The Hoppers: Limestone Traffic

Since the 1860s trains have conveyed crushed limestone from Derbyshire to the soda ash and chemicals works in Mid-Cheshire. By the 1930s a new higher capacity design of wagon was needed, and so the "Hoppers" were built by Charles Roberts for Imperial Chemical Industries. The fleet of 152 bogie hopper wagons became instantly recognizable to railway enthusiasts. For just over 61 years between 1936 and the end of 1997 the wagons worked almost every day of the year, running several times per da...