A History of the Trent Valley Railway Talk

Join North Staffs Community Rail Partnership for a series of guided walks, talks and exhibitions celebrating Railway 200 and taking place during Heritage Open Days.

Join us for a fully-illustrated history talk about the establishing of the Trent Valley Railway Company and the building of the railway including its largest single civil-engineering item, Shugborough Tunnel, over 175 years ago. The talk will include material held in the National Archives, Kew, the Staffordshire Record Office, and local history societies.

The talk will be given by Dave Barrett and Robin Mathams, railway enthusiasts who have been researching and writing the history of the Trent Valley Railway using a verifiable evidence approach. They are active members of the London & North Western Railway (LNWR) Society and have had several articles on the Trent Valley Railway history published in the Society’s Journal.

The talk will last approximately 1 hour 15 mins with some additional time for questions. Places are free but admission is by ticket only as numbers are limited.

There will be two opportunities to attend the talk on Tuesday 16th September 2025 at 10.30am and 2.30pm at Stafford Train Station.

This event is supported by North Staffordshire Community Rail Partnership and Avanti West Coast.

Photo accredited to The Trent Valley Railway History Project Collection