Night Photo Milk Churns on Kidderminster SVR Train Station Platform Trolley 2016

Shining in the Night

Milk Churns on Platform Trolley
Photo:  Charles Moorhen

"Drinka Pinta Milka Day"!

Milk churns such as these - photographed at night in October 2016 on a platform of the Severn Valley Railway, Kidderminster - were once a common sight at railway stations throughout Britain's rail network.

The churns were collected from farms or dairies and delivered to the local station.  

To identify the owner of the churn either a metal nameplate was attached to the container or the farm/dairy name was stamped into the metalwork.  In addition to this, a label was attached to the handle stating whether or not the milk churn was full or empty.

This system of transporting milk survived for decades until a modern system was introduced whereby milk was collected directly from farms by motorized tanker vehicles.  The milk was subsequently transferred to specially-built milk tank wagons operated by the railway.

Along with barrows loaded with wicker racing-pigeon baskets and others piled high with packages for transport on the trains, seeing platform barrows containing milk churns was a common sight back in the days of steam.

Travelling between Kent and Hampshire as a young lad with my spotting book ready on my lap as my train - usually hauled by a Southern Region steam locomotive - sped through country stations, saw milk churns standing in the shade of a platform canopy.

In the early 1920's around 282,000,000 gallons (339,000,000 litres) of milk was transported by the four national railway companies.

The system ceased completely in the 1970's.

 

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