CORBY’s  IRONSTONE  QUARRY  RAILWAYS  RECALLED 

Forty years ago the movement of excavated ironstone using internal railways serving the giant Corby Steelworks came to an end when extraction at the ironstone quarries ceased. The network of railways linking the outlying quarries was extensive, being the largest system in the country. The system grew steadily over the years from humble beginnings as more quarries were opened up and by the late 1970’s the system extended over a total of 56 miles in length. The network of lines between the quarries and North Bank ore stockpile was worked by a fleet of 30 diesel locomotives using a fleet of 660 wagons of 20/30 ton capacity to carry the excavated stone.

The coming of the early railways to Northamptonshire required excavations for railway cuttings and it was during such operations by the railway naavies that the ironstone bed was encountered. Given the declining output of the Coal Measures iron ores the importance of the Northamptonshire Sand Ironstone Bed became recognised and the first fledgling workings for ironstone commenced in 1851.

The development of Corby was due to the coming of the MR Kettering to Manton line which was authorised in 1875. Samuel Lloyd entered into leases for ironstone working in 1881 at Corby and a new mineral railway was laid down across the 888-acre site to serve the new workings. The first recorded output of ironstone for Lloyds Ironstone was only 4140 tons in 1881 but had increased dramatically to 20,812 tons the following year. Other workings were also started by James Pain Ltd. All of the ironstone was taken away by rail to distant ironworks as until 1911 Corby did not have its own ironworks. Most of the ironstone quarry railways only involved a short journey to the sidings with the mainline railway. Consequently, the use of small steam locomotives proved adequate in the early years. Initially trains were loaded with ironstone by hand in shallow workings, but the advent of steam excavators allowed the scale and depth of the extraction activity to rapidly expand.A very early photograph of quarrying in the Corby area showing one of the original Hunslet saddletanks waiting for its train of low sided wagons to be loaded by hand.

In 1923 a controlling interest in Lloyds Ironstone was secured by the tube making business of Stewarts and Lloyds who had a policy of self-sufficiency in the matter of the supply of raw materials. The new company wished to develop an integrated iron, steel and tube works at Corby. The project finally got underway in 1932 with production commencing in 1934.

As the quarry railway network expanded and trip lengths became longer the need for larger and more powerful locomotives grew. Minerals locos were given Welsh names starting with the letter C or R, a naming protocol which was to be carried on with further locomotive purchases until the late 1930’s.

During the mid-1930’s a further seven saddletank locos were purchased for quarry work. Essentially built to the favoured Manning Wardle design, which was well proven in the quarries, these locos were built by Kitson, who had acquired the loco building business goodwill of the former manufacturer. A further five of the design followed during World War II.

An 100RB electric mining shovel loading a train hauled by one of the Manning Wardle/Kitson/RSH design locos taken in Earlstrees Quarry in 1951

With the planned post war expansion of the ironstone quarries the length of railway haulage back to the steelworks would significantly increase. Efficient operations would therefore require the introduction of larger and more powerful steam locomotives. Seven new large saddletank steam locomotives were ordered from makers Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns in 1950. Two more of the same class were delivered in 1954 and 1958 and all operated out of the new large mineral’s division loco shed at Gretton Book.

One of the post war RSH saddletanks starts a train away from intermediate sidings on the extensive network of industrial railways in the Corby area.

Whilst good service was being provided by the large Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns saddletanks the economies offered by diesel locomotives began to be trialled from 1961 when the Company purchased a large Yorkshire Engine Company Taurus 0-8-0 diesel for the run to Oakley Quarry. Further trials of diesels followed. The preferred choice was the “Steelman” type built by Sentinel of Shrewsbury and four were purchased between 1967 and 1969. Further orders were expected to follow but BSC learnt that British Railways were to dispose of a whole class of Type 1 trip/freight shunting locomotives which had been built at Swindon and which had seen little use as the Beeching cuts had closed many minor lines. Initial trials with these D95XX class locomotives at their Buckminster Quarries proved successful and BSC purchased 23, of which 13 were sent to Corby for quarry work. The bulk order and arrival of diesels saw the end of steam locomotive working which formally ceased on 11th January 1969.

BSC 55 (ex D 9507) awaits its next turn of duty at Gretton Brook loco shed

From the mid 1960’s iron and steel production in the UK slowly declined. When it was announced in the late 1960’s that ironstone supply to the new Anchor Project at Scunthorpe would be imported the future of the UK ironstone industry looked uncertain. The final rundown at Corby was clouded by the lengthy strike born of the frustrations felt at the massive closure programme proposed by the British Steel Corporation to alleviate its critical financial position. Corby’s fate was sealed and 100 years of opencast mining for ironstone came to an end when the pits that served the giant steelworks at Corby ceased extraction. The last working day in the ironstone quarries was 3rd January 1980 when the three pits at Shotley, Harringworth Lodge and Great Oakley loaded and dispatched their final loads to North Bank Sidings. On that day BSC loco No.52 collected 20 loaded wagons from Shotley Quarry conveying some 504 tons of ironstone bound for the ore crushing plant at the steelworks.

The wider story behind this quarry heritage is the subject of a new display at the museum which will be available for viewing until the end of October. For further details of opening times please see the museum’s website www. rocks-by-rail.org.uk

Whilst the museum is unfortunately currently closed on government advice due to the Covid-19 pandemic anybody who would like to support the work of the museum can send donations by post to Mr A Salmon, Rocks by Rail Treasurer, 4 Main Street, Stanford on Soar, Loughborough  LE12 5PY. Cheques should be made payable to “Rutland Railway Museum”. We thank our members and friends for their ongoing support and look forward to welcoming you back to Rocks by Rail as soon as the current situation permits.