The mention of ‘Lickey’ in the railway press usually conjures up thoughts of the Lickey Incline and the bankers needed to enable steam-powered trains to make the climb.
In an article written in 1949 (Modern Tramway’s Prize Article of 1949) and published in February 1950, B.J. Pridmore prophetically proposed a Light Rail solution to anticipated traffic issues on the transport corridor centred on the Bristol Road.
Would cities in the UK which already had some reserved tram tracks have benefitted from forward thinking that sustained the use of trams through the latter years of the 20th century on tracks and routes which would be suitable for the current wave of Light Rapid Transit/Modern Tramway provision?
Here is Pridmore’s article in full (illustrations are from a variety of referenced sources):
“Summary
There are few cities with a passenger transport route so convenient for conversion to a rapid-transit light railway as is the Birmingham route to the Lickey Hills. In this article is submitted a scheme for such a conversion, describing the route, the alterations required to the track and vehicles, the attractive services which could be operated, and the possibility, in the future, of the possession by Birmingham of a true rapid-transit installation giving a public passenger transport system freed from the delays due to street congestion.
Introduction
The Lickey route of the Birmingham tramways extends about eight miles Southwest of the city, connecting it to the suburb of Edgbaston (2 miles) and the almost separate entities of Selly Oak (4 miles), Northfields (6 miles) and Longbridge (7 miles and location of the Austin Works), bifurcation at this point giving two termini at the dormitory villages of Rednal and Rubery on the edge of the Lickey Hills.
The traffic on this route is partly of a business character, with a morning peak to the city, two small mid-day peaks, outward and inward, from the city to Selly Oak, and the evening peak of outward-bound traffic. Superimposed upon this are the industrial peaks, of a general nature to and from the city, and of a concentrated nature in the opposite directions to and from the Austin Works at Longbridge. Further traffic is of an interurban nature: between each of the shopping centres of Northfields and Selly Oak as well as from each of these to Birmingham there is appreciable miscellaneous traffic. There is also considerable holiday traffic to the Lickey Hills on non-working days.
Services are operated from the city to Rubery and Rednal, with many short workings to Selly Oak, and extra mid-day journeys from Longbridge to Northfields and Selly Oak, whilst services on the inner (and suburban) section of the route are amplified by the superposition of those to and from Pershore Road (Cotteridge). which share the Bristol Road with the Lickey routes for the first two miles or so to the junction at Pebble Mill Road.
This trunk route with large and varied traffic and high load factor has already about three-quarters of its length constructed as reserved track. Much of this has recently been relaid “solid” on a concrete foundation, instead of on the ballasted sleepers as originally.
It has only two short gradients of any magnitude, and would thus seem ideal for gradual conversion towards an interurban light railway giving ample capacity on the route and removing public transport from the road proper, hence also reducing congestion in the bigger Birmingham of tomorrow for it is along this route that Birmingham seems ripe for the next phase of expansion.
In the remainder of this article it is suggested how, ultimately, this route should be converted to a light railway as a contribution towards ideal transport in the greater Birmingham of the future.
The Track and the Route
The present Navigation Street terminus loop should be improved to give loading islands outside two parallel tracks at the terminal loading point; the track layout should include crossovers to enable Pershore Road cars to be separated from Lickey cars, and Selly Oak and other short working cars to be separated from through cars (as will be needed for peak-hour services, q.v.). The one-way streets forming the loop are amply wide enough to permit the tram tracks to be relocated at the sides and be totally reserved; public transport would thus be segregated from the rest in this most congested section of the route.
Tram No. 842 sits at the Navigation Street terminus of the route from Birmingham to Rednal and Rubery. [3]The Navigation Street terminus of the tram service to and from the Lickey Hills. Tram services No. 70 and No. 71 circulated round the loop shown on this extract from the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1913 (published in 1918). [6]
The Bristol Road as far as Pebble Mill Road will ultimately have to be widened if traffic increases much more; but taking in part of the footways and front gardens would in general give room for the central eighteen feet of reservation which would suffice for the tramway. Alternatively, the reservation could be at the side and a three-lane road be left for the remainder of the traffic. As an interim measure local road-widening and the provision of loading islands with queue barriers, the former combined with pedestrian crossings, at the few important stops, should be undertaken.
The narrow road through Selly Oak and under the railway bridge presents the greatest obstacle; track reservation should be made when this is widened, while the provision of loading islands would seem the only present practicable measure.
The roads through Northfields and Longbridge are amply wide enough for a narrow track reservation (lacking the wide grass borders of the present reservations) and conversion of these sections to dual carriageway with central reservation for the tramway should be done as soon as the conversion scheme is commenced.
The tracks at present reserved can remain as now except that it would be wise to convert the remainder of the sleeper track to ‘solid’ track before high-speed running is commenced.
The Cars
Pending the acquisition of new cars (possibly like those at Llandudno, which show what can be done on 3ft. 6in. gauge if the spirit is willing), conversion of about 20 cars of the ‘800’ class for the base service and its reserves, and rehabilitation of another forty air-braked cars, would enable the Department to put the scheme into operation with the minimum of delay.
The cars to be converted should have their roofs and ends removed and the body sides made straight (instead of waisted). The roofs and ends should be renewed and the cars at the same time lengthened about two feet each end. The new ends and roofs should be on the lines of those of the post war Glasgow cars: platform doors should be added and the stairhead doors and bulkheads omitted. Large destination and route number blinds should be fitted below the top-deck windows. Interior decoration should be as modern and attractive as in any other vehicle of early 1950s – brown ceilings are out of place to-day.
To reduce noise the short coil springs on the bogies might be replaced by rubber pads. The long coil springs should be shortened and stiffened (to reduce noise) and have rubber pads above them, again to reduce noise. The motor gear ratio should be decreased by about 10 per cent and helical gears fitted. Automatic but optional field shunting, giving 66 per cent of normal field, should be added. This should give free-running speed of up to 35 m.p.h., yet, by reason of the large amount of free-running possible on such a route, should not unduly stress the motors thermally. The present controllers would suffice for the more arduous duty if a lineswitch contactor were added to perform circuit breaking; the cost and complexity of contactor control would not, in such a conversion, be justified. The present brake installation could be retained if rubber bushed joints were used in the rigging to reduce noise.
The cars to be rehabilitated should be given straight sides, new roofs, rubber rods in the springing, automatic optional weak field, and lineswitch circuit breakers. These alterations would render them comparable in appearance and performance with No. 843, which in good condition, is still an advertisement for 3ft. 6in. gauge possibilities.” [1: p37-38]
These should be spaced as widely as possible, on the theory of ‘greatest good for greatest number’, even if the short-distance passenger suffers during peak hours. It is more important that the many living in Selly Oak and beyond should have a fast journey home than that an Edgbaston passenger should be set down at the end of his turning. There should be three stops only between Navigation Street and Pebble Mill Road, located where they will be of most use to peak-hour passengers. These stops should have loading islands and queue barriers as described earlier. Other stops, convenient for short distance passengers, clearly labelled ‘not used in peak hours’, should be provided to attract the extra revenue, so useful to any undertaking, which accrues from the casual off peak travel which is a consequence of an attractive service being available.
Beyond Pebble Mill Road, peak-hour stops at each outskirts and the centre of Selly Oak, Northfields, and Longbridge, should be the main points for loading and unloading; there should be some additional stops between these centres at places where the need is obviously great. None of these additional stops should be separated by less than a quarter of a mile, however, but additional stops ‘not used in peak hours’ should also be provided where considered appropriate.” [1: p38-39]
The junction of Pebble Mill Road and Bristol Road, Birmingham as shown on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1939 which was published in 1945. [7]Looking Southwest along Bristol Road through its junction with Pebble Mill Road. The trams for The Lickey Hills stopped just beyond the junction. Pebble Mill Road central reservation was at times used to store trams and particularly after the closure of the network before there was room for them at the Depot. [Google Streetview, June 2024]
Pridmore continues:
“Services
A base frequency of 12 cars per hour from Navigation Street, half of which would run to Selly Oak only, would probably suffice. Pershore Road should be symmetrically superimposed. The equal service to
During peak hours, however, a different technique would facilitate traffic flow and give quick travel to long-distance passengers; it is suggested that 12 packets of departures per hour be arranged. The first of each packet would be a fast to Rednal or Rubery, running non-stop to Pebble Mill Road. The second would be a duplicate of the first, but routed to the alternative terminus, stopping only at the peak hour stops to Pebble Mill Road to pick up only. Thence both these cars, would continue, using peak hour stops only (as is presumed in all peak hour services), to their respective termini. The third car would be the triplicate, running as the duplicate but probably to Selly Oak, Northfields or Longbridge only, as the traffic for the extremities of route dictates. Fourth would be the Pershore Road car, stopping also to set down at intermediate points to Pebble Mill Road, and fifth would be its duplicate performing similar duties as necessary.
If a less or more frequent service should prove necessary its pattern should be similar to that indicated above, as the suggested total frequency of 60 cars per hour is well within the capacity of a single line of tramway, whilst the use of packet departures will facilitate the through-running of the long-distance cars.
Inwards peak hour working, when with the load, would be arranged so that cars from Bristol Road would stop only to set down between Pebble Mill Road and Navigation Street, and that such cars should be given priority at the Pebble Mill Road junction.”
The necessity for large destination blinds on the cars, a point mentioned earlier, is now appreciated; the indication of “limited stop” must be given, as well as the destination, and regular users will wish clearly to be aware of both whilst a car approaches their stop.” [1: p39-40]
The success of a scheme such as that described above would commend its application to the similar but not quite so heavily trafficked routes to Pype Hayes and Erdington on the east of Birmingham.
When the full conversion to reserved track had been completed in the less near future, consideration should be given to the provision of a third track to Pebble Mill Road to permit the regular operation of peak hour expresses both ways, and for the ultimate operation of two or three-car trains of single deck high-speed vehicles much as the P.C.C. cars on metre gauge lines in the U.S.A. and elsewhere.
The use of such trains would then render possible the economic construction of cross-town subways in further effort to remove passenger transport from the sorely congested central streets of Birmingham.
The transport problem of Birmingham, as of many large cities, is becoming increasingly severe. The author is of the opinion that such problems can only be solved by the provision of an urban transport installation, and not by the use of supposedly flexible vehicles on the existing network of roads; it is the attempt to solve the problem by this latter means that is responsible for the congestion in the centre of Birmingham at the present time. An embryo specialised installation exists in Birmingham to-day; it is recommended that it be developed as far as possible for its specialist purpose while there is still time and before the traffic of the future swamps the Bristol Road completely, as it will do if numberless small vehicles are expected to cope with it in competition with the many others who regard themselves as having equal claim to the surface of a public road.” [1: p40]
References
B. I. Pridmore; A Lickey Light Railway; in Modern Tramway Vol. 13 No. 146, London, p37-40.
Modern Tramway talks, in 1949, of the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit (SHRT) Lines as “A high speed electric light railway entirely on reserved track, connecting a beautiful high class residential district with the centre of a large city. affording such speedy and efficient service that the car-owning suburban residents prefer to use it and park their cars on land provided by the line; a system which makes a handsome profit and has recently taken delivery of 25 of the most modern type of electric rail units in the world [which] are only some of the outstanding facts about Shaker Heights Rapid Transit.” [1: p101]
Two images from Modern Tramway which show: first , a station in Shaker Heights which shows the central reservation and a car of standard type; second, a PCC car equipped for multiple-unit operation, one of a fleet of 25 delivered in 1948. [1: p112]
The network was created by the Van Sweringen brothers and purchased after their bankruptcy, and a period of 9 years in receivership, by Cleveland City Council in 1944. [2]
The official ownership details down the years are:
“1913–1920: Cleveland & Youngstown Railroad 1920–1930: Cleveland Interurban Railroad 1930–1935: Metropolitan Utilities 1935–1944: Union Properties (47%), Guardian Savings and Trust (33%) and Cleveland Trust (20%) 1944–1975: City of Shaker Heights 1975–present: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority.” [4]
The SHRT connected the city of Cleveland, Ohio, with the largest residential area known as Shaker Heights, six miles East.
The Van Sweringen brothers planned the line “in the early 1900’s as part of a land development scheme, … to serve the district that would grow up on the Heights and beyond, and the charter was obtained in 1907. The land development was planned around the line, and the engineers allowed for a railway area 90 feet wide through the property with 50 feet of open space each side of the tracks (room for four tracks and a grass verge on each side). Building was delayed by the First World War and the line was not opened until 11th April, 1920.” [1: p101]
On 20th July 1930, Shaker Rapid Transit cars began using the Cleveland Union Terminal (CUT), after the Terminal Tower opened. [12]
Before this, on 17th December 1913, trams began operating on the first 1.6-mile segment in the median of what would become Shaker Boulevard, from Coventry Road east to Fontenay Road. [12] The line was grandly named ‘The Cleveland & Youngstown Railway’.
In 1915, the tram service was extended to Courtland Boulevard. In 1920 it became apparent that the plan to link Cleveland to Youngstown would not succeed and the line was renamed as ‘The Cleveland Interurban Railway’ (CIRR). In April of that year, the Van Sweringen brothers opened a segregated (trams separate from other rail and road traffic) line from East 34th Street to Shaker Heights with their trams using the urban tram (streetcar) network to reach the city centre. [12]
“In 1923, the Standard Oil Company built the Coventry Road Station for $17,500. … In 1924, the Shaker trains were referred to as ‘the private right-of-way rapid transit line’, but calling it ‘the rapid’ probably dates back further than that.” [12]
The historic station at Tower City (1927 onwards) was the early terminus of the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit Lines which were extended along the Cleveland Waterfront.
