'Tracks Through Time' Video Intro-Youtube: https://youtu.be/8fVrzKqf9Sg?si=hJW1sLgZnGRUtoyO
1845 milk in churns-transport of milk by train didn't start until the railways had been established for some years, and then rarely more than 20 miles from London, such as Romford, Essex. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1850's Milk dealers arranged milk supply by train from Essex, Hertfordshire and Hampshire. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1850'S Typical Urban milking shed. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1850'S Typical Urban milking shed. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1853 London's milk also came from nearby farms, such as Friern Manor Farms, East Dulwich-one of Express Dairy's farms of the period. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1865 Cattle plague in London seriously affected supply. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1865-66 Graph shows how the amount of milk conveyed into London by rail increased dramatically because of the effects of cattle plague reducing the number of cows kept in London by half, to 12,000. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1889 St Pancras Station Milk Dock (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1902 Euston Station Milk Dock (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1902 'The Midnight Milk Train at Paddington Station', chalk drawing by Fred Yates. From 'The Milk Supply of London' H. Swan
1902 Vauxhall Station Milk Platform (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1911 Waterloo Station (Courtesy Simon Wilkins, Old London Photos FB)
1914 Vauxhall Station Milk Platform. By this time, only 2% of milk came from urban dairy herds in London. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1900's People were also consuming more milk because of new products. From the 1870's onwards there were also developments in refrigeration, which helped rural areas, especially near railway routes, expand milk production. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
The Great Western Railway became dominant for milk transport, in 1899 it brought in 23.9 million gallons of milk into London (just over half of all supplies). This picture shows GWR 'Siphon G' bogie gangwayed milk van, 2926, built in 1940. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1900's Shops like this were supplied with milk brought into London by rail. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
Express County Milk Supply Company negotiated special rates to supply milk to London from Derbyshire. They also introduced the galvanised milk churn. (Courtesy 'On the Milk Train' video, Dr David Turner)
1900 Minsterley Station (Courtesy Joe Lyons)
Minsterley Station in 1900, annotated by Joe Lyons.
Billingshurst Creamery, erected in the late 1920's, was the first country depot to be built by the Express.
1921 "Former Minsterley Station" Glyn Jones comments "I was there the day that crane was cut down, around 1965" (Courtesy Joe Lyons)
1920's? Paddington Station. Matthew Pinto comments "The coaches in that photo look standard gauge; my guess is the photo is circa 1920's." (Courtesy ruralhistoria.com)
1923 GWR map of Oswestry area, with Express Creameries marked. (Original courtesy Michael Armstrong-Smith)
1925 Uttoxeter Station (Courtesy Museum of English Rural Life/ Getty Images)
1931 Express Rail Tank. Matthew Pinto comments "One of the very first 6-wheeled milk tanks built by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway for Express Dairies (earlier rail tanks were 4-wheeled and rode very roughly at high speeds). It is shown here at Cricklewood depot. Note the semi-cylindrical sunshade. These were common on early tanks but their effectiveness was questionable and the feature was eventually abandoned." (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
1931 Appleby Rail Siding, reproduced in Express News Christmas 1975. The locomotive is an LMS Class 4 designed by George Ivatt built between 1947 and 1952 mainly for light freight work - as we see here. The characteristic high running-plate was a deliberate decision to aid with cleaning and maintenance.
1930's Appleby Matthew Pinto comments "... must have been taken shortly after opening as the railway siding has not yet acquired its roof. Early 30s at a guess." (Courtesy David Rooke)
Mainline gauge rail milk tanker at Ecton on a narrow gauge transporter wagon. Alan Salt comments "Farmers and contractors would bring milk to Ecton, some may have been used to make cheese but when excess milk was available (or when liquid milk was worth more to the Company) these tankers would take the milk to Waterhouses then on to Manchester or London. Wilts United Dairies, who ran Ecton, were doing similar at their Uttoxeter site and these rail tanks could well end up at Uttoxeter for onward travel." John Irish adds "I think these tankers were attached at Uttoxeter to the London milk train and then travelled to the large dairy at Finsbury Park." (Courtesy Alan Salt)
1930's Ecton Creamery. Matthew Pinto comments "These tanks were 2000 gallon built by the LNER to diagram 121 in 1930 for United Dairies (most milk tanks were 3000 gallon). Ecton was the only place in the country (possibly the world) where standard gauge milk tanks were filled while perched on top of narrow gauge wagons. The creamery opened as an independent business in 1918 and was later absorbed into United Dairies. Initially it dispatched milk in churns to the UD depot at Finsbury Park. United Dairies closed the Ecton creamery in 1932 and the line itself closed in 1934 as it relied heavily in the income from the dairy traffic." (Courtesy Matthew Pinto)
