railway (GNR), Hawkins Lane goods station, was also accessed via this branch that left the route at Stretton Junction, as well as the LNWR’s Dallow Branch, opening July 3rd, 1882. The network around Rolleston was completed May 1st, 1878, when the GNR built a spur between Dove Junction and Egginton Junction, giving them a direct route between Burton upon Trent and Derby - Friargate.
Rolleston Station was not opened until November 1st, 1894. The name was soon changed to “Rolleston-on-Dove” to avoid confusion with Rolleston Junction on the Nottingham - Lincoln line. The station had two platforms, signal cabin, loop and goods/carriage dock, which also handled coal, livestock and milk. The track layout was modified in 1899 to include additional point-work at the southern end allowing easier access to the dock. The station was some distance from the village at the request of the Mosley family resident at Rolleston Hall, but houses were soon built adjacent to the station, to accommodate the village’s first commuters.
Two other intermediate stations were opened along the route, Horninglow in 1883 and Stretton & Claymills in 1901. Originally Rolleston-on-Dove was the only station to have goods facilities, a loop serving a gravel dock being installed at Stretton & Claymills in 1920. The line passed to London Midland Scottish (LMS) ownership in 1924, although trains taking the GNR route operated under the London, North Eastern Railway (LNER) banner. Following nationalisation in 1947, trains ex GNR/LNER remained distinctive in appearance. On closure January 1st, 1949, the loop and sidings at Rolleston were removed immediately, the signal cabin in 1952, but the booking hall and waiting shelter remained in a derelict state until the mid-sixties. The line closed May 6th, 1968, some five years before the author became a resident of Rolleston, but his memories of observing the station through the carriage windows of the Tutbury Jinny remain vivid to this day.
Traffic
Having already mentioned the Tutbury Jinny that formed the greater part of passenger working in the period represented by the model, excursion trains bound for Alton Towers, Trentham Gardens and the North Wales coastal resorts, taking the ex NSR route, as well as those bound for east coast towns such as Scegnes continued to pass through Rolleston until the mid 60’s. Following closure of the station, the platforms remained in working condition to accommodate some of these excursion workings that continued to call. The Tutbury Jinny is represented in model form to satisfy three different periods: The 1948 version consisting of Johnson 0-4-4 tank locomotive, 58080 with one non-corridor carriage and ex LMS auto trailer, a post-1953 formation with Standard 2-6-2 tank locomotive, 84007 (not permitted to stop at the station, because it has closed) and a 1920’s set, scratch-built, consisting of ex NSR ‘B’ class 2-4-0, 1447 in early LMS livery and two NSR bogie carriages.
Other passenger workings from an earlier period are not yet represented in model form, these include the GNR service from Burton to Grantham ceasing to operate on the outbreak of WW2 and the LNWR Buxton to Euston via Nuneaton express, which only called at Rolleston if the Mosley family wished to travel, this service ceasing at the outbreak of WW1.
Amongst the freight operations, the passage of beer traffic played a large part; the daily Burton to York working, usually hauled by ex LNER ‘B1’ class, 4-6-0’s or ‘K3’ class, 2-6-0’s was just one example that is represented when operating the model. Mixed goods trains were a common sight; ideal for a modeller who doesn’t fancy building a rake of identical wagons, a few 16T coal wagons would be spotted coupled to one or two grain hoppers and some opens and flats for good measure.
As research continues, ten years after the layout first appeared, it has recently been discovered that regular fitted freights running between London and Manchester, taking the west coast route as far as Nuneaton before travelling through Burton and branching on to the ex NSR towards Crewe, became a regular sight in the BR period. The author does recall one such working hauled by one of a rare class in the Burton area, Stanier 2-6-0, 42954, as it approached the town via the Leicester route to continue to North Staffs Junction and on through Rolleston. Needless to report that that particular Stanier Crab, the product of a K’s kit, makes an occasional appearance on the model.
In January 2009, the author found himself working from home and having something previously unknown – spare time. Recalling the conversation with the dog walker and examining the reference material collected from a number of sources, he felt the need to inform the public of a facility that, in Victorian times, had changed the lifestyle and raised the expectations of so many people residing in the catchment area of Rolleston-on-Dove station.
