Alan Sewell visits British Gypsum Hawton Works, Newark…

In the latest of Alan’s visit reports we reference back a few weeks when I shared the scheme for Rushcliffe Halt. That layout proposed that off stage a gypsum works was rail served…

Alan dug out some photos of a visit to the Hawton Works near Newark where a steam sentinel with wonderfully large buffers was found shuffling traffic around the industrial sidings and the tired and overgrown Victorian buildings that contrasted with the new works beside the mainline. 

British Gypsum Ltd.

Hawton Works, Nr. Newark, Nottinghamshire

Gauge: Standard

Date of Visit: 15 July 1970

A rather overgrown system with tall grass and willow herb growing through the tracks which serve or served a number of old Victorian brick mill buildings before disappearing away to serve more modern plant towards the junction with British Rail.

Outside the corrugated iron loco shed being fuelled  from a large heap of coal  and watered from an overhead pipe was the working loco ST MONANS 4wTG Sentinel 9372 of 1947. This was in a dirty green livery and emitting clouds of smoke and steam. In the loco-shed at a higher level was a very rusty HILDA Peckett 0-4-0ST1963 of 1938. The shed may have been used by the 3’0” gauge locos used in the quarry.

Only two wagons were seen. These were old three-plank wagons painted a faded blue and appeared to be being filled with waste from the mills. Other BR vans etc. are probably loaded at the newer plant.

Thank you Alan, once again and if you’d like to see more of Alan’s collection then you can use the ‘Alan Sewell’ label below. Until next time, more soon…