The modern Tower City Station is the central station of the Cleveland, Ohio RTA Rapid Transit system, served by all lines: Blue, Green, Red and Waterfront. The station is located directly beneath Prospect Avenue in the middle of the Avenue shopping mall. The station is only accessible through the Tower City Center shopping complex. [13]
The first cars were ordinary tramcars from the Cleveland City system, specially refitted for fast service. “In July, 1930, the SHRT (which had formerly entered the city over street tracks) was brought into the main line railway terminus over existing railway tracks. By this time the line extended for 9.5 miles from the Union Terminal Building in Cleveland to Green Road, at the far end of Shaker Heights; in addition, there was a branch line to Moreland.” [1: p101]
The two lines in the suburbs were extended. The Moreland line in 1929, eastward from Lynnfield (its original terminus) to Warrensville Center Rd. The Shaker line, in 1937, was extended from Warrensville Center Rd. to a new loop at Green Rd. [2]
“Under the main floor of the Union Terminal Building, the SHRT tracks are adjacent to the main line railway platforms. The six miles out to Shaker Square are on an ascending grade along the valley of the Cuyahoga river, and are entirely on private right-of-way; from Shaker Square onwards, the line runs through a grass reservation in the centre of Shaker Boulevard as far as Green Road Terminal.” [1: p101]
“The branch to Moreland, a suburb of smaller type property, diverges about 500 feet east of Shaker Square station, running in a south-easterly direction; at this terminus are storage yards with car parking facilities inside a U track formation.” [1: p101]
“The overhead is compound catenary out to East 55th Street, Cleveland, and normal trolley-wire elsewhere; the line is signalled throughout and road crossings are well spaced.” [1: p101]
The journey from Green Road outer terminus to the Union Terminal Building in downtown Cleveland “is covered in 22 minutes including 16 stops en route. The six miles from Shaker Square down into Cleveland (which include four curves with speed restriction) are covered in 8-9 minutes by non-stop cars. The up-grade increases the express timing on the outward journey to Shaker Square to 12 minutes.” [1:p101]
“When the City Council bought the line in 1944, the Director of Transportation, Mr. Paul K. Jones, began to modernise the existing fleet and to look around for new cars. He chose PCC cars with multiple unit equipment, and after trial runs in 1946 with a PCC-MU car ordered for Boston’s tramways, he ordered 25, to be modified to suit the SHRT’s demands and these were delivered towards the end of [1948]. They have Sprague Multiple Unit Control and are equipped for MU operation in trains of up to six cars. Other details are: Seating capacity. 62; overall length, 52ft. 7in.; overall height, 10ft. 4in.; width, 9ft.; truck wheel base, 6ft. 10in.; livery, canary yellow.” [1: p101]
A new $60,000 sub-station was built by 1949 in Shaker Heights which ensured adequate power for the PCC cars. Other improvements undertaken were “the doubling of car parking space at stations and an increase in service frequency.” [1: p101]
Extensions of the SHRT were, in 1949, considered likely; at that time, the line had been graded beyond Green Road as far as Gates Mills and steel poles had been erected part of the way. (This extension never occurred even though the preparatory work had been undertaken.) [7]
The Moreland Branch had been graded south to the Thistledown Race Track beyond Warrensville and there was little doubt, at that time that this extension would be completed. It turns out that this extension also never came to fruition.
“In Cleveland itself, the City Council … asked for 31 million dollars for the purpose of financing extensions of its city lines east and west of the city. The East Side line was laid out and partly graded by the original builders of the SHRT; it left the Heights line at East 60th Street and needed, at the time of writing of the article in Modern Tramway, only a few months’ work to complete.” [1: p101]
“Snow [had] no effect on the operation of the SHRT and the line [carried] on when local bus and trolley bus lines [had] ceased … in the severe winter of 1947-8; and all the year round, as mentioned before, the owners of the $75,000 homes of Shaker Heights [left] their cars behind and [travelled] into town by the faster and more reliable means so amply provided.” [1: p102]
“In 1955 the Cleveland Transit System (which was formed in 1942 when the City of Cleveland took over the Cleveland Railway Company) opened the first section of the city’s new rapid transit line, now known as the Red Line. It used much of the right-of-way and some of the catenary poles from the Van Sweringen’s planned east-west interurban line adjacent to the NYC&StL tracks. The first section of the CTS rapid transit east from Cleveland Union Terminal included 2.6 miles (4.2 km) and two stations shared with the Shaker Heights Rapid Transit line, necessitating split platforms with low-level sections (for Shaker Heights rapid transit cars) and high-level sections (for CTS rapid transit cars).” [4]
In the 21st century, the Red Line (formerly and internally known as Route 66, also known as the Airport–Windermere Line) is now “a rapid transit line of the RTA Rapid Transit system in Cleveland, Ohio, running from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport northeast to Tower City in downtown Cleveland, then east and northeast to Windermere. 2.6 miles (4.2 km) of track, including two stations (Tri-C–Campus District and East 55th), are shared with the light rail Blue and Green Lines; the stations have high platforms for the Red Line and low platforms for the Blue and Green Lines. The whole Red Line is built next to former freight railroads. It follows former intercity passenger rail as well, using the pre-1930 right-of-way of the New York Central from Brookpark to West 117th, the Nickel Plate from West 98th to West 65th, and the post-1930 NYC right-of-way from West 25th to Windermere.” [5]
The Red Line is shown on the four extracts from OpenStreetMap below. [5]
These four map extracts show the full length of the Red Line from the airport in the West to East Cleveland. [5]
In the 21st century the two original Shaker Heights routes form the Blue Line and the Green Line as part of Cleveland, Ohio’s Rapid Transit System.
“The Blue Line (formerly known as the Moreland Line and the Van Aken Line, and internally as Route 67) is a light rail line of the RTA Rapid Transit system in Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Ohio, running from Tower City Center downtown, then east and southeast to Warrensville Center Blvd near Chagrin Blvd. 2.6 miles (4.2 km) of track, including two stations (Tri-C–Campus District and East 55th), are shared with the rapid transit Red Line, the stations have low platforms for the Blue Line and high platforms for the Red Line. The Blue Line shares the right-of-way with the Green Line in Cleveland, and splits off after passing through Shaker Square.” [3]
The Blue Line from Cleveland to Shaker Heights shown on OpenStreetMap. [3]
“The Green Line (formerly known as the Shaker Line) is a light rail line of the RTA Rapid Transit system in Cleveland and Shaker Heights, Ohio, running from Tower City Center downtown, then east to Green Road near Beachwood. 2.6 miles (4.2 km) of track, including two stations (Tri-C–Campus District and East 55th), are shared with the rapid transit Red Line; the stations have low platforms for the Green Line and high platforms for the Red Line. The Green Line shares the right-of-way with the Blue Line in Cleveland, and splits off after passing through Shaker Square.” [4]
Tram cars used on the Shaker Heights lines since 1920 include: the 1100-series and 1200-series centre-entrance fleet; the colourful PCC cars; and the current fleet of Breda LRVs which have operated the line since 1982. [15]
Cleveland’s 1100-series and 1200-series center-door cars were built in the mid-1910s. “Not only were these cars distinctive and immediately identifiable as Cleveland cars, but many of them outlasted the Cleveland street railway itself. This was because the suburban streetcar route to Shaker Heights, barely on the drawing board when the center-door cars were built, bought a handful of 1200-series cars to hold down service when it was new. For years these cars were the backbone of service to Shaker Heights until the last of them were finally retired in favor of PCC cars in 1960.” [16]
Cleveland’s PCC Trams began arriving in the late 1940s, as we have already noted. PCC (Presidents’ Conference Committee) trams were streetcars of a design that was first “built in the United States in the 1930s. The design proved successful domestically, and after World War II it was licensed for use elsewhere in the world where PCC based cars were made. The PCC car has proved to be a long-lasting icon of streetcar design, and many remain in service around the world.” [17]
The Shaker Heights Rapid Transit network purchased 25 new PCC cars and 43 second-hand cars. A total of 68: the original 25 Pullman cars were extra-wide and had left-side doors. The second-hand cars were: 20 cars purchased from Twin Cities Rapid Transit in 1953; 10 cars purchased from St. Louis in 1959; 2 former Illinois Terminal cars leased from museums in 1975; 2 cars purchased from NJ Transit in 1977; 9 ex-Cleveland cars purchased from Toronto in 1978. PCCs were used until 1981. [17]
The Cleveland Transit System had 50 PCCs purchased new and 25 second-hand. The second-hand cars purchased from Louisville in 1946. All Cleveland’s cars were sold to Toronto in 1952. Of these, nine cars were (noted above) sent to Shaker Heights in 1978. [17]
Pullman Standard PCCs “were initially built in the United States by the St Louis Car Company (SLCCo) and Pullman Standard. … The last PCC streetcars built for any North American system were a batch of 25 for the San Francisco Municipal Railway, manufactured by St. Louis and delivered in 1951–2. … A total of 4,586 PCC cars were purchased by United States transit companies: 1,057 by Pullman Standard and 3,534 by St. Louis. Most transit companies purchased one type, but Chicago, Baltimore, Cleveland, and Shaker Heights ordered from both. The Baltimore Transit Co. (BTC) considered the Pullman cars of superior construction and easier to work on. The St. Louis cars had a more aesthetically pleasing design with a more rounded front and rear, compound-curved skirt cut-outs, and other design frills.” [17]
“Both the Cities of Cleveland & Shaker Heights purchased PCC trolleys after WWII. Cleveland operated theirs from 1946 to 1953 before they sold them to the City of Toronto. Shaker Heights operated their PCCs for a much longer period – i.e. from 1947 up until the early 1980s.” [18]
Cleveland’s Breda LRVs are a fleet of 34 vehicles operating on the Blue, Green and Waterfront lines. One is shown below on the Blue Line and one on the Green Line. [19]
The LRVs were purchased from the Italian firm, Breda Costruzioni Ferroviarie, to replace the aging PCC cars. They were dedicated on 30th October 1981. [3]
The cars consist of two half bodies joined by an articulation section with three bogies. The two end bogies are powered, and the central bogie under the articulation section is unpowered. “The car is slightly more than 24 m (79 ft 10 in) long, is rated AW2 (84 seated passengers and 40 standing), and can travel at a maximum speed of 90 km/hr (55 mph). This speed can be reached in less than 35 sec from a standing start.” [20]
Overall length: 79ft 11in.
Width: 9ft 3in
Tare weight: 84,000lb
Acceleration: 3mph/sec.
Service braking: 4mph/sec.
Emergency braking: 6mph/sec.
Each LRV “is bidirectional with an operator’s cab at either end and three doors per side. The passenger door near the operator’s cab is arranged to allow the operator to control fare collection. The 84 seats are arranged in compliance with the specification requirements. Half the seats face one direction and half the other. Each end of the car is equipped with … an automatic coupler with mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic functions so that the cars can operate in trains of up to four vehicles.” [20]
In 2024, the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority board approved “the selection of Siemens Mobility for a contract to replace the Breda light rail vehicle fleet. … The planned framework contract with Siemens Mobility would cover up to 60 Type S200 LRVs, with a firm order for an initial 24. … The high-floor LRVs will be similar to cars currently used by Calgary Transit, with doors at two heights for high and low level platforms, an infotainment system, ice cutter pantographs, 52 seats, four wheelchair areas and two bicycle racks. … The fleet replacement programme currently has a budget of $393m, including rolling stock, infrastructure modifications, testing, training, field support, spare parts and tools. This is being funded by the Federal Transportation Administration, Ohio Department of Transportation, Northeast Ohio Areawide Co-ordinating Agency and Greater Cleveland RTA.” [21]
References
Shaker Heights Rapid Transit Lines; in Modern Tramway Vol. 12, No 137, May, 1949, p101,102,112.
A significant proportion of the August 1925 edition of The Railway Magazine [1] was dedicated to coverage of the Centenary celebrations at Darlington. Given the short timescale between the event and the publication date of the August issue of the magazine (?late July?), and given that modern digital techniques were in no way available, the achievement of publication in such a short time is to be admired.
Writing at the end of 2024, in just a few months the 200th anniversary will occur, it will be interesting to see what celebrations will be taking place in the Summer of 2025. See, for example, the National Railway Museum‘s plans for 2025. [42]
G.A. Sekon offered The Railway Magazine’s congratulations to the organisers of the 1925 exhibition on their organisational achievements and on the “comprehensiveness and interest of the exhibits brought together.” [1: p101] He also notes that the opportunity was taken by the King to appoint many different leading railway officers to the Order of the British Empire these included: four CBEs (Mr. R. C. Irwin, Secretary, L.M.S.R., Mr. E. A. Bolter, Secretary, G.W.R., Mr. G. Davidson, Divisional General Manager, North Eastern Area, L.N.E.R., and Mr. G. S. Szlumper, Assistant General Manager, Southern Railway), eight OBEs and fourteen MBEs.
The ‘main event’ was the procession which was “witnessed at ease and in comfort by many hundreds of thousands in view of the accessibility of the route practically from end to end and the arrangements whereby landowners generously allowed access to fields adjoining the line.” [1: p103]
The event was opened by HRH. the Duke of York, accompanied by the Duchess of York. (The Duke of York being the future George VI who became King unexpectedly following the abdication of his brother, King Edward VIII, in December 1936.)
In his opening address Mr. W. Whitelaw made it clear that, “The Exhibition was the result of the co-operation of five great railway companies, assisted by many friends from all parts of the country, who possessed interesting relics of the first passenger railway in the kingdom. It seemed very fitting that the commencement of the celebration of what took place on 27th September 1825, should be in that great railway town of Darlington. If Darlington did not own all the credit for the science of railways, at any rate no one could deny or challenge the statement that Darlington was the home of the first great railway statesman, Edward Pease.”
