OUR HISTORY

The founding members of our Society were members of Cannock Chase Model Engineering Society whose track was situated in Cannock Park.   Cannock Chase Model Engineering Society was formed in 1971.  Matt Jeffery was instrumental in starting the club.  Matt had been a member of the Kinver MES and had come to live in Brereton.  He decided to visit the local newsagents and asked for the addresses of people who purchased the Model Engineer magazine.  He then went round to the houses of these people and asked if they would be interested in forming a model engineering society.  He also put an advertisement in the local newspaper.  About 25 interested people attended a meeting at the Lea Hall Miners Club.  Matt then contacted the Cannock council and they agreed to give the new society a 5 year lease to use part of Cannock park.  A track was designed to be kidney shaped and 830 feet long.   After taking 4 years to build the track an extension

 

to the lease was negotiated, but in 1984 rumours indicated that the lease would not be renewed and the Cannock park track finally closed in 1986.  The area was later developed into a golf course.  Members would not be able to run their locomotives again until 1990.   Member Geoff Shackleton worked at the Rugeley Power Station and he thought it might be possible to have a railway in the grounds of the power station.  He asked the station manager and he agreed that providing there would be enough members of the power station staff interested they could form a section of the power station social club.   It would have to be called the Rugeley Power Station Society of Model Engineers.  Notices were posted in the 'A' and 'B' power stations to try to attract interest.  Sufficient people were interested and the section was formed in 1987.    Derek Moore also worked at the power station and he and Geoff set about obtaining the materials and organising the building of the track and buildings.

Shackleton-Moore station was named in recognition of their work by Derek and Geoff in establishing the club, the facilities, and the track.   The track was originally going to be a straight one running alongside one of the power station roadways, but then they were offered the present site because it was in a poor state and in need of regeneration. A tremendous amount of work was put into building the track which was designed to be close to 2000 feet in length.  It was available for running in 1990 and was officially opened in August 1991. Since 1991 the facilities have continued to be developed and expanded.  The society has hosted the Midlands Federation Rally in 1991 and again in 2011.    Following the closure of the Rugeley Power Station in 2017, our society was asked to vacate our site and was no longer able to have the use of the track and facilities. The track and steaming bay facilities remained in situ. However, in April 2020 the owners of Rugeley Power Station granted us a License that gave us access to our site again, and after we have brought the site back to a satisfactory condition, and following the end of  Coronavirus restrictions we have been able to operate our railway again from the  summer of 2021.
 

 

 

   
  September 1987   November 1987     January 1988    May 1988    June 1988

 

     
September 1988      September 1988      February 1989      March 1990    May 1990

 

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