1950's? Appleby (Courtesy David Rooke)
1950's? Appleby (Courtesy David Rooke)
1933 Cricklewood visit of the Duke of Kent visit
1948 Rossmore Road. Bulleid Light Pacific entering Marylebone, with milk tankers at Rossmore Road (Independent Dairies) in the background. Matthew Pinto comments "I think this was taken during the Exchange trials in 1948. Bulleid Pacifics were not a common sight at Marylebone." (Courtesy https://www.geograph.org.uk/more.php?id=2650927)
1950's Egg Transport - Eggs for London. James Ayres explains "The wagon is a Southern Railway design made of planks on a steel frame and roofed with felt. Its loaded weight was 12 tons. The letter N at each end of the frame indicate it was fitted with vacuum brakes. They were not of a standard design so the wagon could not be used for freight by rival companies and had to be returned to the Southern. As this particular unit, the property of the Express Dairy, was probably configured inside to accommodate its fragile load it doubtless spent at least half its life running empty. " (Courtesy Keith Sweetland)
1950's? Minsterley Creamery Rail Siding (From hydey44, Flickr)
1950's? Minsterley Creamery Rail Siding (From Lorraine Fletcher, Facebook)
1950's ? 73117 heading the Down milk empties near Fleet. John McIvor
Minsterley (Courtesy Karen Osman)
1950's? Seaton Junction (Courtesy Keith Sweetland)
1950's ? Aerial view of Cricklewood Dairy and marshalling yard (Courtesy Sue Smith, FB)
1950's ? Churn Collection
1954 Pipe Gate Station, near Woore in North Shropshire. Closed to passenger services in 1956, next to Express Pipegate Creamery which had its own siding for delivering milk as far away as London" (Courtesy Steven Harley)
1955 South Morden, from 1989 Express 125 Year Anniversary Review
1955 South Morden. Jimmy Reid posted this picture, and comments "This is how we got our name from the trains that delivered bulk milk to depots and plants across the country." Colin J Marsden also commented "When I was a young secondman at Waterloo, a regular turn was to go on the Morden Milk, taking a few GW 6-wheel tanks round in the morning and going to fetch them early afternoon after off-loading. Quite often the morning inbound train was worked through by Western men. Over the years I took a number of pictures at the milk terminal and one day one of the older staff came over with a black and white picture taken at the depot in 1955. He said 'you can have this, this is what it was like here in the 50s'. I carefully preserved it and today I've scanned it. I do not know the details of the loco, but he said it was taken the day it was delivered to the facility. (Courtesy Colin J Marsden and Jimmy Reid) Poor quality version also published in Express News July 1956
1955 Minsterley Station. David Giddins comments "Had a canopy then. an SLS Special that travelled all the branch lines of Shropshire, behind the sole remaining GW Dean Goods loco at the time. It is in post nationalisation condition, after 1948." (Courtesy Colin Middleton, Pontesbury past and present FB Group)
1956 August, 41298 at Torrington on the 4pm service to Halwill Junction. The tankers for the 4.37 p.m. departure are being loaded behind the goods shed and the van for that train waits at the platform. Photo: Peter Gray.
1957 Express Logo from Compliments slip
1959 Milk delivery schedule by rail
1960's ? Typical card that was clipped to each rail tanker. This one for a consignment from Seaton Junction to Cricklewood, via Clapham Junction.
1960's The 2.47 p.m. and 4.37 p.m. trains of milk tankers at Torrington. This image clearly shows the loading gantries to the left of the tankers. Only three tankers could be loaded before the first one reached the buffer stops. Photo: Nigel Brodrick
1965 An overall view of Torrington station, shortly after the passenger and general goods services had been withdrawn. Milk tankers bound for London are prominent in the yard. Photo: Nigel Brodrick
1950's Rail siding at South Morden. Peter Roper comments "Driving it, and its successor, was fun-I did it several times. You had to anticipate the (lack of) braking, especially when shunting full wagons. The two unloading bays took 14 tanks, 7 each side. But on some nights we might receive up to 18. On one famous occasion, a member of staff let it run off the catch points, partly blocking the Wimbledon line 😮. I had to phone the signaller, urgently!!" processing (Courtesy Paul Smith)
1960's? Minsterley Rail Siding (Courtesy Karen Osman)
1960's? Seaton Junction station (Courtesy Keith Sweetland)
1960 'Sir Aglovale' (courtesy B Lewis)
1960's Bulleid 'Spam Can' hauling the Plymouth to Morden South, Express Dairy milk train through Wimbledon Park Station. (Courtesy Robert Carroll/ Robin Beard)
1960 'Camelford' on the evening milk empties (courtesy B Lewis)
1960's Express Tanker Reg PXV 964 (Courtesy Michael Aldread)
1960 Minsterley Station, Station master was George Jones. Peter Power commented on the Disused Stations FB Group "Closed for passengers 5/2/1951 and permanently in 1967." (Courtesy Joe Lyons)
Minsterley Station in 1960, annotated by Joe Lyons.