The Procession
A short (20 minute) film of the procession/cavalcade can be viewed here. [35]
“The centenary celebrations were held in July to allow guests from foreign countries visiting the International Railway Congress to take part. An exhibition of rolling stock at the new Faverdale Wagon Works in Darlington was opened by the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and the Queen Mother). The following day the royal couple watched as procession of locomotives passed between Stockton and Oak Tree Junction, starting with a Hetton Colliery locomotive that had been built in 1822 and finishing with a replica train of ten chaldron waggons and ‘the company’s coach’ hauled by Locomotive No.1 propelled by a petrol engine in a specially built tender.” [45] A copy of the original programme for the procession can be found here. [46]
The procession was due to have 54 items, one of which had to be withdrawn (the North British Locomotive Company’s geared turbine condensing locomotive). [1: p123] The final list was: [8]
1. Hetton Colliery locomotive – 1822.
2. S. & D.R. “Derwent” – 1845.
3. NBR 0-6-0 No. 381 (LNER J31 10114) – 1867.
4. NER 0-6-0 No. 1275 – 1874.
5. LNER J26 0-6-0 No. 517 (ex NER) – 1905.
6. LNER B16 4-6-0 No. 934 (ex NER) – 1921.
7. LNER K3 2-6-0 No. 203 – 1925.
8. LNWR 0-8-0 No. 1881 (LMS 8900) – 1901.
9. LMS 0-8-0 No. 9446 (ex LNWR) – 1922.
10. LNER 02 2-8-0 No. 3501 – 1924.
11. GWR 2-8-0 No. 4700 – 1919
12. LNER P1 2-8-2 No. 2393 – 1925.
13. LNER electric loco No. 9 (hauled by J71 0-6-0T 317) (ex NER) – 1914.
14. GWR 2-2-2 “North Star”(replica), (on wagon, hauled by J71 0-6-0T No. 181) – 1837.
Of these items, The Railway Magazine chose to highlight a number of these including:
1. The Hetton Colliery Locomotive
“The procession was headed by the old Hetton Colliery engine, built in 1822 by George Stephenson and Nicholas Wood, previous to the establishment of Stephenson’s works at Newcastle-on-Tyne. The engine, by the way, was rebuilt in 1857, and again in 1882, when the link motion, at present fitted, was added.” [1: p109]
“Next in order came the old ‘Derwent’, a mineral engine of Timothy Hackworth’s design, which was built in 1845 by William and Alf Kitching, of the Hopetown Foundry, Darlington, for the Stockton and Darlington Railway. The ‘Derwent’ also ran under its own steam.” [1: p109]
“Then followed a number of engines more or less familiar to the present generation [1925], although two of them were built over 50 years ago. A 1925 modern goods express 2-6-0, with special valve gear, and a mineral engine 2-8-0 with three cylinders, were a great contrast to the veterans that had passed earlier. Then followed a “Mikado” type of locomotive built at the Doncaster works of the L.N.E.R., for fast mineral work, but even greater interest was shown in a model of the old North Star, built in 1837 by Robert Stephenson and Co., which was mounted on a Great Western ‘crocodile’, drawn by a locomotive. Several specimens of the single-driver expresses popular in the latter half of the [19th century] were in the procession, including the Cornwall, which has a driving wheel of 8 ft. 6 in. in diameter the largest locomotive driving wheel still in service in the world.” [1: p109]
4.0-6-0 Stockton & Darlington Goods
Fourth in the procession was a typical 0-6-0 locomotive from the Stockton and Darlington (S&D) Railway. This was probably NER No. 1275 which was the only NER 1001 Class locomotive to survive into LNER ownership. It was built by Dübs & Co., Glasgow, and was delivered to the S&D in May 1874. 1275 entered into LNER ownership with an official mileage of 908,984 miles. Still in its NER livery, it was quickly withdrawn on 16th February 1923. [6]
This locomotive is preserved as part of the National Collection and is on static display at the National Railway Museum at York. [6]
NER No. 1275 is preserved in the National Railway Museum in York: Science Museum Group. NER 0-6-0 ‘1001’ class steam locomotive and tender, No 1275, 1874. 1975-7009 Science Museum Group Collection Online. [7]
The LNWR Class B was a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotives introduced in 1901. These locomotives were a development of the three-cylinder compound Class A (though this letter classification was not introduced until 1911), they had a 4-cylinder compound arrangement. 170 were built between 1901 and 1904. [9]
“The London and North Eastern Railway Class P1 Mineral 2-8-2 Mikado was a class of two steam locomotives designed by Nigel Gresley. They were two of the most powerful freight locomotives ever designed for a British railway. It was initially intended they be a more powerful 2-10-0 version of the earlier Class O2 2-8-0s. The design was submitted in August 1923, for use between Peterborough and London, and also between Immingham and Wath marshalling yard. The power was quoted as being 25% more than the O2.” [21]
“No. 2393 was completed in June 1925, just in time for the Stockton & Darlington Centenary celebrations in July. It was fitted with a Robinson superheater, whilst No. 2394 (completed in November) had the “E Double” superheater recommended by The Superheater Co.” [22]
14. GWR 2-2-2 ‘North Star’ (replica)
North Star was the first GWR locomotive, it on 31st May 1838 it worked the inaugural train for the company’s directors. More details can be found on the Preserved British Steam Locomotives website. [10]
Built in 1847, ‘Cornwall’ is a preserved steam locomotive. She was built as a 4-2-2 at Crewe Works in 1847, but was extensively rebuilt and converted into her current form in 1858. [12]
Wikipedia tells us that, “In 1858, Ramsbottom redesigned Cornwall almost completely. Little survived unchanged, other than the outside frames and the centres of the drivers. The boiler was … moved entirely above the driving axle, without any notches, channels or tubes. … New cylinders and valve gear were provided. … The wheel arrangement was [changed to] 2-2-2. … Ramsbottom also included his newly designed tamper-proof safety valves.” [12]
There was another minor rebuild in the 1870s providing a typical LNWR style of cab, with a short roof and semi-open sides. It was renumbered 3020 in June 1886. [12]
The Great Northern Railway (GNR) No. 1 Class Stirling Single was a class of steam locomotive designed for express passenger work. Designed by Patrick Stirling, they were characterised by a single pair of large (8 ft 1 in) driving wheels which led to the nickname ‘eight-footer’. Originally the locomotive was designed to haul up to 26 passenger carriages at an average speed of 47 miles per hour (76 km/h). It could reach speeds of up to 85 mph (137 km/h). [14]
“The first of the class, No. 1 is the only engine to be preserved. It is exhibited at the National Railway Museum, York. It was restored to running order during the 1930s for the fiftieth anniversary of the Race to the North and steamed again during the 1980s.” [14]
The three locomotives shown in the image above are:
19. 1875 built NER Class 901 2-4-0 No. 910;
20. 1885 built LNER E5 2-4-0 No. 1463 (ex NER);
21. 1892 built LNER D17/1 4-4-0 No. 1620 (ex NER)
The LNER Encyclopedia says that “Fletcher’s ‘901’ class was his final express passenger design for the … NER. The ‘901’ Class was created in 1872 to provide new more powerful express locomotives to replace the 16in cylinder locomotives still being used by the NER for express work. The first two locomotives, Nos. 901/2, were built at Gateshead in 1872. Whilst these were being built, two batches of ten each were ordered from Beyer, Peacock & Co and Neilson & Co. These twenty engines were built and delivered in 1873. A further 33 were built at Gateshead between 1873 and 1882 in four batches.” [17]
The LNER Encyclopedia says that the “new E5 locomotives were direct descendents of Fletcher’s ‘901’s. The cab design was changed, and a completely new tender design was used. A total of twenty E5s were built in 1885, with Darlington and Gateshead building ten each.” [18]
E5 No. 1463 is owned by the National Collection, but is on loan to the Darlington ‘Head of Steam’ Museum, now known as ‘Hopetown Darlington’s. [18]
The LNER Encyclopedia also notes that the NER Class M1 (later Class M) locomotives were Wilson Worsdell’s first express passenger locomotives for the North Eastern Railway (NER). … Twenty Class M1 locomotives were built at Gateshead between 1892 and 1894. More information can be found on the LNER Encyclopedia website. [19] These NER M1 locomotives became the LNER D17/1 Class at the grouping. [20]
The LNER operated a surprising variety of electric locomotives and multiple units. Although its electric operations were eclipsed by the Southern, the LNER had the largest electric locomotive stud of the Big Four companies. More about the various electric locks and multiple units can be found on the LNER Encyclopedia website. [27]
“Sir Vincent Raven was a great believer in the electrification of main lines. After the success of the Shildon-Newport electrification, he planned to electrify the North Eastern Railway’s (NER) stretch of the East Coast main line from York to Newcastle. As a part of this plan, authorisation was granted in March 1920 to build the prototype electric passenger locomotive No. 13. This had a 2-Co-2 (4-6-4) wheel arrangement, and was built at Darlington with electrical equipment provided by Metropolitan-Vickers.” [28] The loco was completed in 1922 just before the NER became part of the LNER in 1923.
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) Hughes 4-6-4T class of steam locomotives were a 4-6-4T version of the L&YR Class 8 (‘Dreadnought’ Class 4-6-0), hence they were known as ‘Dreadnought tanks’. All were actually built by the LMS in 1924 after the grouping, albeit at the L&YR’s Horwich Works. Withdrawals started in 1938, with three engines (11112, 11115, 11116), one each in 1939 and 1940 (11113 and 11111 respectively), four in 1941 (11114, 11117–11119) and the last (11110) in January 1942. No examples were preserved. [23]
Another example of the same class, No. 11114. [23]
41. GWR 2-8-0T Locomotive No. 5225
The 4200 class of 2-8-0T engines was designed to work the heavy short-haul coal and mineral trains in South Wales. They were designed using standard GWR parts as used in the 2800 class. A total of 205 locomotives were built (including the 5205 class) between 1910 and 1940. They were the only 2-8-0T to run in Britain. [24]
“The first engine to be built was 4201 in 1910 (4200 was a later engine built in 1923). Between 1910 and 1930 195 were built numbered 4200-4299 and 5200-5294. 5205 onwards had larger cylinders and other minor alterations and were known as the 5205 class.” [24]
“Five examples of the 4200 class and three members of the 5205 class have been preserved (4247, 4248, 4253, 4270, 4277, 5224, 5229 and 5239). There are also three locomotives preserved from the 7200 class which were rebuilds of the 5205 series 5264 rebuilt as 7229, 5275 rebuilt as 7202 and 5277 rebuilt as 7200).” [24]
42. LNER ‘Garratt’ Locomotive No. 2395
“The London and North Eastern Railway Class U1 was a solitary 2-8-0+0-8-2 Garratt locomotive designed for banking coal trains over the Worsborough Bank,[i] a steeply graded line in South Yorkshire and part of the Woodhead Route. It was both the longest and the most powerful steam locomotive ever to run in Britain. It was built in 1925 with the motion at each end being based on an existing 2-8-0 design. The original number was 2395, and it was renumbered 9999 in March 1946, and then 69999 after nationalisation in 1948, although it retained its cab-side plate bearing its original number throughout its life. The locomotive ran for some time as an oil burner, and was tried out on the Lickey Incline in 1949–1950 and again, after the electrification of its home line, in 1955. These trials were unsuccessful, and so the locomotive was withdrawn in 1955 and scrapped.” [26]
The locomotive was constructed in just 3 weeks in 1925, perhaps with the Stockton & Darlington centenary celebrations in mind. It was ready just in time and sent in the standard outshopped grey livery before being painted black. [26]
43. LNER Petrol Railcar/Railmotor No. 130Y, later 2105Y
The 1920s were quite an era for experimentation on the railways of the UK. This Railcar/Railmotor is included in a number looked at elsewhere on this blog. The relevant article can be found here. [30]
The North Eastern Railway (NER) “authorised the construction of the experimental Petrol Autocar No. 2105 on 21st September 1922. On 19th October, Raven reported the purchase of a 6-cylinder 105hp Daimler engine from the Slough Trading Estate Co. Ltd. The remainder of the vehicle was built at York Carriage Works and was completed in July 1923. By this time, Grouping had occurred, and the autocar was given the LNER number 2105Y. It was later renumbered as No. 22105 in August 1926.” [31]
Sentinel produced a significant number of steam railcars/railmotors. They are covered elsewhere on this blog. Please click here. [33]
The LNER arranged for trials of two Sentinel railmotors in 1924. After those trials, adaptations were made including providing larger boilers. The result was ideal for LNER uses and a series of 80 units were purchased. The first two large boiler railcars were ordered on 11th December 1924. These railcars used the bodies from the trial railcars and the cost was discounted accordingly. Numbered Nos. 12E & 13E, the railcars entered service with the LNER in May 1925 and were classified as Diagram 14600-614E. [34] They were ‘state of art’ units available just in time for the Stockton & Darlington celebrations.
46. LNER 0-8-0 Q7 (formerly NER T3) with mineral wagons.
The North Eastern Railway Class T3, classified as Class Q7 by the LNER, was a class of 0-8-0 steam locomotive designed for heavy freight. Five were built by the NER in 1919 and a further 10 by the LNER in 1924. No. 904 was put in charge of a rake of mineral wagons for the procession. [32]
This train consisted of a series of tableaux depicting the history of the wheel. It was described in the publication ‘Railway Wonders of the World’ like this: “The tableaux consisted of six wagons each carrying a separate ‘picture’. The first was allegorical and depicted a number of astrologers grouped at one side of a symbolic wheel, with a scene showing modern engineering practice on the other. The two scenes were joined through the spokes of the wheel by a huge chain, representing the links of time. The second tableau showed a tribe of prehistoric men, who, having felled a tree with their flint axes, were shown transporting the trunk on logs used as rollers – the earliest form of the wheel. Then came an Egyptian scene in which one of the royal Pharaohs was being drawn on a wheeled platform by slaves, showing how the Egyptians started the wheel in its manifold forms so that, through the ages that followed, progress successively moved on the wheels of chariot, wain, and coach. This was followed by the fourth tableaux showing how the wheel was discarded for a time when Sedan chairs were used, and the fifth depicting the story of the wheel in transport opening its most famous chapter when Stephenson mounted an engine on wheels and steam locomotion began. On one side of this wagon Stephenson was explaining the working of a model of “Locomotion No. 1” to a group of friends and workmen, whilst on the other side modem mechanics were working with present-day materials and tools. The final tableau showed how the railways of the world have grown from the few miles of permanent way uniting Stockton and Darlington.” [37]
48. GNSR 4-4-0 No. 45A and train of old 4-wheel coaches
The locomotive was one of a Class which transferred to the LNER. More details can be found here. [38]
No. 45A was repainted in GNSR green to take part in the Stockton & Darlington Centenary celebrations. It was withdrawn on 31st July 1925 shortly after its return. There was some talk of preservation, and it was temporarily employed as a shunter at the Inverurie Works. However, preservation was not to be, and No. 45A was scrapped soon afterwards. [38]
LMS 4-6-0 No. 10474 was a Class 8 4-6-0 steam locomotive to a Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway design that was built for the LMS by Horwich Works in 1925. 10474 and its siblings were used on express passenger trains for the LMS. [36]
Its train is made up of nine vestibule carriages built at Derby and used on the West Coast route to Scotland. [1: p124]
No. 4082 ‘Windsor Castle’, “was chosen as the Royal engine from the time that it was driven from Swindon works to Swindon station by King George V accompanied by Queen Mary on 28th April 1924. Plaques were mounted on the side of the cab to commemorate the occasion.” [39]
No 111 ‘Viscount Churchill’ (converted into a Castle class 4-6-0 from ‘The Great Bear’) took charge of a train of express passenger articulated coaches. Didcot Railway Centre says that the new GWR articulated coaches “came as a surprise to many as the railway press was unaware they had been developed. The train had one two-coach unit and two three-coach units. The formation was one brake first, one first, one first restaurant car, one kitchen car, one third restaurant car, two third-class coaches and a brake third. The first-class coach interiors were finished in walnut and the third-class in mahogany.” [40]
The LSWR N15 class was a British 2–cylinder 4-6-0 express passenger steam locomotive designed by Robert Urie. The class had “a complex build history spanning three sub-classes and ten years of construction from 1918 to 1927. The first batch of the class was constructed for the London and South Western Railway (LSWR), where they hauled heavy express passenger trains to the south coast ports and further west to Exeter. After the Lord Nelsons, they were the second biggest 4-6-0 passenger locomotives on the Southern Railway. They could reach speeds of up to 90 mph (145 km/h).” [41] The Southern Railway (SR) publicity department gave the N15 locomotives names associated with Arthurian legend; the class hence becoming known as King Arthurs.
