The S&UR series is made of 8 easy-to-find traditional caches hidden what remains of the old line of the Staffordshire & Uttoxeter Railway in Stafford. Each cache gives you a bit of the history of the entire line. If you are a ‘beginner’ geocacher also look out for two “EarthCaches” nearby to #1 and #6, which don’t always show up on beginners’ phone apps.
S&UR History, Part Three: The railway gets approved
The North Staffordshire Railway opened its station at Uttoxeter in 1848, while the Shropshire Union Railways and Canal Company opened its line to Wellington from Stafford in 1849, making the link between Stafford and Uttoxeter even more logical. Accordingly, plans for the Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway were submitted in 1861.
Supporters for the line were the growing shoe-making industry in Stafford and the Leighton Ironworks in Uttoxeter, as well as the Bamford family, forebears of J. C. Bamford – later to be one of the largest agricultural equipment maker in the country. Also, support came initially from the Shropshire Union Railway, for transport of cattle from Wales, but when it was taken over by the LNWR this support was withdrawn
The North Staffordshire Railway also opposed the line, seeing a competitor to its own line from Stoke. Regardless, the Royal Assent was given in 1862. The S&UR would be built!
Text from Jones P (1981) The Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway, Salisbury: The Oakwood Press, via Wikipedia