1961 South Ruislip-Reprint from Dairy Industries journal
1961 South Ruislip Rail Siding - Reprint from Dairy Industries journal
1963 Morden South Station (Reproduced from The Railway Magazine December 1966)
1963 Seaton Junction, from Cornwall Railway Society - "S15 30842 stands by the signalbox with an interesting train and waits at the down platform. An extremely long footbridge carries a public footpath not only over the four track main line at this location but also over the branch platform. Looking between the front of 30842 and the signalbox the Seaton branch engine, on this occasion 6412, stands at the branch platform. 11th September 1963 Copyright Mike Roach."
1963 Milk Marketing Board (W1) 6wheel milk tank W1993 at Kensington Olympia (Historical Model Railway Society)
1963 United Dairies 6 wheel milk tank 2837 in train at Kensington Olympia (Historical Model Railway Society)
1964 Seaton Junction (Courtesy Matthew Pinto) Jane Shepard comments "My Dad did some brick laying on the egg packing factory when I was two or three, about 1950. I remember Dad forgot his sandwiches for lunch so Mum and I caught the train up from Colyton to Seaton Junction and we sat on the embankment eating our lunch - remember like it was yesterday. We used to catch the train to Seaton too, to go to the beach - no bus service to speak of back then."
1964 Seaton Junction (Courtesy Matthew Pinto) James Ayres (FB) comments "The lorry is a Ford Thames Trader built in various sizes between 1957 and 1965."
1965 All stations to Cricklewood - story of a milk train journey from Seaton Junction to Cricklewood Page 1 (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 All stations to Cricklewood - story of a milk train journey from Seaton Junction to Cricklewood Page 3 (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 All stations to Cricklewood - story of a milk train journey from Seaton Junction to Cricklewood Page 4 (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 "A mechanical glow-worm: an electric hurtles through the night; in the small hours: gathering steam for the last leg at Kensington Olympia' Journey's end: the brightly lit siding of our Cricklewood bottling dairy" (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 All stations to Cricklewood - story of a milk train journey from Seaton Junction to Cricklewood Page 2 (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 "Starting point: the tree-encrusted pastures of Seaton Junction." (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 Seaton Junction. "Piped aboard: 3,000 cool, creamy gallons" (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 Seaton Junction. "Minutes to go...and the last job was done. Dairy Foreman Mr Cecil Whiller slotted the last label into the tenth milk tank and straightened his back to look down the length of the train. Each wagon had a capacity of 3,000 gallons — over 29,000 gallons in all." (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 "Kensington Olympia was the main terminal point for South London. Here trains were split up for Cricklewood, Morden and Clapham. It was back to Kensington that the empty milk wagons went, to return to the West Country, in great block trains. The West London Line, scarcely known to passenger travellers, ran from Old Oak Common to Latchmere, next door to Clapham. It was the only place on British Railways from which trains could leave for any part of the country." (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 Cricklewood Dairy rail siding. (Express News Summer/Autumn)
1965 Appleby Rail Siding. Matthew Pinto comments "This image was taken by Gerald T Robinson. At this date most milk at Appleby was inbound for cheese production." James Ayres comments "The locomotive is an LMS Class 4 designed by George Ivatt built between 1947 and 1952 mainly for light freight work. The characteristic high running-plate was a deliberate decision to aid with cleaning and maintenance."(Courtesy Iain Dargue)
1962 winter. "Driver Jack Socket escaped with a twisted ankle". Patrick Taylor comments "The unfortunate man behind the wheel was Mr Jack Socket, I dont believe that he was seriously injured. At that time the railway virtually split the site in half, when carriages were shunted to factory carrying coal for the boilers-which were coal fired at that time. Products such as cheese, condensed milk, and butter were loaded directly onto the wagons and taken by train to distribution points. I think the last train to use the line for transporting products in and out of Minsterley was between 1965/6." (Courtesy Joe Lyons)
1966 South Morden. Off the rails-the engine was hauling a load of empties, but jumped the points and effectively sealed off the branch siding to South Morden bottling dairy, and prevented a daily 30,000 gallons from getting through. "Fortunately British Rail are used to such mishaps, no one was hurt and the line was cleared for traffc within 48 hours, allowing the milk tanks through again." (Express News Summer)
1966 The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway (Reproduced from The Railway Magazine December 1966)
1966 The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway (Reproduced from The Railway Magazine December 1966)
1966 The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway (Reproduced from The Railway Magazine December 1966)