53. LNER Train of Articulated Stock behind LNER A2 4-6-2 No. 2400 ‘City of Newcastle’
The LNER Class A2 4-6-2 steam locomotive was designed by Vincent Raven for the North Eastern Railway (as NER class 4.6.2). Two were built by the NER in 1922 before the grouping and another three by the LNER in 1924. Their LNER numbers were 2400–2404. All five locomotives were named by the LNER. ‘City of Newcastle’ was the first of the class. [43]
The replica train pulled by a modern incarnation of ‘Locomotion No.1’ was the last element of the procession/cavalcade. It was somewhat shorter than the original train of September 1825. ..
On 27th September 1825, Locomotion No. 1 hauled the first train on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, driven by George Stephenson. The train consisted of Locomotion No.1, eleven wagons of coal, the carriage ‘Experiment’, and a further 20 wagons of passengers, guests, and workmen. Around 300 tickets had been sold, but about twice as many people were believed to have been aboard. The train, which had an estimated weight of 80 metric tons and was 400 feet long, reached a maximum speed of 12 mph, and took two hours to complete the first 8.7 miles of the journey to Darlington, slowed by a derailed wagon and a blocked feed pump valve for an average speed of 8 mph. [44]
“Locomotion No. 1 (originally named Active) … was built in 1825 by … George and Robert Stephenson at their manufacturing firm, Robert Stephenson and Company. It became the first steam locomotive to haul a passenger-carrying train on a public railway … [It] was ordered by the Stockton and Darlington Railway Company in September 1824; its design benefitted from George Stephenson’s experience building his series of Killingworth locomotives. It is believed that Locomotion No. 1 was the first locomotive to make use of coupling rods to link together its driving wheels, reducing the chance of the wheels slipping on the iron rails. However, the centre-flue boiler proved to be a weakness, providing a poorer heating surface than later multi-flue boilers. … Locomotion hauled the first train on the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the first locomotive to run on a public railway. On 1st July 1828, it was heavily damaged when its boiler exploded at Aycliffe Lane station, killing its driver, John Cree. It was rebuilt, but as a consequence of the rapid advances in locomotive design, [it] became obsolete within a decade. It was used on the railway until 1850, after which it was converted into a stationary engine. In 1857, as a consequence of its historical importance, Locomotion was preserved and put on display. Between 1892 and 1975, it was on static display at one of the platforms at Darlington Bank Top railway station, and was then on display at the Head of Steam museum based at Darlington North Road railway station between 1975 and 2021. It was then moved to the Locomotion museum in Shildon. A working replica of Locomotion was built, and following years of operation at Beamish Museum was put on display at the Head of Steam museum.” [44]
The Exhibition
At the Railway Centenary Exhibition held in the LΝΕR’s Faverdale Wagon Works and Sidings at Darlington “was gathered together the biggest and most interesting collection of railway appliances, locomotives, rolling stock and other material ever exhibited in this country. The locomotives and rolling stock on rails at the exhibition sidings numbered 99, whilst in the building were three locomotives and about 650 other items. … The railways were naturally the chief exhibitors, but many extremely interesting items were loaned from private collections.” [1: p127]
The Railway Magazine went on to list all the major exhibits, some of which were in the cavalcade/procession covered above.
The details given in The Railway Magazine are reproduced in the Appendix below.
The exhibition was comprehensive, giving an outstanding insight into the world of railways in Great Britain.
Appendix – Exhibition Items
The Railway Magazine … [1: p127-130]
In the outdoor catalogue were: the model of North Star, constructed for the exhibition, utilising the original driving wheels. Nearby was the Invicta, Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, built by R. Stephenson & Co., in 1830, and a 2-2-2 engine constructed by Bury, Curtis & Kennedy in 1846 for the Great Southern Railway. Two locomotives came from Belgium, one a 2-2-2 saddle tank, with tender built for the 3-ft. 7-in. gauge Anvers-Gand Railway in 1844, the other a full-size model of a 2-2-2 engine built in 1835 for the Belgian State Railways. Other old locomotives included the Derwent, Cornwall and the Hetton Colliery locomotive, which led the van in the Centenary procession. There was also the historic Locomotion, and a full size model of the Rocket. The remaining locomotives are tabulated according to groups, subdivided on the basis of original ownership.
Of these, the sections of the LNER were responsible for 33 locomotives.
The NER‘s total was 14:
No. 949 0-4-4 5-ft. passenger tank built by Neilson & Co. in 1874, designed by E. Fletcher;
No. 1334, 0-4-4 5-ft. 11-in. passenger tank built at Darlington in 1901, designed by Wilson Worsdell;
No. 2151, 4-4-4 5-ft. 9-in. passenger tank, 3 cylinders, built at Darlington in 1913, designed by Sir Vincent Raven;
No. 1275, 0-6-0 5-ft. mineral engine, built in 1874 by Dubs & Co., designed by W. Bouch;
No. 517, 0-6-0 4-ft. 74-in. mineral engine built at Gateshead in 1905, designed by W. Worsdell;
No. 934, 4-6-0 5-ft. 8-in. express goods engine, 3 cylinders, built at Gateshead in 1921, designed by Sir Vincent Raven;
No. 902, 0-8-0, 4-ft. 71-in. 3-cylinder mineral engine, built at Darlington in 1919, designed by Sir Vincent Raven;
No. 910, 2-4-0, 7-ft. express passenger engine, built at Gateshead in 1875, designed by E. Fletcher;
No. 1463, 2-4-0 7-ft. express passenger engine, built at Darlington in 1885, “Tennant” type;
No. 1620 4-4-0 7-ft. 1.25-in. express passenger engine, built at Gateshead, 1892, by W. Worsdell;
No. 2207, 4-4-2, 6-ft. 10-in. express passenger engine, 3 cylinders, built at Darlington, 1911, designed by Sir Vincent Raven;
No. 2006, 4-6-0 6-ft. 11-in. express passenger engine, built at Gateshead, 1900, designed by W. Worsdell, Gold Medal, Paris, 1900;
No. 9, 0-4-4-0 4-ft. electric freight engine, built at Darlington, 1914, designed by Sir Vincent Raven;
No. 13, 4-6-4, 6-ft. 8-in. electric express engine, built at Darlington, 1922, designed by Sir Vincent Raven.
The Great Central section was represented by four engines:
No. 6499, 0-6-0, 3-ft. 9-in, saddle tank shunting engine, built by Manning Wardle & Co., 1876, for the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway;
No. 5088, 4-6-2 5-ft. 7-in. passenger side tank engine, built at Gorton, 1923, designed by J. G. Robinson;
No. 5972, 4-2-2 7-ft. 9-in. inside cylinder express passenger engine, built at Gorton, 1900, designed by H. Pollitt;
No. 6169, Lord Faringdon, 4-6-0 6-ft. 9-in. 4-cylinder express passenger engine, built at Gorton, designed by J. G. Robinson.
Two locomotives represented the GE section
No. 7133 was a 0-4-0 3-ft. 1-in. enclosed tramway engine built at Stratford in 1897;
No. 8900 (1900), Claud Hamilton, 4-4-0 7-ft. express passenger engine, built at Stratford, 1900, designed by J. Holden. Gold Medal Paris Exhibi- tion, 1900.
The GN section showed three engines:
The celebrated No. 1, 4-2-2 8-ft. 2-in. express engine, with outside cylinders, built at Doncaster, 1872, designed by P. Stirling:
No. 3990 (No. 990), 4-4-2 6-ft. 8-in. express engine, built at Doncaster, 1898, designed by H. A. Ivatt, the first “Atlantic” engine constructed in Great Britain;
No. 3251 (No. 251), 4-4-2 6-ft. 8-in. express engine, built at Doncaster, 1902, designed by H. A. Ivatt, the first engine on a British railway with a wide firebox.
The NBR section was represented by two engines:
No. 10114, 0-6-0 5-ft. 13-in. goods engine, built by Neilson & Co. in 1868, designed by T. Wheatley;
No. 9902, Highland Chief, 4-4-2 6-ft. 9-in, express engine, built by R. Stephenson & Co., 1911, designed by W. P. Reid.
The GNSR section was represented by No. 45A, 4-4-0 5-ft. 61-in. mixed traffic engine, built in 1866 by Neilson & Co., designed by W. Cowan.
The remaining seven locomotives exhibited by the LNER. were built since the grouping of the railways:
“Garratt” type 2-8-0+0-8-2, built by Beyer Peacock & Co., 1825, fitted with H. N. Gresley’s valve gear, driving wheels, 4-ft. 8-in. diameter, 6 cylinders (three to each truck), the first 6-cylinder “Garratt” locomotive, weight in working order, 176tons;
No. 203, 2-6-0 3-cylinder 5-ft. 8-in. express goods engine, built an Darlington, 1925, designed by H. N. Gresley (No. 202, a similar engine, was shown in the Exhibition building);
No 3499, 2-8-0 3-cylinder 4-ft. 8-in. mineral engine, built at Doncaster, 1924, designed by H. N. Gresley;
No. 2393, “Mikado” type (2-8-2) 3-cylinder 5-ft. 2-in. mineral engine, fitted with “booster” to drive trailing wheels, built at Doncaster, 1925, designed by H. N. Gresley;
No. 2563, William Whitelaw, 4-6-2 3-cylinder 6-ft. 8-in. express engine, designed by H. N. Gresley;
No. 2400, City of Newcastle, 4-6-2 3-cylinder 6-ft. 8-in. express engine, built at Darlington, 1922, designed by Sir Vincent Raven.
The LMS exhibit of modern locomotives comprised six engines: …
Three LNWR engines: …
No. 1881, 4-cylinder compound 4-ft. 3-in. mineral engine, built at Crewe, 1901, designed by F. W. Webb;
No. 9446, 0-8-0 4-ft. 2-in. goods engine, built at Crewe, 1922, designed by C. J. B. Cooke;
No. 5900, Sir Gilbert Claughton, 4-cylinder, 6-ft. 3-in. express engine, built at Crewe, 1913, designed by C. J. B. Cooke.
The Midland section exhibit was No. 679, 4-2-2 7-ft. 91-in. express engine, built at Derby, 1899, designed by S. W. Johnson.
The L&YR section showed No. 10474, 4-6-0 4-cylinder 6-ft. 3-in. express, built at Horwich, designed by G. Hughes.
The LMS specimen was No. 11112, 4-cylinder 6-ft. 3-in. passenger tank, built at Horwich, 1924, designed by G. Hughes.
The Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway No. 86 2-8-0 4-ft. 71-in. mineral engine, built by R. Stephenson & Co., 1825, designed by Sir H. Fowler (LMS)
The GWR was represented by three modern locomotives:
No. 5225, 2-8-0 4-ft. 7-in. mineral tank engine, built at Swindon, designed by G. J. Churchward;
No. 4700, 2-8-0 5-ft. 8-in. express goods engine, built at Swindon in 1919, designed by G. J. Churchward;
No. 4082, Windsor Castle, 4-6-0 4-cylinder 6-ft. 8-in. express, built at Swindon, designed by C. B. Collett. This is the locomotive the King and Queen drove at Swindon.
The SR was represented by No 449, Sir Torre, at the head of the train of modern coaches.
In addition there were: the City and South London Railway‘s old electric engine supplied for the opening of the railway in 1890. The LNER showed a petrol bus for rail service, a petrol autocar, and a Sentinel-Cammell steam coach.
Modern rolling-stock-passenger and freight was represented in profusion: …
A complete train by each of the four groups: …
GWR – showed an articulated rake of coaches and a 10-compartment third-class corridor coach, 70ft long;
LNER – showed a similar articulated rake and an electric coach, a Post Office van, a sleeper with first-class berths and third-class compartments, a twin (articulated) sleeper, a ‘triplet’ dining set, corridor third etc.;
SR – sent Pullman Car ‘Lydia’, whilst the Pullman Car Company exhibited ‘Niobe’;
London Electric Railways by one of the latest tube coaches.
Also in view were:
The “Dandy” coach from the Port Carlisle Railway;
A Stockton & Darlington carriage built circa 1850;
A GNSR coach from circa 1865.
The wide range of modern freight vehicles was well shown by the 18 wagons, etc, of different types exhibited by the LNER, varying from a four-wheeled horse-box to a set of three 60-ton flat wagons tight coupled for conveying 160-ton guns. The GWR showed a 20-ton mineral wagon, a 35-ton well trolley, a 30-ton articulated gun wagon, and a 70-ft. rail or timber truck. There were a few items of old goods rolling-stock, including a ‘Chaldron’ coal wagon built in 1826.
