| AdminHistory | The Pensnett Railway originated in 1829 (purely for private mineral traffic), and eventually became part of an amalgamation with the Kingswinford Railway. Its unofficial title was ‘the Earl of Dudley’s Railway’. It was also the home of the 'Agenoria' steam engine. It came about because the area of Pensnett Chase was not ideal for canal building, and transport was becoming a vital need as the Industrial Revolution progressed. The railway began at a basin on the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal at Ashwood, and ended in a branch with one part ending in Cradley Heath and the other in Old Hill. Management of the railway came under the control of the mineral agents of the Dudley Estate. The Pensnett Railway began serving Round Oak works in 1852. The railway also served Saltwells Colliery; the Level New Furnaces; and The Wallows - all areas linked to Round Oak. It also served Shut End Colliery for many years (now Pensnett Trading Estate). Steam locomotion ceased on the railway in June 1963. A section of the railway, from the Wallows to Askew Bridge, closed in September 1966. The line to Baggeridge was used up to the colliery's closure on 2nd March, 1968, but the railway continued to serve Round Oak Steel Works and handle the traffic of its Works after this date. |