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 Four – Construction & the early years
Construction began almost immediately, but there were many problems. Firstly, the project had underestimated the cost of land and the labour rates needed for the work crews – by 1866 the cost had become a staggering £10,000 a mile. Besides this there were two major construction obstacles - a tunnel at Bramshall and a major cutting at Hopton, the latter being 60 feet deep in solid rock. Nevertheless, the line was built and initially four stations were opened - at Salt, Ingestre, Stowe and Grindley, all of them well built stations that lasted more than 30 years.
The line opened for general traffic in December 1867. The service initially consisted of one train, shuttling back-and-forth, and the company owned seven coaches, sixteen wagons and one goods van with which to vary the makeup of the train between goods and passenger service. However, at first it lacked one key element – it had no locomotive! Instead, it contracted out (today we call this ‘outsourcing’) for the loco – the “Shrewsbury and Talbot”, which was a simple 2-4-0 tank engine. The contractor eventually became a shareholder (nowadays we call this a "joint venture").
Instead of booking office staff, tickets were sold on the train, and there was little in the way of telegraphic or signalling equipment. This was a bare-bones service, aiming to make money simply by joining up larger lines and make enough money from through traffic and ticketing.
By 1874, Stafford had expanded northwards and a new station was built at the Common, where there was horse-racing, fairs and agricultural shows. You are currently at the approximate location of the original Victorian station, which became the Headquarters of the line (in the early years they had to share with the larger LMWR company at Stafford station, which nobody liked).
Text from Jones P (1981) The Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway, Salisbury: The Oakwood Press, via Wikipedia