Within the building the fine display of signalling appliances from the earliest days, through the crude interlocking of some sixty years ago to the present perfect locking apparatus, electrical and mechanical, attracted much attention. So did the many specimens representing all periods during the past 100 years of the rails, chairs, and sleepers that go to make up the permanent way. Chief interest was taken in the numerous models, many on a large scale, and as regards locomotives chiefly working models, actuated by compressed air. Of the 46 locomotive models there were two of the Locomotion, while several GWR. broad-gauge engines made a fine display. The Metropolitan Railway was a big exhibitor in this section, showing seven or eight models of locomotives of various railways. A quarter-size model of the GNR’s 8-ft. 1-in. single (Stirling’s famous 4-2-2 type) was prominent, as, too, was the Dandy Cart, with horse aboard, as attached to the rear of horse-hauled mineral trains. Here also were models in plenty of railway bridges and viaducts, railway coaches, steamers, &c. Early railway tickets, bills, time-tables, passes, medals, &c., were to be seen in profusion, with specimens of Edmondson’s ticket-dating presses and ticket-printing machines invented in 1840, and taken from actual work to be shown at Faverdale. Railway-station bells, besides early signal and hand lamps of various types, were represented, whilst the many loan collections of literature and maps relative to early railways provided information of rare value to those interested in the development of the railway system.
References
G.A. Sekon, ed.; 1825-1925: The Railway Centenary Celebrations at Darlington, 1st to 3rd July 1925; in The Railway Magazine, London, No. 338, August 1925, p101-142.
C.R. Henry of the South-Eastern & Chatham Railway wrote about this line being the second public railway opened in England in an article in the October 1907 edition of The Railway Magazine. [1] Reading that article prompted this look at the line which was referred to locally as the ‘Crab and Winkle Line‘.
There are a number of claimants to the title ‘first railway in Britain’, including the Middleton Railway, the Swansea and Mumbles Railway and the Surrey Iron Railway amongst others. Samuel Lewis in his ‘A Topographical Dictionary of England’ in 1848, called the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway the first railway in the South of England. [2][3]
The Crab and Winkle Line Trust says that in 1830, the “Canterbury and Whitstable Railway was at the cutting edge of technology. Known affectionately as the ‘Crab and Winkle Line’ from the seafood for which Whitstable was famous, it was the third railway line ever to be built. However, it was the first in the world to take passengers regularly and the first railway to issue season tickets. The first railway season tickets were issued at Canterbury in 1834 to take people to the beach at Whitstable over the summer season. This fact is now recorded on a plaque at Canterbury West railway station. Whitstable was also home to the world’s oldest passenger railway bridge.” [17]
Henry explains that in 1822, “the possibility of making Canterbury a virtual seaport was engaging much thought and attention on the part of the inhabitants of that ancient city. Canterbury is situated on the banks of a small river called the Stour, having an outlet into the sea near Sandwich, and this river was a very important waterway in Roman and Saxon times, but by the date above-mentioned, it had fallen into a state almost approaching complete dereliction, being quite unnavigable for ships of any appreciable size. The resuscitation and improvement of this waterway was considered to be the only solution of the problem of making Canterbury a seaport, and as a result of a very strong and influential agitation by the citizens a scheme of revival was announced by a number of commercial men who had formed themselves into a company for the purpose. The scheme comprised many improvements to the river, such as widenings, new cuts, etc., with the provision of a suitable harbour at Sandwich, the estimated cost of the whole being about £45,700. It was submitted to Parliament in the session of 1824, but the Bill was rejected by a motion brought forward by the Commissioners of Sewers, who complained that the works had been hurriedly surveyed and greatly under-estimated. Nothing daunted, however, fresh surveys and estimates were prepared and presented to Parliament in the following year. This second Bill was successful, and when the news that it had passed the third reading in the Upper Chamber was made known in Canterbury, the event occasioned much jubilation amongst the inhabitants, who, according to local records, turned out with bands of music and paraded the streets exhibiting banners displaying such words as ‘Success to the Stour Navigation’.” [1: p305-306]
It is worth noting that it was as early as 1514 that an Act of Parliament promoted navigation on the River Stour. There remains “a Right of Navigation on the river from Canterbury to the sea. After two weirs above Fordwich, the river becomes tidal.” [4]
C.R. Henry continues:
“While the city was so enraptured with its waterway scheme, influences of a quieter nature were steadily at work with a view to making Canterbury a virtual seaport by constructing a railway from thence to Whitstable. One day in April 1823, a gentleman – the late Mr. William James – called on an inhabitant of Canterbury to whom he had been recommended, to consult with him on the subject of a railway. It was arranged between these two gentlemen that a few persons who it was thought might be favourable to the project should be requested to meet the next day: several were applied to, but the scheme appeared so chimerical that few attended. At the meeting the gentleman stated he had professionally taken a cursory view of the country, and he thought a railway might be constructed from the copperas houses at Whitstable (these houses used to exist on the eastern side of the present harbour) to St. Dunstan’s, Canterbury. This line, he observed, was not so direct as might be the most desirable, but there would not be any deep cutting, and the railway would be formed on a regular ascending and descend. ing inclined plane. He also urged that by the construction of a harbour at Whitstable in conjunction with the projected railway, the problem of making Canterbury an inland seaport would be effectually solved, and that the railway offered undoubted advantages over any waterway scheme in point of reliability and rapidity of conveyance, as well as being only half the length of the proposed navigation.
The railway scheme met with scant support at first, but by 1824 a few private and commercial gentlemen had been found who were willing to form themselves into a company for the prosecution of the project, and they elected to consult Mr. George Stephenson as to the feasibility of their idea. The projector of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, as already said, was the late William James, well-known for the part he took in the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and other lines, and it was no doubt through his influence that it was decided to consult Stephenson, with whom he was very friendly at the time. George Stephenson, however, was too occupied with larger undertakings in the North to give the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway much of his personal attention, so he deputed his assistant, Mr. John Dixon to survey the line.
George Stephenson advised that the railway be made to pass over the ground situate between the [present] tunnel through Tyler Hill and St. Thomas’s Hill onwards through the village of Blean, then to Whitstable, terminating at precisely the same spot as it now does [in 1907], this route being an almost level one, and not necessitating many heavy earthworks. But the proprietors did not behold this route with favour: they wished for the novelty of a tunnel, so a tunnel Stephenson made for them, thereby altering the whole line of railway he first proposed, and causing it to traverse some very undulating and steep country. A survey of the new route was made, which was to the right of the original one, and plans, sections and estimates were duly deposited with Parliament for the Session of 1825.
The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway Bill was not assailed with great opposition, the only body really opposing it being the Whitstable Road Turnpike Trust, who, however, were compromised by the insertion of a clause in the Bill to the effect that ‘should the project be carried into execution, the Company, when formed, will indemnify the Trust to the full amount which they may suffer by traffic being diverted, and that for 20 years’. The Act received Royal Assent on 10th June 1825.” [1: p306-307]
So it was, that work on the railway and harbour went ahead and the improvements to the Stour Navigation were left in abeyance, and the then insignificant village of Whitstable became one of the first places to have a railway.
The Company was formed with a nominal capital of £31,000 divided into £50 shares. Joseph Locke was appointed ‘resident engineer’ and a host of experienced workers (navvies) were brought down from the North of England to work on the line.
North of the railway corridor the route of the old railway, shown in pale orange, runs North-northwest. It crosses Hanover Place twice and runs ups the West side of Beverly Meadow. The route is tree-lined as far as Beaconsfield Road. A footpath runs immediately alongside to the route. That footpath appears as a grey line on the satellite imagery adjacent to this text.
North of Beaconsfield Road the line of the old railway has been built over – private dwellings face out onto the road. North of the rear fences of these properties a tree-line path follows fairly closely the line of the old railway between two modern housing estates as far as the playing fields associated with The Archbishop’s School. [15]
C.R. Henry continues:
“The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway was laid out with gradients almost unique in their steepness, necessitating the major portion of the line being worked by stationary engines. At Canterbury the terminus was situated in North Lane, whence the railway rises in a perfectly straight line on gradients ranging between 1 in 41 and 1 in 56, to the summit of Tyler Hill, a distance of 3,300 yards.
On this section is the Tyler Hill tunnel which the proprietors were so anxious to have. This peculiar little tunnel may be termed the principal engineering feature of the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway: it is half a mile long, and was constructed in four different sections, each of varying gauge. The working face evidently started at the Whitstable side of Tyler Hill, since as it advances towards Canterbury each section becomes larger than the preceding one. The first three sections are the usual egg shape, but the final section, i.e., at the Canterbury or south end, has perpendicular instead of bow walls, and is the largest of the four. In the very early days the Canterbury end of the tunnel was closed at nighttime by wicket gates, and the rides upon which the gates hung are still to be seen in the brickwork. The bore of the tunnel is unusually small specially constructed rolling stock having to be used for the present day passenger service over the line.” [1: p309]
Tyler Hill Tunnel runs underneath the Canterbury Campus of the University of Kent. Its South Portal was adjacent to the Archbishop of Canterbury’s School at the bottom-right of the adjacent satellite image. [15]
Giles Lane appears on both the early OS map extract and this satellite imagery. [8][15]
The North portal of the tunnel is highlighted by a lilac flag on the adjacent satellite image. [15]
Two photographs below show North Portal as it is in the 21st century. It is fenced and gated for safety and security purposes. The first shows the spalling brickwork of the tunnel ring, and the boarding-off of the entrance provided with an access gate. for maintenance purposes. Both were shared on Google Maps.
Tyler Hill Tunnel North Portal, (c) Enigma “Enigma” Hyena. (August 2021)Tyler Hill Tunnel North Portal, (c) Enigma “Enigma” Hyena. (August 2021)The route of the old railway is clearly visible as a straight line in the middle of a wooded strip of land running North-northwest from the North Portal of Tyler Hill Tunnel. [Google Maps, December 2024]Looking North toward the site of the stationary engines from Tyler Wood Road. [Google Streetview, October 2022]
Henry continues his description of the line:
“At the top of the steep bank from Canterbury there stood two 25 h.p. stationary engines for winding the trains up the incline. From where the first engine house stood the line is straight and practically level for the next mile to Clowes Wood summit, where there were two fixed engines of the same type and h.p. as those at the previous stage. The line then descends at 1 in 28 and 1 in 31 for the next mile to a place called Bogshole, so named owing to the once spongy condition of the ground in the vicinity, which was a constant source of trouble during the early days of the railway, as whenever wet weather set in the track invariably subsided with sometimes consequent cessations of traffic for a whole day, and even longer. At Bogshole commences the South Street level, which continues for a mile to the top of Church Street bank, whence the line again falls for half a mile at 1 in 57, the remaining half mile to Whitstable being almost at level.” [1: p310]
The two extracts from railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery above show the route of the old line as it runs down across the line of the modern A299 (at the top of the first image and at the bottom of the second image). In each case, if you cannot see the full image, double-click on it to enlarge it. For the majority of this length the old railway line followed a straight course. [15]
Looking South from the A299 along the route of the old railway, nothing remains to show that this was once the location of the old railway. [Google Streetview, August 2024]Looking North from the A299 along the line of the old railway – there is nothing to see. [Google Streetview, August 2024]At the bottom of the incline the old railway curved a little to the Northwest and met South Street tangentially. A level-crossing took the line across what is now Millstrood Road. [11]The length of the line shown on the OS Map extract above is the bottom half of the old line as it appears on this modern satellite image from railmaponline.com. [15]
The old railway route continues North and after passing through the rear gardens of houses on South Street runs, for a short distance immediately adjacent to South Street.
“Just below the top of Church Street bank is situated the only public road bridge on the railway. This is a narrow brick arch spanning Church Street, and stands today in its original form, notwithstanding the several but fruitless efforts of the local traction engine drivers to affect its displacement with their ponderous machines.” [1: p310]
The bridge to which Henry refers is long-gone in the 21st century. We can still, however, follow much of the route of the old railway.
“Before the completion of these works, … the company had twice to recourse to Parliament for additional capital powers, having exceeded those already granted with the railway in a half-finished state. The first was in 1827, when it was stated that the works authorised in 1825 had made good progress, but for their successful completion a further sum of money to the tune of £19,000 would be required, and for which they now asked. This Act also empowered the company to become carriers of passengers and goods, their original intention being to only levy tolls on all wagons and carriages passing over their line, the railway company providing the tractive power. The Act received royal assent on 2nd April 1827, but the larger portion of it was repealed by another in following year, the directors having found that the £19,000 previously authorised would prove inadequate for their purpose; so in 1828 they again went to Parliament for powers to raise £40,000 in lien thereof, and also petitioned for powers to lease the undertaking should they so desire, for a term not exceeding 14 years. These powers were conceded, and the Act received Royal Assent in May 1828. … The capital of the company aggregated £71,000 before the opening of the railway took place, which sum was further increased by a subsequent Act. … By May 1829, the works were nearing completion [and] … the question of permanent way and the gauge to which it was to be laid, had to be [considered.] … The Stephenson gauge of 4 ft. 8 1/2 in, was adopted. The permanent way … was laid with Birkenshaw’s patent wrought-iron fish-bellied rails and castings, of which George Stephenson highly approved. These rails were rolled in lengths of 15 ft.and weighed 28lb to the yard. The castings were spiked to oak sleepers placed at intervals of 3 ft., and the sheeves upon which the winding ropes of the stationary engines ran were situated in the centre of the track fixed to the sleepers at intervals of 6 ft.” [1: p310-311]
Henry continues:
With “all earthworks completed, engine houses, engines and stationary engines erected, permanent way laid, and everything generally ready to be brought into use, excepting the harbour, which was not completed for a year or two later, the Company announced the formal opening of the railway for 3rd May 1830.” [1: p311]
Of that day in 1830, the Kent Herald wrote:
“The day being remarkably fine, the whole City seemed to have poured forth its population, and company from the surrounding country continuing to augment the throng. By eleven o’clock, the time appointed for the procession to start, the assemblage of spectators was immense. The fields on each side of the line of road being crowded by well-dressed people of all ages, presented one of the most lively scenes we have witnessed for some time. The arrangements were so judiciously made, that by a quarter past eleven the procession was set in motion, the signal for starting having been given by telegraph. The bells of the Cathedral rang merrily at intervals during the day, and flags were displayed on the public buildings and railway. The following is the order of the procession:
1. Carriage with the directors of the Railway Company wearing white rosettes.
2. A coach with the Aldermen and other Members of the Canterbury Corporation.
3. A carriage with ladies.
4. A carriage with a band of music.
5. Carriages with ladies.
6 to 20. Carriages containing the Proprietors of the Railway, their friends, etc., in all amounting to near three hundred.
