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 Seven – LNER between the wars
Between the wars, the line managed to pay its way with excursions to the countryside (particularly to Salt), to the seaside (particularly Skegness) and the races at Uttoxeter and at Doncaster. However, the introduction of a bus service from Stafford to Uttoxeter in 1938 marked the beginning of the end and with the outbreak of World War II, public passenger services were reduced to one train a day, and by December 1939 ceased forever.
In 1939, meanwhile, there had been a further incident, when a train from Stafford passed a signal at danger at Bromshall Junction, colliding with a freight on the main line. The Stafford loco overturned trapping the driver. The signalman at Leigh managed to stop an approaching freight, which included oil tankers.
In 1940 the line was closed completely to the public, the only passenger traffic being military personnel. The line served military sites exclusively - the Royal Air Force's 16 MU at Stafford, and the army depot at Bromshall. RAF Stafford built an extensive network of sidings adjacent to Stafford Common yard, which remain as industrial sites to this day.
Text from Jones P (1981) The Stafford and Uttoxeter Railway, Salisbury: The Oakwood Press, via Wikipedia