The Moseley Railway Trust has
received a Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant of £10,000, it was announced
today. This money will be used to develop the Trust’s interpretation of the
role of the horse with both civilian industrial railways and in delivering
supplies to the front lines during the First World War.
During the 1914-1918
conflict, both sides used horses not only for direct combat (cavalry regiments
and the like) but also as a means of moving the huge weights of supplies which
a fighting army needs to sustain itself. Light Railways were laid as a means of
increasing the amount which a horse could haul, and also to spread the weight
of wagons in the infamous mud of Flanders Fields and elsewhere. Frequently,
supplies would be hauled by steam or petrol-powered locomotives to a point near
the front lines, and then horses were often used for the last mile to the front
– the so-called Trench Tramways. Using the Heritage Lottery Fund grant, the
Moseley Railway Trust will replicate these operations and demonstrate them to
visitors.
Thanks to National Lottery
players, the Trust will now be able to fulfil two key objectives. Firstly, it
will enhance the displays which will be available to the public at the
forthcoming Tracks to the Trenches 2016 event at the Trust’s Apedale Valley
Light Railway site. During this event, part of Staffordshire is transformed
into the Western Front in 1916 – including a replica trench for visitors to
experience. The event will include displays of working horses, mules and horse-drawn
vehicles. This event takes place on May 13, 14 and 15 2016, and further details
can be obtained here.
Secondly, the grant will
allow permanent improvements to the facilities and exhibits at Apedale. These
will be constructed by volunteers at the Apedale Valley Light Railway, and will
include an extension to the existing demonstration railway and an
interpretative panel. These will further enhance the Industrial Railway Trail
which was initially funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2014. A Trench
Tramway wagon will also be constructed – these vehicles were hauled by horses
on the very lightly-built railways which spanned the vital last yards to reach
the troops fighting at the front.
Commenting on the
award, Phil Robinson, Moseley Railway Trust Chairman said “We are once again delighted
that the HLF have rewarded the efforts which our dedicated team of volunteers
have made. Working with the HLF, this grant will not only transform the Tracks
to the Trenches event in May 2016, but also allow permanent improvements to the
visitor facilities at Apedale. We are very grateful to HLF for their continued
support”.
Vanessa Harbar, Head of
Heritage Lottery Fund West Midlands, said: “The impact of the First World War was far
reaching, touching and shaping every corner of the UK and beyond. The Heritage
Lottery Fund has already invested more than £70million in projects – large and
small - that are marking this Centenary. Our small grants programme is enabling
even more communities like those involved in The Power of the Horse to explore
the continuing legacy of this conflict and help people in particular to broaden
their understanding of how it has shaped our modern world.”
The Moseley
Railway Trust is a registered charity. It exists to preserve, conserve and
interpret narrow gauge railway locomotives and other artefacts. This work is
carried out at the Apedale site by a team of volunteers. The volunteers are a
very diverse group of all ages and backgrounds – the Trust prides itself on
having an active group of younger members, who are able to learn genuine skills
as they carry out work on the site. The Trust arrived on the Apedale site in
2006, and opened a passenger carrying railways, known as the Apedale Valley
Light Railway, in 2010. The key current development on site is the construction
of a large museum to fully display the Trust’s collections.
