History of the Newport Pagnell to Wolverton Branch Railway - Finances
This section covers information on:

Receipts

Traffic Carried

Working Expenditure

Board of Trade Returns

See also:

Early Projects

Failure

(raising of capital and subsequent failure of the line).
Receipts, Traffic Carried, Working Expenditure.

The only complete years in which returns were made to the Board of Trade were the years 1871-4. The most important items were as follows:

Returns to Board of Trade 1871 - 1874 1871 1872 1873 1874
Passengers 77970 90989 81030 84797
Minerals (tons) 12188 9948 7496 7269
General Merchandise (tons) 8996 8610 8064 8958
Receipts from Passenger train traffic £2303 £2212 £2073 £2144
Merchandise £1641 £3974 £1208 £1502
Livestock 11 86 143 12
Minerals 538 419 358 354
Miscellaneous Receipts 97 97 80 80
Total Receipts 3871 6788 3862 4092
Working Expenditure 4477 3901 3716 3618
Deficiency - net receipts 606 2887 146 924

The reasons for the high figure for receipts from merchandise in 1872 are unclear. Similarly it is difficult to see why receipts from passengers fell in that year, since no change in fares is shown in Bradshaw from 1872 to 1874 The cost of 'Maintenance & Renewal of Way and Works' was exactly £300 per annum, which suggests that the work was being done by contract: in the previous year it was £836. The cost of locomotive power varied from £850 to £950.

Information about the relative amount of traffic from the various stations is meagre but the following table relates to three months of 1875.

Traffic - 1875 March April May
Bradwell 861 662 1076
Linford 392 374 478
Newport Pagnell 2732 2149 3182

Capital:

The following is taken from the Board of Trade returns except where otherwise indicated.

1863 - 1874 Ordinary Shares -

£

 Preference Shares

- £

 Loans

- £

 Denenture Stock

- £
paid up on 31.12.1863 - - - -
paid up on 31.12.1864 24,902 - 11,000 -
paid up on 30.06.1865* 29,864 - 15,000 -
paid up on 31.12.1865 31,099 53,732 15,000 -
paid up on 30.06.1866* 31,031 57,612 32,000 -
paid up on 31.12.1866 31,031 57,612 36,400 -
paid up on 31.12.1867 31,031 57,612 39,900 -
paid up on 31.12.1868 31,031 57,612 41,000 -
paid up on 31.12.1870 ** 27,350 58,358 - 56,408
paid up on 31.12.1871 27,350 58,358 - 59,872
paid up on 31.12.1872 27,350 58,358 - 60,072
paid up on 31.12.1873 27,350 58,358 - 60,072
paid up on 31.12.1874 27,313 27,313 - 60,072

* Bradshaw's Shareholder's Manual

** Act of 1870.

Sources.

Photo reference:

Summary: Bradwell Windmill (derelict) and Newport Pagnell Branch Railway line
Place: Bradwell Windmill, Bradwell, Wolverton, Bucks, UK
Photo phWolverton24
© Buckinghamshire County Council 20 March 2000[Image]