Having been active in the graphics and illustration industry since leaving school, a time when steam power still survived on the main line system, he prepared a 3-dimensional virtual model of the station complex based on the valuable reference stored in the archive. In the company of a map of the local rail network and some period photographs, renders of the 3D model combined to form a Powerpoint presentation suitable to submit to the Parish Council, owners of the Rolleston section of the Jinny Nature Trail. His idea was to turn the station site, an area by that time resembling a jungle, into a heritage location with the remains of platforms and any other relevant items restored with illustrated signage giving information about the one-time railway installed.
“It’s a great idea, we’ll let you know”. A more positive reply could not have been expected, not everybody is interested in railways.
Shortly after that meeting, the real model went public again, but at a model railway exhibition in Burton upon Trent Town Hall; organised by Burton Railway Society, this annual show had hosted the layout two years previously when many society members who had worked on the town’s extensive railway systems offered constructive comments. By the time of the second appearance, some pre-grouping NSR rolling stock had been constructed enabling the operators to turn back the clock adding interest to operations. The accompanying Powerpoint presentation, updated to include further reference, also provoked more interest thus raising the author’s determination to fulfil his proposed project.
Throughout its existence, Rolleston-on-Dove had been the second layout; stored beneath the main layout “Little Burton” – version 2, it only saw daylight during exhibition appearances. By the end of 2011, having given 15 year’s service, the author called time for Little Burton, so whilst version 3, based on the Burton theme, took shape, Rolleston became the everyday model. During this period of about a year, it became possible to come to terms with the shunting arrangements and explore the usage of a very unusual and restrictive track formation that would never have been conceived as a model without a prototype in mind. Whilst sorting the arrival and departure of wagons, part of the daily pick-up goods, point blades and crossings received some fine-tuning so that by November 2012, confidence had been gained to search for a suitable exhibition venue where Rolleston could demonstrate its full operational ability instead of just mainline running.
Prior to the layout’s 2012 re-vamp, a very basic panorama depicting fields and sky applied with an airbrush with crude paper masks formed a backcloth with an inadequate scenic break at each end. During one of the author’s frequent visits to the area, just half a mile from home, he photographed the surrounding area to the east of the route, with the intention of creating a scene that would appear feasible to a person viewing the layout from the public side. Stitching the images together digitally, new panoramas emerged, not as captured in the camera, but having undergone some blurring, a reduction in colour saturation and any feature, post-dating the period of the model, removed.
2012 – a year of opportunity
The re-invented Rolleston-on-Dove made its public debut at the first Weston on Trent exhibition convened in the November, its appearance prompting an invitation to another show, to be followed by others to the extent that, during each ensuing year, at least two or three shows have been attended. However, the most significant event for the project occurred in the spring when the author received an invitation to address the Rolleston Engineering and Transport Society (TREATS). The outcome proved to be vital as the society adopted the project the following year; acting as an umbrella TREATS providing expertise and manpower to remove many years worth of vegetation, revealing, amongst other items, foundations of buildings, track components, signal post base complete with counterweight and a gradient sign.
The spring of 2014 brought the good news that the project had been awarded a substantial grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund; spelling the end of unearthing self-set tree stumps by hand, a contractor could be commissioned to tackle the heavy work with the aid of an old faithful JCB ‘3C’ type excavator. On Saturday, November 1st, 2014, exactly 120 years since the first train stopped at the newly installed Rolleston station, the Chairs from both Rolleston and Stretton Parish Councils, the Mayor and Mayoress of East Staffordshire Borough Council, Staffordshire County Councilor and the Member of Parliament for Burton upon Trent stood on the re-instated southbound platform along with other invited guests, whilst over one hundred local residents, including pupils of the village primary school, Brownies and Guides who had assisted with the project, and railway enthusiasts looked-on from the then to be renovated northbound platform, as the guests unveiled a replica station name board.
Following the ceremony that day, the guest of honour, a gentleman who had spent his childhood residing in one of the three railway houses that adjoin the station site, his father an LMS/BR employee, toured the site with the author. Able to give answers to many questions that had puzzled the Heritage Group, he recalled how, soon after WW2, a farmer from neighbouring land had purchased a herd of Jersey cows that had been delivered by rail and off-loaded into the cattle pens prior to herding to its new home. An early plan of the site had indicated a store shed positioned close to the goods yard gates, but no reference to its appearance had ever been discovered. “Oh yes, it was about 20ft x 1ft, similar construction to that of the booking hall with double doors on that wall” he replied. Before the model appeared at a show the following year the store shed had been constructed and added.