The procession was drawn forward in two divisions until it arrived at the first engine station, in which manner also it entered Whitstable, preceded by the locomotive engine. The various carriages contained nearly 300 persons, consisting of the principal gentry, citizens, and inhabitants of Canterbury and its neighbourhood. At Whitstable an excellent lunch was provided for the company by the Directors at the Cumberland Arms.” [14]
The inaugural train sets off from Canterbury and approaches Tyler Hill Tunnel South Portal. [1: p305]The return journey with the inaugural train leaving Whitstable and heading South for Canterbury. [1: p312]‘Invicta’ – the first engine used on the Canterbury’s and Whitstable Railway standing in 1950 on a plinth in Dane Jon Park, Canterbury. [19: p107]
The Kent Herald continues:
“On returning, the procession was joined at the Engine Station, and the whole went forward into Canterbury together.
The motion of the carriages is particularly easy and agreeable, and at first starting the quiet power with which the vast mass was set in motion dispelled every fear in the passengers. The entrance into the Tunnel was very impressive – the total darkness, the accelerated speed, the rumbling of the car, the loud cheering of the whole party echoing through the vault, combined to form a situation almost terrific – certainly novel and striking. Perfect confidence in the safety of the whole apparatus
The Crab and Winkle Line Trust tells us that the locomotive that pulled that first passenger train on the line was ‘Invicta’. They go on to say that the ‘Crab and Winkle Line’ became:
“the ‘first regular steam passenger railway in the world’ as stated in the Guinness Book of Records. … The ‘Invicta’ was based on Stephenson’s more famous ‘Rocket’ which came into service four months later on the Liverpool to Manchester line. Unfortunately with just 12 horse power the ‘Invicta’ could not cope with the gradients and was only used [regularly] on the section of line between Bogshole and South Street. The rest of the line was hauled by cables using steam driven static winding engines at the Winding Pond in Clowes Wood and the Halt on Tyler Hill Road. The Winding Pond also supplied water to the engines. … By 1836 the ‘Invicta’ was replaced and a third winding engine was built at South Street. The line was a pioneer in railway engineering using embankments, cuttings, level crossings, bridges and an 836 yard (764 metre) tunnel through the high ground at Tyler Hill. The railway was worked with old engines and ancient carriages always blackened by soot from the journey through the tunnel. It was said that goods trains tended to slow down for their crews to check pheasant traps in the woods and to pick mushrooms in the fields.”
“Journey times in the 1830s were approximately 40 minutes, but by 1846 with improvements to both the line and the locomotive, the trip took just 20 minutes. This is a very respectable time especially when compared with today’s often congested roads. … In 1839, the ‘Invicta’ was offered for sale as the three stationary engines were found to be adequate for working the whole line. The one enquiry came to nothing and the locomotive was put under cover. In 1846, The South Eastern Railway reached Canterbury and acquired the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway in 1845. The branch was relaid with heavier rail and locomotives replaced the stationary engines. For many years the ‘Invicta’ was displayed by the city wall and Riding Gate in Canterbury. The ‘Invicta’ is now displayed in the Canterbury museum.” [17]
A later article about the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway, written by D. Crook, was carried by The Railway Magazine in February 1951. [19]
Crook says that the Canterbury & Whitstable was “the first railway in England to convey ordinary passengers in steam-hauled trains. … In 1832, Whitstable Harbour was opened and … a steamer later ran … between Whitstable and London. During the 1840s, the South Eastern Railway took an interest in the Canterbury & Whitstable line. The S.E.R. leased it in 1844, commenced working it in 1846, and eventually bought it outright in 1853. From 6th April 1846, it was worked throughout its length by locomotive traction, when a junction was made at Canterbury with the South Eastern line from Ashford to Margate.” [19: p125] It was at this time that the stationary engines became surplus to requirements.
“The financial receipts improved steadily and throughout the remainder of the nineteenth century the line was prosperous. In 1860, the London, Chatham & Dover Railway reached Whitstable, and shortly afterwards was extended to Margate. The South Eastern Railway opposed the construction of this line and, of course, there was no connection between the two railways at Whitstable. Early in the [20th] century intermediate halts were built at South Street, and Tyler Hill, both serving scattered communities between Whitstable and Canterbury, and a new station was provided at Whitstable Harbour, on a site just outside the harbour. In 1913, the South Eastern & Chatham Railway, into which the L.C.D.R. and S.E.R. had merged, built the present Whitstable & Tankerton Station on the main line. The Canterbury & Whitstable Railway crossed over this line just beyond the end of the platforms, and a halt was built on the bridge at the point of crossing. Steps connected the two stations and special facilities, such as cheap day tickets between Herne Bay and Canterbury via Whitstable, were commenced. After the first world war, local bus competition became intensive and the inevitable decline followed. In 1930, it was decided to close the line to passengers and the last passenger train ran on 31st December of that year. This decision must have brought the Southern Railway more relief than regret, for, in consequence of the one tunnel (Tyler Hill) on the route, clearances are very limited, and only selected engines and special coaching stock can work over it. From 1931 onwards the line has been used regularly for goods traffic, and today [in 1950], with total closure a possibility in the near future, it provides a wealth of interest.” [19: p125-126]
In 1950, Crook took his own journey along the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway which began at “Canterbury West Station, the bay platform from which the Whitstable trains ran [was] now disused. The railway [curved] sharply towards Whitstable, and immediately [left the main] line. The single track [climbed] up through the outskirts of Canterbury, and [entered] the first railway tunnel to be built in the world.” [19: p126]
We need to pause for a moment to note that Tyler Hill’s claim was actually to being the first tunnel which passenger services passed through. (Haie Hill Tunnel in the Forest of Dean was an earlier structure but was only used for goods services.)
Tyler Hill Tunnel restricted the dimensions of locomotives and rolling-stock on the line. Nothing wider than 9ft. 3in. or higher than 11ft. could work through the tunnel which was nearly half a mile in length. The gradient through the tunnel (1 in 50) continued North of the tunnel for a total length of two miles.
Crook mentions passing Tyler Hill level crossing but noted that there was no sign of the passenger halt which once stood there. He continues: “Entering woodland country, the line … begins to drop sharply towards Whitstable. The gradients on the descent have been widely quoted as 1 in 31 and 1 in 28, but [Crook notes] the gradient boards [he saw] show them as 1 in 32 and 1 in 30. In any case, they are among the steepest to be found on a British railway. At the foot of this bank, the woods are left behind and another level stretch follows: it was at this point that Invicta used to be coupled on to the trains. The line then approaches South Street Halt, of which the platform has been removed and the waiting room only remains. The level crossing gates there, and similarly at Tyler Hill, are operated by the resident of a nearby house, the train indicating its approach by prolonged whistling. Nearing the outskirts of Whitstable, the line passes under an imposing road bridge built in 1935 by the Kent Kent County Council and carrying the A299 road which takes the bulk of the road traffic to the Kent coast. … The final steep drop into Whitstable is at 1 in 57 and 1 in 50. A road is crossed on a picturesque brick arch, which is still in its original condition, although it is undoubtedly awkward for road traffic because of its narrowness and oblique position. Immediately beyond this bridge is a much more modern one carrying the railway over the main Victoria-Ramsgate line at a point (as mentioned earlier) just clear of the main line Whitstable Station. Not a trace remains of Tankerton Halt.” [19: p126-127]
“By 1914, the railway was running regular services for day-trippers and Tankerton was becoming a thriving tourist destination, with tea shacks and beach huts springing up along the coast. 1914 also saw the outbreak of WW1 and the Crab and Winkle Railway was passed into the hands of the Government for the next 5 years. Passenger services were halted and the railway and harbour were used to transport much needed resources to the Western Front. These included livestock, horses, ammunition and trench building equipment.” [18] After the war, the return of passenger services did not result in the same level of patronage as before the war.
Crook continues his 1950s commentary: “Half a mile on lies the harbour, from the railway viewpoint, a pathetic sight. Both stations are still standing, the original inside the harbour gates, and the later one just outside and separated from the harbour by the main road through Whitstable. Level-crossing gates are provided there. The original station is completely derelict, and the later station, now closed for over 20 years, from the outside at least, is little better. This building has been leased for various purposes, and at present is the headquarters of the local sea cadets. Devoid of paint, and with the platform surface overgrown with weeds, it makes a very sad commentary on the march of time. The small signal box which stood there has been completely removed. A loop is provided for the engine to work round its train and this is the only section of double track along the whole six miles. The harbour itself is as pathetic as the derelict stations, with a profusion of sidings which could hold without difficulty 70 to 80 trucks. Thus the handful of trucks, rarely more than 15, lying in one or two of the sidings, serve only to remind of a past prosperity now not enjoyed. Small coastal steamers and barges carrying mostly grain and stone use the harbour, which suffers badly from the disadvantage of being tidal.” [19: p127]
It is worth commenting that Whitstable has seen a renaissance in the late 20th- and early 21st- centuries. It is a pleasant place to wander and has seen a real recovery in its economy.
Crook continues his 1950s commentary: “There are now no signals along the track but the telegraph wires appear intact, though off their poles in some places. A modern touch is provided by standard Southern Railway cast-concrete gradient signs and mile posts. The latter give the route miles to London via Canterbury East and Ashford, and, as a point of interest, by this route London is [76.25] miles from Whitstable compared with 59 miles by the Victoria-Ramsgate main line. … Originally two goods trains each day were needed to keep abreast of the traffic, but now one is ample. It takes half-an-hour to arrive from Canterbury, there is an hour’s leisurely shunting in the harbour, and the return to Canterbury is made at about 1 p.m. There is no train on Sundays. Goods carried mostly are confined to coal into Whitstable and grain into Ashford. At one time coal from the Kent mines was exported from Whitstable, but now the coal which comes this way is entirely for local use and is not a product off the local coalfields alone, but mostly from the Midlands. In the other direction, grain is unloaded at Whitstable from class “R1” six-coupled freight tanks which are in accord with the historical traditions of the line, for no fewer than three Chief Mechanical Engineers have shared in producing the version seen today. Originally known as Class ‘R’, they were built between 1888 and 1898 by the South Eastern Railway and were among the last engines to appear from Ashford under the Stirling regime, 25 being built in all. On the formation of the S.E.C.R.. some of the class were modified by Wainwright and classified R1, a total of 23 ‘Rs’ and ‘R1s’ survived to be included in the Southern Railway stock list. Nine of these subsequently were further modified to enable them to work over the Canterbury & Whitstable line and succeeded some of Cudworth’s engines. At the end of 1950, all the ‘Rs’ and all but 10 of the ‘R1s’ had been scrapped. The surviving ‘R1s’ which can work this route are Nos. 31010, (now 61 years old). 31069, 31147, 31339, and these engines all make regular appearances.” [19: p127-128]
Because of the gradients on the line, working rules stipulated that trains had to be limited to 300 tons (18 loaded trucks) from Canterbury to Whitstable, and 200 tons in the other direction, but by the early 1950s loads rarely approached these figures. “Modifications were necessary to reduce the height of the ‘Rs’ and ‘Ris’ so that they could negotiate the tunnel on the branch, these alterations included the fitting of a short stove pipe chimney, a smaller dome, and pop safety valves. The ‘R1’ rostered for duty on the Canterbury and Whitstable line spends the rest of its day as yard pilot in the sidings at Canterbury West. It is coaled and watered there, and returns to Ashford only at weekends.” [19: p128]
The reduced headroom in the tunnel also meant that while most open type wooden and steel trucks were permitted over the route, no closed wagons were. “For the grain traffic, special 12-ton tarpaulin hopper wagons were used. These [had] fixed side flaps and [were] all inscribed with the legend ‘When empty return to Whitstable Harbour’. Special brake vans [were] used also. Because of weight restrictions, the ‘R1s'[were] not allowed over all the harbour sidings, and trucks there [were] horse drawn or man-handled.” [19: p128]
Crook concludes his article with some comments which were topical at the time of writing: “In recent years there has been strong agitation for the railway to be re-opened for passengers, but these efforts have been unsuccessful. It had been suggested that, as Canterbury is to be a local centre for the Festival of Britain, and the line has such an historical background, a passenger service should be reinstated for a trial period during the coming summer, but this was considered impracticable. … Perhaps specially-built diesel railcars would provide a satisfactory solution. On the other hand however strong the case for re-opening, it must be admitted that the need for special rolling stock constitutes a serious difficulty.” [19: p128]
“The line was in use for over 120 years. Passengers were carried until 1931 after which the line was used for goods only. The line finally closed on the 1st of December 1952, but was re-opened for several weeks in 1953 after the great floods cut the main coastal line on the 31st of January. The line was offered for sale in the late 1950s and large sections of the line were sold to private landowners. … The world’s oldest railway bridge in Whitstable was knocked down in 1971 to make way for cars. Thirty metres of the tunnel collapsed in 1974 and by 1997 the whole route was disused built on, or overgrown, almost entirely forgotten…” [17]
Two short notes about the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway:
A. A Canterbury and Whitstable Echo (The Railway Magazine, June 1959)
“Indignation has been expressed by residents in Whitstable at a recent substantial increase in the local rates, and the Urban District Council has been criticised for purchasing the harbour last year from the British Transport Com-mission for £12,500. This purchase accounts for 5d. of the 4s. 4d. increase in the rates. Whitstable Harbour was the first in the world to be owned by a railway company; it was among the works authorised by the Canterbury & Whitstable Act of incorporation of June 10, 1825. The railway was closed completely in December, 1952, and has been dismantled. In present circumstances, it probably is but cold comfort for the disgruntled residents to stress the historical interest of the harbour, quite apart from its commercial value. For them the fact remains that the purchase by the local authority of this adjunct to the pioneer railway in Kent has resulted in an increase in their rates.” [22]
B. Whitstable Harbour (The Railway Magazine, September 1959)
“Sir, Your editorial note in the June issue is of considerable interest to railway historians, for in addition to the fact that Whitstable Harbour was the first in the world to be owned by a railway company, it was also via this harbour that one of the earliest combined railway and steamboat bookings was introduced … In 1836, a local steam packet company agreed with the Canterbury & Whitstable Railway for the issue of tickets between Canterbury and London, and advertised that the ship William the Fourth, with Captain Thomas Minter, would leave Whitstable at 12 o’clock every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and that the connecting train from Canterbury would leave that station at 11 o’clock. The journey from London would be made on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The advertised single fares (including the railway journey) from Canterbury to London were in chief cabin 6s., children 4s.; and in fore cabin 5s., children 3s. 6d. The advertisement was headed with a small picture of the steam packet and the words, ‘Steam to London from Whitstable and Canterbury to Dyers Hall Steam Packet Wharf near London Bridge‘.” [23]
NB: There is at least a question mark to the assertion that Whitstable Harbour was the first in the world to be owned by a railway company. We know that Port Darlington was opened in December 1830. Whitstable harbour was built in 1832 to serve the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway which opened earlier. [24]
References
C.R. Henry; The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway: The Second Public Railway Opened in England; in The Railway Magazine, London, October 1907, p305-313.
