The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over 230 miles (370 km) from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at the Catthorpe Interchange, near Rugby before heading north-west. It passes Coventry, Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston, Lancaster and Carlisle before terminating at Junction 45 near Gretna. Here, just short of the Scottish border it becomes the A74(M) which continues to Glasgow as the M74. Its busiest sections are between junctions 4 and 10a in the West Midlands, and junctions 16 to 19 in Cheshire; these sections have now been converted to smart motorways.
Walsall is a market town and administrative centre of the borough of the same name in the West Midlands, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located 9 miles (14 km) northwest of Birmingham, 7 miles (11 km) east of Wolverhampton and 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Lichfield.
Brownhills is a historic market and industrial town in the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall of the West Midlands, England. The town is located south of Cannock Chase and close to the large Chasewater reservoir, it is 6 miles (9.7 km) northeast of Walsall, a similar distance southwest of Lichfield and 13 miles (20.9 km) miles north-northwest of Birmingham. It is part of the Aldridge-Brownhills parliamentary constituency and neighbours the villages of Pelsall and Walsall Wood. It lies within the boundaries of the historic county of Staffordshire.
Chasewater is a reservoir located in the parish of Burntwood and the district of Lichfield in Staffordshire, England. Originally known as Norton Pool and Cannock Chase Reservoir, it was created as a canal feeder reservoir in 1797. The reservoir was created to directly supply the Wyrley and Essington Canal and maintain levels in the 160-mile (260 km) Birmingham Canal Network. During a period of great industrial growth in the Black Country region the maintenance of water levels in canal infrastructure was essential and Chasewater was in great demand. As canals became less essential for transport of goods during the mid-20th century, the reservoir diversified and became a popular public amenity with activities such as water-skiing, sailing, wakeboarding and cycling. Chasewater is the third largest reservoir by volume in the county of Staffordshire and the largest canal feeder reservoir in the West Midlands.
The Chasewater Railway is a former colliery railway running round the shores of Chasewater in Staffordshire, England. It is now operated as a heritage railway.
The Lichfield Canal, as it is now known, was historically a part of the Wyrley and Essington Canal, being the section of that canal from Ogley Junction at Brownhills on the northern Birmingham Canal Navigations to Huddlesford Junction, east of Lichfield, on the Coventry Canal, a length of 7 miles (11.3 km). The branch was abandoned in 1955, along with several other branches of the Wyrley and Essington, and much of it was filled in.
Shenstone is a village and civil parish in The Lichfield District, Staffordshire, England, located between Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield. The parish also contains the village of Stonnall.
Essington is a village and civil parish in the South Staffordshire, district, in Staffordshire, England, near the city of Wolverhampton and towns of Walsall, Bloxwich, Cannock and Brewood. The villages of Cheslyn Hay, Great Wyrley, Coven, Penkridge and Featherstone are also nearby. The village forms part of the Staffordshire/West Midlands border. The parish includes the hamlet of Springhill. In 2021 the parish had a population of 5200.
A merry-go-round train, often abbreviated to MGR, is a block train of hopper wagons which both loads and unloads its cargo while moving. In the United Kingdom, they are most commonly coal trains delivering to power stations. These trains were introduced in the 1960s, and were one of the few innovations of the Beeching cuts, along with investment from the Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) and the NCB into new power stations and loading facilities.
Norton Canes services is a motorway service area on the M6 Toll, in the village of Norton Canes near the towns of Brownhills, Cannock, and Walsall, in Staffordshire, England. It is operated by Roadchef, which has a 25-year lease on the site. The company also uses the site as its head office.
Hammerwich railway station is a disused station on the South Staffordshire Line. It opened in 1849. It closed as part of the Beeching Axe in January 1965. The station was built and served by the South Staffordshire Railway, which later became London, Midland and Scottish Railway.
Norton Canes is an industrial village, civil parish and ward of Cannock Chase District, in Staffordshire, England.
Brownhills Watling Street railway station was a station on the Midland Railway in England. It was opened in 1884, closed in March 1930 for passenger use and the track was closed in 1960.
Norton Lakeside Halt railway station is a heritage railway station on the Chasewater Railway in Norton Canes in the Cannock Chase District of Staffordshire, England. It is a simple halt, consisting of a single platform, with no station building and no loops or sidings. It is situated in Chasewater Country Park. To the west is Brownhills West railway station and to the east is Chasewater Heaths railway station.
Chasewater Heaths is a heritage railway station on the Chasewater Railway in the town of Burntwood in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England. It has station building facilities, including a cafe and a recently rebuilt signal box. To the west is Norton Lakeside Halt and to the east is the terminus, Chasetown.
Chasetown (Church Street) is a heritage railway station on the Chasewater Railway in the Chasetown suburb of Burntwood in the Lichfield District of Staffordshire, England. It is the north-eastern terminus of the line and consists of a single platform with a run-round loop. The station was constructed in 2000 as part of the extension of the line, that was undertaken following the construction of the M6 Toll Motorway. There are no station buildings.
Brownhills West is a suburban village of Brownhills in the Walsall Metropolitan Borough and forms part of the border of the West Midlands and Staffordshire. It is an unparished area of Brownhills, lying on the border with Cannock and Burntwood respectively, it is still part of the Walsall borough. It lies next to the suburbs of Newtown, Ogley Hay and Shire Oak of Brownhills.
Chasewater Raceway was a Harness racing, greyhound racing and speedway stadium on Pool Lane in Brownhills, West Midlands.
The Cannock Chase Railways were mineral lines which served the collieries and many parts of Staffordshire. The branch lines and sidings branched off the local mainlines including the Grand Junction Railway, Chase Line, South Staffordshire Line and Rugby–Birmingham–Stafford line. The main junction on the railways was Norton Junction. This junction connected the lines from Walsall and Hednesford to Wolverhampton and Rugeley Trent Valley for the local collieries and the mines in the towns of Brownhills, Burntwood, Chasetown, Penkridge and Cannock.
Little Norton is an area of Norton Canes, Cannock Chase, Staffordshire. The area is located near Brownhills West and is also next to Chasewater Railway. The area is a residential area of Norton Canes. It is located next to the Norton Services. And the M6 Toll Motorway. Bus no.3 runs through the area between Norton Canes and Brownhills West.
