GWR Route: North Warwickshire Line

Danzey for Tanworth Station: gwrdt1571

A winter photograph of the weighbridge office and road-plate in Danzey for Tanworth station's goods yard. The office is a prefabricated corrugated steel hut design with additional side windows added to allow a clear view of the weighbridge plate. There is no evidence of any heating or power supply. The notice board in the background, is the one adjacent to the station entrance from Danzey Green Lane. According to the Great Western Railway’s Engineering Dept. Instructions (1933), the weighbridge plate and machines were provided, calibrated, certificated, repaired and maintained by an external contractor (Messrs. Pooley & Sons), who took responsibility for compliance with the Weights and Measures Acts (1878 and 1889), while the railway company provided and maintained an office suitable to accommodate one person and the equipment.

The standard office size required was 10 foot by 8 foot, but where rapid weighing was required, an automatic indicator was fitted, requiring an additional 2 foot length. Weighbridge capacities varied, with either 15 and 20 tons available for new machines and plate sizes ranged in 2 foot increments from 14 foot to 20 foot. All were 8 foot wide. The Great Western Railway official instructions detailed in the Towns, Villages, Outlaying Works, etc book of 1938, identified that Danzey station only dealt with Station to Station goods at this time. Carted goods and parcel traffic were to be routed via the Railway Country Lorry Service operating out of the Henley on Arden depot, which was four miles distant. There was however special rates for the conveyance of small tonnage agricultural, farm and dairy produce between local stations and it is likely that some of this traffic was dealt with at Danzey goods yard.

Robert Ferris

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