It has taken me a while to get round to completing this article! ….
Saturday 6th May 2023 was the first time that I had been able to visit the Cavan & Leitrim at Dromod. A planned visit in 2020 was prevented by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated lockdown which was enforced for our safety.
We were en-route, on 6th May, from Co. Donegal to Dublin after two great weeks following the route of the Burtonport Extension Railway between Burtonport and Letterkenny.
I had been intending to drop in to see the preservation society at Dromod either on the way to Co. Donegal or on the return journey. The second option worked in best with our travel arrangements.
My wife granted me an hour or so of freedom to explore the site at Dromod. Jo decided that she’d enjoy reading her novel more than traipsing around another railway related site. She had, after all, spent a good bit of her holiday walking along the track bed of abandoned railways.
My previous articles about Dromod and the first length of the Cavan & Leitrim Railway from Dromod to …. can be found on these links:
The first image below shows the site of the two stations at Dromod as they appear on Google Earth’s satellite imagery.
Dromod’s railway stations as they appear on Google Earth. [Google Earth, 18th July 2023]
Drumod/Dromod on the 1″ OSi mapping of the mid-20th century. The Iarnrod Eireann Line runs from the centre-bottom of the image in a Northwest direction. The Cavan & Leitrim Railway curved away to the East from its terminus close to the mainline station.
Dromod Iarnrod Eireann Railway Station seen from the road-bridge over the approach to the station from the South. The Cavan & Leitrim Station building is hidden behind the mainline building. The Goods Shed associated with the mainline station can be seen beyond the footbridge sitting at the end of the platform. [Google Streetview, September 2019]A platform level view of the Iarnrod Eireann Station looking North. The Cavan & Leitrim Railway Station sits behind the Station buildings in this view. Just visible above the train is the roofline of the mainline Goods Shed. [1]The Station Approach seen from the East. The Cavan & Leitrim Railway terminus can be seen on the right of the picture, the Iarnrod Eireann Station building is on the left. [Google Streetview, May 2009]The Cavan & Leitrim Railway terminus buildings at Dromod as seen from the Station Approach to the mainline station. The platform face was approximately on the line of the picket fence.[Goggle Streetview, May 2009]The street side approach to the station building. The photograph is taken looking North. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]The two stations as they appear on the 25″ OSi survey of the early 20th century. The northern approach to each station seems to have been guarded by an abattoir! [2]Three enlarged extracts from the same mapping make it easier to pick out details at the two station sites. North of the mainline Goods Shed, there appears to have been a goods transfer platform with the 3ft gauge siding on its East side and an Irish standard-gauge line on its West side. These three map extract do not properly show the Cavan & Leitrim Railway carriage and engine shed. The next map extract shows both these buildings which were to the North of the passenger facilities. [2]This map extract from the 25″ OSi survey shows the Cavan & Leitrim carriage shed, engine shed and turntable close to the centre of the image, the standard-gauge Goods Shed and the transfer platform are to the left of the image. [2]
The preservation line is only short in length and extends as far as the limits of the site permits towards Mohill. However, it is rightly proud of its work and continues to achieve much more than might be expected given the relatively small number of volunteers. You can visit its website by clicking here. [3]
Trains run on Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays. The group also has a transport museum, with narrow-gauge trains of every gauge, buses, planes, fire engines and artillery guns from WW1 and WW2.
‘Nancy’ sits alongside the Water Tower, outside the Engine Shed, at Dromod. She was not in steam on 6th May 2023. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]
‘Nancy’ was refurbished in the years prior to the pandemic. Work was finally completed in 2019. ‘The Railway Hub‘ reported the completion of the work on 22nd September 2019: “The restoration of the Cavan & Leitrim Railway’s Avonside 0-6-0T Nancy is officially complete after 22 years’ work and £160,000 investment. The former ironstone loco returned to steam at Alan Keef’s Ross-on-Wye workshops in March, but was delivered to Dromod without its brass dome cover as this was still being manufactured by ‘The Dorset Copperfish’. The new dome was finally delivered by Alan Keef on 27th July, and C&L volunteers wasted no time fitting it to Nancy as a final finishing touch.” [4]
The pictures taken at the preservation/museum site below are predominantly my own and were taken on 6th May 2023. By no means are these an exhaustive survey of the exhibits at Dromod.
We start with Michael Kennedy showing me Tralee and Dingle Railway Carriage No.10 (1891) which is stored in the carriage shed at Dromod awaiting restoration.
Tralee and Dingle Railway Carriage No.10T (1891) which is stored in the carriage shed at Dromod awaiting restoration. Michael is pointing to the faded CIE logo on the carriage side. It was in 1945 that Córas Iompair Éireann (CIÉ) was founded, uniting the Great Southern Railways with the Dublin United Tramway Company. The name means “Irish Transport Service” in the Irish language. CIÉ began its operations on 1st January 1945 as a private company with shares traded on the Dublin stock exchange. The Tralee & Dingle Railway became part of its empire! [My photograph, 6th May 2023]An internal view of Tralee & Dingle Carriage No. 10T which sits under cover awaiting restoration. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]
Tralee & Dingle Railway Carriage No. 10T sits in the Carriage Shed at Dromod awaiting restoration. It is one of a pair of Tralee &Dingle carriages (7T and 10T). Its sister (7T) is currently in Cumbria. Both carriages were built by the Bristol Wagon and Carriage Works, 7T in 1890 and 10T in 1891. They served on the Tralee & Dingle until it closed to passenger traffic in 1939 and we’re then moved to the West Clare Railway.
They served on the West Clare until the West Clare section was dieselised in the 1950’s and the carriages became redundant, they were then sold off as bodies and used as holiday homes and huts. Number 7T and 10T became huts for drainage contractor Gerry Walsh. Micheal Kennedy recovered the carriages a number of years back. 7T is being restored in Cumbria, as of 2023, work is ongoing on the bogies and chassis.
To find out more about these carriages and about donations to the work being undertaken please follow this link. [5]
Also at Dromod is railcar trailer No. 47C of the CIE West Clare Section. Originally built in 1890 by the Bristol Carriage and Wagon Company for the Tralee & Dingle Railway as a wooden bodied 3rd Class 34 seat carriage, it carried the number 6 on the Tralee & Dingle. On one of its windows is a short history of carriage conversions undertaken to make railcar trailer No. 47C.
Wikipedia informs us that “the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge industrial railway. It was a relatively long line, built for the construction and subsequent maintenance of a 15-mile-long (24-kilometre) tunnel from Loch Treig to a factory near Fort William in Scotland.[1] The tunnel was excavated to carry water for the Lochaber hydroelectric scheme in connection with aluminium production by British Aluminium. The railway came to be known colloquially as the ‘Old Puggy Line’.” [7]
A proper look at the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway is for another time but it ran from Fort William to Loch Treig and on to the Laggan Dam on Loch Spean, as shown below.
Thes five extract from RailMapOnline taken together show the full length of the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway. Opened in 1925, the Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway finally closed in 1977. [8]
Back to the Cavan and Leitrim at Dromod. The museum includes a series of different means of transportation. Just a few photos from my visit in 2023.
A Great Northern Railway Gardner bus sits in front of carriage 10T in the carriage shed. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]One of the Bergbolagen Rail Tricycles restored by volunteers at the Cavan and Leitrim Railway. This tricycle was last in use by Bord na Mona on Clonsast Bog in County Kildare. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]
The Cavan and Leitrim Railway has restored two 3 foot gauge Bergbolagen Rail Tricycles, part of a batch purchased by Bord na Mona (The Irish Turf Board) in 1957 from the Bergbolagen Company in Stockholm, Sweden, the yellow one was used on Clonsast Bog in County Kildare, the green one (running second on the video) was used on Boora Bog in County Offaly. Andrew Wilson kindly donated the parts (rescued in the 1970s) from which both of these machines were restored. [9]
A replica 3 ft gauge rail inspection bicycle built by Cavan and Leitrim volunteers using the frames of 2 1920s “High Nelly’s” and original early 1900s american Teetor & Hartley wheels. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]The Guinness Steam Loco (No. 22) at the Cavan & Leitrim at Dromod was 100 years old in 2012 which made it 111 years old in 2023. This is it, in storage at Dromod on 6th May 2023. Loco No. 22 was built in Spense’s foundry, Cork Street, Dublin in 1912. It was part of an extensive network of locos in the Guinness brewery at St. James’s Gate in Dublin and continued in operations until 1957. In August 2003, No. 22 arrived in Dromod and since then, hard work began to restore it back to its former glory. So far the bodywork has been restored. No. 22 isn’t fully restored. Its Boiler is missing. The task of replacing it has proven challenging as it is designed to run on a 1ft 10in track, slightly narrower than the standard of 2ft. However that doesn’t mean it will never be restored. The Cavan & Leitrim continue in their search for the best replacement boiler and hope some day soon No. 22 will return to steam. [10]
Hidden amongst series of different important relics are two wagons. The first shown below comes from the West Clare Railway, the second
A chassis and frame from a 5 ton covered wagon from the West Clare Railway in storage at Dromod. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]A 2-plank China Clay wagon from North Devon built by Marshalls in 1880 in store at the Cavan & Leitrim Railway at Dromod. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]A restored two-plank wagon No.4318. [My photograph, 6th May 2023]
In April 1920, a couple of paragraphs in The Railway Magazine focussed on a new experimental Railmotor constructed by New South Wales Railways. [1]
Railmotor No. 1
In April 1920, The Railway Magazine reported that New South Wales’ Railway Commissioners introduced a railmotor service on the Lismore line, an isolated section on the North Coast. The railmotor car was provided by converting and lengthening to 8 ft. 6 in. the chassis of a five-ton Moreland motor lorry. The front pair of wheels were also replaced by a four-wheeled bogie. The railmotor provided seating accommodation for 33 passengers, and was designed and constructed at the carriage and wagon shops of the system at Eveleigh, Sydney. [1]
Before being placed in service, a severe trial run was made, and proved in every way to be most successful; a I in 40 grade being taken at a speed of 18 m.p.h. The time-table was arranged for speeds up to 25 mph. The Railway Magazine noted that if found satisfactory in continued service similar rail-motor services would be introduced on other branch lines. [1]
NSW Railmotor No. 1 was powered by a 42 hp 4-cylinder American Waukesha petrol engine. This engine was later replaced by a 40 hp British Thornycroft 4-cylinder petrol engine. This vehicle proved a success on the line between Lismore and Grafton. [3]
“The wooden body … was finished in narrow tongue and groove boards. It was divided into three separate sections, accommodating 33 passengers and 2 crew. The first section was the cab, which accommodated the train crew (the driver and the guard). The second section (the forward compartment) accommodated 23 passengers and the third section (the rear compartment) was a smoking area and accommodated 10 passengers. The two passenger compartments were fitted with transverse seats and drop type windows, and each compartment had two doors, which opened outwards. There was no interconnection between the three compartments. Steps were fitted under each of the doors to allow passengers to alight from the vehicle to ground level.” [3]
“The Railmotor was designed to run in one direction only and draw-gear was fitted to the trailing end so that a trailer could be attached for hauling light goods and parcels. A collapsible tricycle (trike) was also carried for the train crew’s use in case of an emergency or breakdown in the section. This was carried on the back of the Railmotor.” [3]
“In November 1925, after six years of reliable service, [this vehicle] was withdrawn from passenger traffic and it took on a new role as the Signal Engineer’s inspection car. It subsequently lost its title of Railmotor No.1 as this was re-allocated to one the newly designed 42-foot Railmotors in November 1926.” [3]
“No. 1 was finally withdrawn from railway service in 1930. The body was sold and it began a new life as a house in the Coffs Harbour region, while the chassis was scrapped.” [3]
As we have already noted, one drawback with Railmotor No.1 was that it was only single ended and needed to be turned at the terminus for the return journey. Therefore double-ended operation was to be provided in the next prototype vehicle, Railmotor No.2, built in 1921. [3] Both trial vehicles were sufficiently successful to mean that the railway company went on to use a number of Railmotors.