Up to Date
Approaching the site from Station Road today, the man with his dog will be left with no doubt that a station had existed. He would note a sign describing the whole station complex, including a map showing the one-time surrounding rail network, overhead view of the track plan and associated structures and photographs of trains passing through.
Having climbed the slope to the start of the Jinny Nature Trail he will be confronted with two re-instated platform ramps, the replica station running-in board angled to give passengers a clear indication of their whereabouts and another large sign showing how the original station would have appeared from that viewpoint along with a selection of photographs of the flora and fauna to be noted in the area. On further investigation, he will find a plaque mounted on the wall of the southbound platform giving details of the 26-lever McKenzie and Holland signal cabin once sited close-by.
A short distance along the southbound platform, he can take a break; sat on the replica bench with the word ROLLESTON carved into the seat-back by a member of the community, he can imagine awaiting the arrival of the Tutbury Jinny, its locomotive, probably Johnson 0-4-4 tank, 58080 propelling its carriage and auto trailer back to Burton. Along from his bench are two surviving platform gardens, now memorials to the fallen of two World Wars who would have left their village by train. He can then cross the wildflower meadow, where the rails used to be laid, to the northbound platform, and examine the footprint of the booking hall with its accompanying signage with a cutaway illustration showing the situation and appearance of the four rooms and their furnishings.
By the southern platform ramps is situated another sign, this one showing how the station would have appeared from that viewpoint, accompanied by images of a different assortment of fauna and flora. Continuing along the Jinny Trail the man and his dog would note the remains of the cattle/carriage dock together with the repaired original buffer stop complete with adjoining short section of bullhead rail – all buried under soil and ballast until late 2015 when the JCB made a return visit. Before passing between the brick pillars that once supported a footbridge, the final remnant of Rolleston Station before entering Stretton territory, a glance to the left will reveal a renovated gradient sign indicating level track southwards and 1 in 300 gradient towards Rolleston.
Rolleston-on-Dove – Back to the prototype
Following on from an article published in the June 2017 issue of BRM, readers may recall the article that described how a working 4mm scale model in EM gauge, based on Rolleston-on-Dove railway station, opened 1894 – closed 1949, became the inspiration for a community project. Situated on the ex-North Staffordshire line between Uttoxeter and Burton upon Trent, known as the ’Burton Branch’, the station’s remains were ideal for the creation of a village amenity. Following the closure of the line in 1968, the stretch that occupies a cutting between Rolleston-on-Dove and Stretton & Claymills stations, having been saved from becoming a landfill site, was purchased by the two Parish Councils and opened as the ‘Jinny Nature Trail’ in 1985. Its title honours the local passenger train that served the community from circa 1850 until 1960; having won the hearts of many people, this train has become part of local history.
A diorama to celebrate the Millennium is developed into a working model
Beginning as a diorama featuring the station buildings, created for a village exhibition celebrating the Millennium, expansion as a working model depicting the complete complex did not materialise until 2007; exhibited again at a village event, the idea was to demonstrate a one-time local and vital amenity that put the village on the map, and would hopefully jog the memories of those who could recall the village railway. As a result, further details could be archived for the benefit of future generations.
Pic 1: Re-creating Phil Waterfield’s shot of an excursion train returning home, via Rolleston-on-Dove, on Easter Monday 1962.
Collecting references throughout the build period had been made simple because the actual subject could be found just a short walk up the road. All reference was stored on a Powerpoint presentation that would accompany the layout at public occasions. During these regular reconnaissance trips, the author noted how nature was rapidly taking-over and hiding the remains of a once fine railway station. Standing amongst this wilderness, he imagined the platforms once more accessible, footprints of the buildings and interpretation panels that would take a visitor back in time to the railway age, adding to the experience of the Jinny Nature Trail.
Pic 2: Image based on a digital model of Rolleston-on-Dove station, looking north towards Stretton & Claymills. This view demonstrates the unusual track layout – the station situated at a point where the track leaves an embankment to enter a cutting.
A digital version takes visitors back in time and enhances their experience of the ‘Jinny Nature Trail’: Having built the actual model, the author then decided to exercise his graphic skills and produce a virtual model. The advantage of such an image is that the subject can be rotated for viewing all of its aspects.