1966 The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway (Reproduced from The Railway Magazine December 1966)
1966 The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway (Reproduced from The Railway Magazine December 1966)
1966 The Wimbledon and Sutton Railway (Reproduced from The Railway Magazine December 1966)
Express Rail Tank Matthew Pinto comments "One of the original batch of 6-wheeled tanks built by the Southern Railway for Express Dairy in 1932. Note the central supports for the tank which was unique to this batch and replaced with the more familiar end supports in later batches. I can't quite make out the number but this would have been 4410-4413." (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
Express Rail Tank Matthew PintoMilk tank 4444 built by the Southern Railway for Express Dairy in 1944. I suspect that this photo is taken shortly after nationalisation due to the presence of the board with 3 stars on it. These were supposed to be fitted to goods wagons to indicate what speed they could run at. Milk Tanks were not actually goods wagons and were classified by the railways as NPCCS (Non Passenger Carrying Coaching Stock). As such they should not have been fitted with these boards as they were cleared to run at express passenger speeds but a handful were fitted with boards by over-enthusiastic fitters. 😉 (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
Express Rail Tank Matthew Pinto comments "Milk tank 2445 built by the London North Eastern Railway for Express Dairy in 1943. This was later renumbered 70569 in BR days." (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
Express Rail Tank (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
Express Rail Tank (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
1970's? Seaton Junction Station, with milk wagons in the sidings. (Courtesy Keith Sweetland)
1970's Milk was still being received by rail, up to 14 3000 gallon tanks could be accomodated under cover, and more outside in the sidings.
1970's Hunslet diesel shunter at South Morden rail siding, by refuelling tank
1970's The dairy from Morden South station platform
1970's The dairy from Morden South station platform
1970's South Morden dairy rail siding
1970's South Morden dairy rail siding
South Morden, Matthew Pinto comments "A Ruston Hornsby 48DS shunter which was resident at Morden from its opening in 1954 to 1972." (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
South Morden. Matthew Pinto comments "A Hunslet Yardmaster, which replaced the older Ruston Hornsby 48DS shunter in 1972." (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
South Morden, Express Rail Tank (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
1970's South Morden dairy rail siding
1970's South Morden dairy rail siding
1970's South Morden dairy rail siding-'David' by oil storage tank - tanker at end of same siding
1970's South Morden-Substantial concrete buffers at the end of the rail siding, with CIP tank above
1971 South Morden dairy from the station. (Courtesy Robert Carroll)
1975 Cricklewood-The up slow platform buildings with the Express Dairy bottling plant, built in 1929 behind. This was rail connected and had it's own locomotive, a Ruston & Hornsby 4wDM, between 1945 and 1954. Kevin Lane, Flickr
1975 Milk from Torrington being discharged at Vauxhall station on 2 August, the train being shunted by 09:05. Courtesy Kevin Lane, Flickr
1975 Milk dock at West Ealing, viewed from the station platform on 8 March.Courtesy Kevin Lane, Flickr.
1977 Seaton Junction. Alan Young comments "Up platform which I photographed in August. This station is on the ex-Southern Railway route between Salisbury and Exeter, closed to passengers with several other intermediate stations (and the Seaton branch) in March 1966, but goods continued to be handled here until May 1967. (Courtesy Alan Young)
1979, Old Oak Junction. 31148 caught passing the closed signal box at Old Oak Junction on 19 July. Likely to be empties from Express Dairy Cricklewood, returning to the West Country. (Courtesy Kevin Lane)
1979 South Morden - old rail siding prior to construction of new boiler house
1980's South Morden Processing from Morden South station (Courtesy Dave Fane)
1982 Express donates rail tanker to Didcot Railway Centre. (Express News April)
1982 GWR Society article about milk traffic. (From Express Milk for London-John Hosegood)
1982 GWR Society article about milk traffic. (From Express Milk for London-John Hosegood)
1982 GWR Society article about milk traffic. (From Express Milk for London-John Hosegood)
1950's? South Morden (From Express Milk for London-John Hosegood)
1982 Restored tanker 4409 at Didcot Railway Museum. (From Express Milk for London-John Hosegood)
1989 Stratford. Condemned ex GWR Milk tanker W2592, manufactured 1937. (Courtesy Kevin Lane/ Alec Swain)
2014 - Six wheel 3000gallon milk rail tanker preserved at Didcot (Courtesy 'History of the GWR' - Ian Mackenzie)
Express Rail Tank at Didcot Railway Centre (Courtesy Richard Gaylard)
2014 The Pendon Paper reprint 'Milk Trains in the Vale of White Horse' (Courtesy Pendon Museum)
2014 The Pendon Paper reprint 'Milk Trains in the Vale of White Horse' (Courtesy Pendon Museum)
2014 The Pendon Paper reprint 'Milk Trains in the Vale of White Horse' (Courtesy Pendon Museum)
