Reddish Vale Light Railway (working title)

[SapperAnt]

Some history
There has been industry in Reddish Vale from the middle ages; a Corn Mill was present c.1300 when the de Reddish family became Lords of the Manor. The Mill straddled the River Tame which flows through the valley, land on one side of the river being owned by de Reddish, the other side by the Hydes - there was a major dispute over this in 1657. It had closed by 1810 when it was in use as a school.

The Print Works were established sometime before 1800; they were owned by John Fletcher in 1825; by the Becker Bros in 1840 and finally Bradshaw, Hammond & Co from 1862. They closed 90 years later.

Railways came to the vale in 1875 when then 16-arch Sheffield & Midland Joint built their Hope Valley Line, running metres away (and above) the rooves of the Print Works.

The Fiction
Reddish Vale is flat bottomed with steep sides; the rich (often boggy) soil proving excellent farming country. The active, local Gentry families in the Vale also prevented further industrialisation.

In order to link their printworks to the canal (the Stockport Branch of the Ashton Canal) to the south at Heaton Norris, a narrow gauge railway was built (the canal also ran through Openshaw (where the famous Carriage & Wagon Works were) and also Gorton (home of Beyer, Peacock)).

This all makes sense in my head. But I dont see any such railway last long given the presence of the maze of standard guage lines which sprang up in that area.

Today, the Printworks is part of the Reddish Vale Country Park which is a stone's throw from my new house. And very pretty it is too. There are some lovely, characterful buildings one could model too!

http://www.reddishvalecountrypark.com/