Having gained the support of the Parish Council and thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, members of the ‘Rolleston Station Heritage Group’, as it became known, were able to remove much excess vegetation and self-set saplings to expose the two platforms and evidence of the long lost buildings and associated equipment. Interpretation panels featuring the virtual models, maps and photographs now explain to visitors how the station appeared and give details of not just railway features, but also the associated fauna and flora.
Appearing at railway related events, the working model promotes the restoration project
With Rolleston-on-Dove, the working model, making regular appearances at numerous local exhibitions and some at venues more distant, the project could be introduced to a wider public. Details of the original prototype and the restored site displayed on the storage siding fascia boards not only give credence to the model, but also introduce the restoration project to those who may not have previously considered paying a visit to the real Rolleston.
During the early days of exhibiting the layout, trains would simply pass from one end to the other and back again. When planning a freelance layout, the Rolleston trackplan would not attract any consideration, due to its apparent lack of shunting potential and complex pointwork to gain access to just one short siding. However, plentiful options have been discovered through time; manoeuvring from either of the main lines, the scope has proved surprising, but the operator has been known to become ‘stitched-up’ – often receiving helpful suggestions from members of the public.
Pic 3: Keeping good company at the Severn Valley Railway ‘Open House’ event in 2018.
Maintaining work done and future developments:
Since 2017, not just the importance of maintaining the site in good order was recognised, but, to retain interest, it was felt necessary to examine possible additions.
Of the three intermediate stations along the line between Burton and Tutbury, prior to 1920, Rolleston-on-Dove was considered the most important because it possessed goods facilities. In the previous article, mention was made of the carriage/cattle dock; following the early belief that this facility existed for the transfer of milk churns, new reference had come to light, hence the amended title.
One of the community helpers asked how the dock had functioned, his children often seeking clarity when visiting the site. Until receiving this enquiry, it had been assumed that everyone would understand, but clearly there was scope for a new interpretation panel that would, utilising a virtual model, show how carriages and other wheeled road vehicles could be end-loaded on to flat trucks and livestock could be penned and transferred to railway wagons.
Pic 4: The centrepiece of a new interpretation panel sited adjacent to the carriage/cattle dock that explains the transfer of road vehicles and livestock to railway rolling stock.
Signal boxes have always been a fascinating part of a railway, principally because these structures are often the only parts remaining from the original railway companies. An interest in these iconic buildings seems to be increasing as more mechanical installations are being replaced by Rail Operating Centres. Although only opened for the purpose of shunting operations, Rolleston signal box bore the classic styling of many smaller North Staffordshire Railway installations and, although demolished in 1952, its foundations remained, but hidden by much vegetation.
Having accurate reference, the volunteers quickly located the box’s remains and excavated the site with a view to re-building the foundations to form a footprint in a similar manner to that of the booking hall. A cutaway 3-d model indicating the mechanical elements and their function will then be produced for positioning within the footprint. This addition to the amenity will hopefully materialise when ‘normality’ resumes.
Pic 5: A view of the site of Rolleston-on-Dove station; captured following restoration, from left to right, an interpretation panel, a replica LMS style running-in board and a speed restriction sign salvaged from Dove Junction in 1968. In the far right distance is a replica platform bench.
Interest from along the line
At quite an early date in the project’s history, members of Stretton Parish Council noted activities at Rolleston and proposed a similar project at that end of the Jinny Nature Trail. Unfortunately, the remains of Stretton & Claymills station, if any, lie beneath a supermarket, but a gravel dock erected in 1920 remained and received a facelift; with the addition of interpretation panels of a similar style and content to those at Rolleston, the nature trail experience became complete.
Having researched the history of both stations, the author has now begun to collect and prepare graphics to cover the remaining and first of the three intermediate stations, Horninglow. Although this station is some distance from the trail, a booklet being prepared by the author featuring the ‘Burton Branch’ would not be complete without reference to Horninglow.
Education and the age of virtual conferencing
Throughout the project, connections have been forged with various organisations involved in history and conservation, but particularly schools. The author has been regularly invited into local schools to explain the functions and history of the railway, using the models both actual and virtual as demonstration aids. These talks are often followed-up by a visit to the site. Not deterred by present restrictions, the author has, with the aid of Powerpoint, been able to deliver the lectures virtually and keep the project alive
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