Railmotor No. 2
Railmotor No. 2 (Kathleen)! “An end-platform suburban type carriage, FA 1864, was chosen for this experimental vehicle. Eveleigh Carriage Works converted this carriage to a Railmotor while its mechanical parts and the petrol engine were designed and built in Eveleigh Locomotive Works.” [3]
Configured as a railmotor, Kathleen (never its official name) “was divided into 4 sections, accommodating 53 passengers and 2 crew. [A] driving [cab was] positioned at each end. The First Class section accommodated 16 passengers, while the Second Class section accommodated 37 passengers. … Driving cabs were mounted in the centre of the end platforms at each end of the vehicle. Entry to the cab was gained through a back door that opened into the passenger compartment. The driving controls were arranged to allow the vehicle to be driven from either end and this meant the vehicle did not have to be turned for the return journey.” [3]
The first class section of the Railmotor “occupied one third of the vehicle’s length and the second class area occupied the remaining two thirds. Access to either area was gained through a door contained in a wall separating the two compartments. The engine protruded through the floor of the second class area and was covered by a padded fixture providing seating for an additional 5 passengers. This fixture measured 10′ 6″ x 3′ 6″. Battery boxes were also located in this central area and these to were covered with padded seats providing seating for 12 passengers.” [3]
“Railmotor No. 2 was powered by a 6-cylinder 100 hp (@1,000 rpm) petrol engine manufactured in the Eveleigh Railway Workshops. This engine was regarded as a fine piece of engineering, as it was reversible. That is, it could be turned in either direction and it contained features such as coil ignition, seven bearing crankshaft, together with overhead valves and camshaft. To make the engine turn in the opposite direction a camshaft containing two sets of cams was slid into position by means of compressed air. This engine weighed 22 cwt. A three-speed gearbox was coupled by cardan-shaft to both axles on one bogie. The vehicle was geared to give a road speed of 40 mph (@1,425 rpm) in top gear. Total weight of the vehicle of 26 tons 7 cwt 2 qtr.” [4]
“As the Railmotor could run in either direction, buffers, cowcatchers and standard screw drawgear were mounted on headstocks at either end and electric headlights were mounted above each of the driver’s windscreens. Electric lighting was used for the cab and compartment areas.” [4]
“Railmotor No.2 ran trials between Tamworth and Barraba on the 29th April, 1921. On the 15th October, 1922, the public timetable officially showed the railmotor, which provided a faster daily service (except Sundays) in place of the three times weekly mixed train service.” [4]
“No.2 failed to complete about two thirds of its allotted mileage during the first twelve months of operation and this poor performance was put down to undulating grades on the Barraba branch. The unit was eventually withdrawn from this working in November 1924. The unit proved a little more successful when it was trialled on the easier graded Burren Junction to Pokataroo branch during 1925.” [4]
It was withdrawn from service “in November 1925 and reverted to its original role as a suburban carriage number FA 1864. The engine that powered No.2 found a new life driving a water pump at Armidale and later at Valley Heights. … A proposal to construct another five cars similar to Kathleen but with an increased seating capacity lapsed. New designs proceeded and the standard 42-foot railmotor emerged.” [4]
References
Petrol Railmotor Car: New South Wales Government Railways; in The Railway Magazine, April 1920, p230.
Both the Rimutaka Incline and the Raurimu Sprial were highlighted by Will Lawson in an article in The Railway Magazine in 1909. [1]
The Rimutaka Incline
Will Lawson wrote about the mountain railways of New Zealand in the August 1909 issue of The Railway Magazine. [1] The two principal lines on the South Island were under construction at the time of his article. Those on the North Island were already in use.We look first at the Rimutaka Incline. …
“It is raining at Cross Creek, that lonely railway outpost at the foot of the Rimutaka Incline. Heavy vapours cling to the mountain, and out across the valley only a cloak of mist is to be seen. In the winter twilight, the mail train from Napier arrives. The engine which has hauled it over the plains is uncoupled. With her big driving – wheels, she could hardly propel herself up the 1 in 15 grade which now confronts her, and she gives way to two black, squat-funnelled Fell engines, which already are moving out from the running-shed to be attached to the train. They are followed by No. 66, a huge freight engine, which rolls along with an air of supreme disgust, as though this business of climbing mountains was beneath her contempt. These grimy black monsters, with never a gleam of brass about them, take the mail to the summit-No. 66 in the lead, and the two Fell engines at convenient distances, sandwiched among the carriages, while three brake-vans bring up the rear. These have powerful brakes, which operate on a centre rail laid between the usual rails carrying the wheels. On this rail the Fell engines also grip with their bevel grip-wheels. The carriage lamps are lighted, and the Cyclopean eye of each steel Goliath gleams through the rain. It is 21 miles to the summit, on a greasy rail, up the side of a black, wet mountain. Yet a glance at the hissing, steaming engines now attached to the train gives reassurance. They have an air of irresistibility that is most convincing, and they apparently scorn the grade which rises abruptly outside the level station yard. The leading engine blows her whistle; the sound is echoed by the other two; white steam shoots skyward; and the train glides away from the lonely settlement.
Standing on the level, the water-gauges appear to be empty, but as the engine meets the hill and her bevel-wheels slide on to the centre rail to be firmly clutched thereon by a powerful lever, the water, owing to the tilt of the engine, rises in the glass to a normal level. One reason for not filling the boiler up when on the level is that if there is too much water in the boiler, the heavy blast of the exhaust steam causes ‘priming’. This, of course, is fatal to effective driving.
The bevel wheels on the Fell are driven by an engine distinct from that which drives the ordinary driving-wheels, and as both sets of wheels slip occasionally, the exhaust from the Fell engines occurs with some irregularity. The effect is peculiar, suggestive of an asthmatic Samson climbing a greasy pole. In contrast, the steady thrash! thrash! of No. 66 has dignity. The pace is the merest crawl, scarcely exceeding a walking pace, and the din from the three engines is deafening. This is due to the extremely high pressure at which the boilers are worked. The exhaust steam, mingled with smoke, shoots up for a distance of some 30 ft., and there swirls and hangs in a heavy cloud, which, dimly seen in the coming darkness, marks the progress of the train along the mountain side. The glare from the open fire-doors transforms the cloud of steam into a mass of wicked red vapours, which, with the black, foggy mountains and yawning ravines, makes the scene almost Mephistophelean in its luridness. The train of carriages appears as a procession of glow-worms crawling through a night of foggy density.
On the Incline the shovel is never idle, and in the half-hour occupied in making the ascent the fireman exerts enough energy to run her 20 miles or so on the level. Even on the ends of the hair of his head drops of perspiration cling. In the cab there is only that shielded lamp, so designed that it throws its light on the water-gauge and steam-gauge. The driver’s eyes are shielded from it, as they also are from the furnace glare. Drivers and firemen may elect to work on this section of line or not, as they choose. Extra pay is given them, and in the busy season a great deal of overtime is to be earned. There is one driver who has continued on this run for 20 years, and there are others who are content to stay, despite the, to the lay mind, severity of the ordeal to be gone through in each up-run, especially on thick, wet nights. On such occasions the engine eats coal – one may almost hear her chewing it, and the resulting smoke is suffocating in the tunnels of which there are three – two short ones on the way up and a long curving one at the summit. Best Coalbrookdale is burned – the hottest, cleanest coal obtainable.
Now, some distance up the track looms the first tunnel, piercing an outstanding spur. The engine whistles, there is a sound of slamming windows, with which the engines are fitted, and then such a pandemonium of sound as cannot be imagined. It is an inferno. The 30-foot column of expanding steam and smoke is confined by the tunnel’s arch about 2 ft. above the funnel, and there follows a terrific compression which forces the hot vapours into the engine-cab in spite of windows. Each thrash of the spouting funnel stuns like a blow, the sulphur suffocates, the heat scorches. And on top of all these the fireman opens the fire-door and tosses coal in. Then it seems that there is no air to breathe at all. The wet rail is making the pace slower than usual, though the leading engine, having a dry rail in the tunnel, is exerting herself to get out as quickly. as possible. Still the stuttering, thrashing exhaust thuds on the tunnel’s arch: the tiny lamp in the cab gleams faintly through the smoke; the wicked red shafts from the air-holes in the fire-door radiate their redness in the suffocating atmosphere. Then the clamour of the funnel quietens; the windows are shot open; driver and fireman lean out to breathe God’s air once more. The men in the second and third engines have a worse time than those in the leader, as the tunnel becomes hotter and more foul with the passage of each engine. Onward, upward, she goes – slipping and racing – sanding and swearing. When the wheels slip, sand is thrown upon the rail, but before this is done, steam is shut off. If the sand were thrown under the spinning wheels while steam is on, possibly every rod and crank would be broken owing to the sudden check to the revolving wheel jarring these parts and throwing undue strain upon them.
Another tunnel is passed through, after which the pace quickens. The ‘long straight’ is reached. Here the grade is easier, and the line is straight. So the engines quicken their stroke, and when the last tunnel appears, they are making better time. Into this horseshoe shaped hole in the mountain crest the one-eyed, black giant of steel thunders. She crashes and rumbles along, her crew coughing in the smoky atmosphere. Then clang-clang! clang-clang! A bell, swung at the side of the tunnel and rung by the wheels of each passing vehicle, cries weirdly, telling that the uphill fight is over, the level road is here at last. The engine’s beat becomes more rapid as each carriage tops the grade to the ringing of the bell. As the other engines reach level ground the pace becomes the normal pace of a train running into a station. Ding-dong! ding-dong! A deep-toned bell moans its message through the vaulted place. The grade is a down one now, into the Summit station. The centre grip-rail ends abruptly, and the train rolls into the Summit yard, where an engine of the usual tank type takes it over from the monsters of the mountains, and away down the 1 in 35 grades which lead to Wellington.” [1: p123-126]
The Rimutaka Incline was built in the early 1870s and, as of 1909, was the steepest commercial railway in the world (the only railway on a grade of 1 in 15 on which ordinary rolling stock was used). “It [crossed] a spur of the Tararua Range at an elevation of 1,114 ft. above sea-level, and about a dozen trains [passed] over it in each direction daily.” [1: p121] It avoided what would have been a 25 mile (or more) deviation. Until the middle of the first decade of the 20th century, the line was worked by Fell locomotives alone, by 1909 a Mallet type of locomotive (designed and built in New Zealand specifically for work on the incline) was included in the roster.
Fell locomotives operate conventionally on regular gradients but are equipped with an extra four laterally-set wheels, which grip an additional centre-rail laid between the usual rails. The “lateral wheels are driven by a separate set of engines located under the smoke-box, and they are pressed to the rail by a lever which the fireman moves when the engine reaches the place where the centre-rail begins. Until that place is reached, progress is made by the usual driving wheels. The pressure exerted by the four grip wheels amounts to 70 tons, and, in addition, the engine has two powerful brakes, having jaws which grip the centre- rail in case of a stoppage and when descending the incline.” [1: p122]
In 1909 the relatively new Mallet-type loco, No.66, was proving to be highly effective. It was “65 tons in weight, carried on 12 driving-wheels and two leading wheels, an articulated tank engine working at a pressure of 200 lbs. to the square inch. The driving-wheels [were] in two [six-coupled sets], each set being driven by compound engines, the exhaust from the rear cylinders occurring through a pipe on the top of the engine cab. On the incline this engine [could] pull a train weighing 110 tons, and to accomplish this she [burned] half a ton of coal. Usually, however, she [took] the train up the hill in conjunction with the Fell engines.” [1: p122]
The incline was on the line from Wellington to Napier with the steep upward grade being on the Napier to Wellington service.
Wikipedia tells us that the “Rimutaka Incline was a 3-mile-long (4.8 km), 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge railway line on an average grade of 1-in-15 using the Fell system between Summit and Cross Creek stations on the Wairarapa side of the original Wairarapa Line in the Wairarapa district of New Zealand. … The incline formation is now part of the Remutaka Rail Trail.” [2]
These notes come from the Wikipedia entry about the incline. …
The construction of a railway from Wellington to Masterton was authorised in the Railways Act passed on 13th September 1871. Julius Vogel, Colonial Treasurer, travelled to England to raise finance for a major public works programme for railway construction. Vogel returned via the United States, where he studied rail systems.
After the Act was passed, a survey party investigated four different routes. A commonality between all the proposals was the section from Upper Hutt to Kaitoki (later Kaitoke). Between Kaitoke and the Wairarapa, the four proposals were the Tauwharenikau Route, Mr Sinclair’s Route, a coastal route and the Pakuratahi Route.
While the government was conducting its surveys, Wellington Province Superintendent William Fitzherbert instructed his Provincial Engineer, Charles O’Neill, to investigate the possibility of a railway through the Rimutaka Valley (the route of the road between Featherston and Upper Hutt), with a tunnel through the dividing range. The survey was carried out between May andJuly 1871, and O’Neill reported that a tunnel 130 chains (2.6 km) long would be required, with the line rising at 1 in 60 from the Pakuratahi to the tunnel then descending at 1 in 40 to Featherston. This survey was forwarded to the Minister for Public Works.
In mid-1873 the route to Featherston was chosen after a final survey for the route from Upper Hutt to Summit.
For the line between Summit and the Wairarapa, several proposals were considered. The first, with gradients up to 1 in 30, was dismissed. It was found that to keep the gradient to no steeper than 1 in 40, curves of three chains (60 m) radius would be required. This would have required special rolling stock and heavy earthworks and was thus abandoned.
Another proposal was known as the Birch Spur Incline. This would have involved the line continuing from Summit to Birch Spur from where a rope-worked incline would convey traffic to the valley floor where the railway would continue through a narrow valley to the Wairarapa plains. The Public Works Department engineers investigating this proposal were unable to locate a suitable incline, so this proposal was also abandoned.
The last option was a three-mile (4.8 km) incline with gradients averaging 1 in 15 “to be worked by locomotives of an unusual nature”. This line was the most favourable from an engineer’s point of view, and required not unreasonable earthworks. The final decision was made by the head of the Public Works Department, John Carruthers. He determined that an incline worked by the Fell system would be suitable, and cited the Mont Cenis Pass Railway as an example. Though special locomotives would be required, factors in its favour were that ordinary rolling stock could be used and it was a proven system. It was to be the third and last Fell system employing the centre rail for both tractive power and braking, and the longest surviving. Though it was considered to be a “temporary” measure, it outlasted the second such system in Brazil by 72 years. [2]
Construction
Construction of the Rimutaka Incline was included in two contracts that were let for the building of the original Wairarapa Line. These contracts were known as the Summit contract and the Incline contract. [2]
The Summit Contract included the excavation of Summit station yard and related drainage, Summit tunnel, and formation work to a point 26 chains (523 m) beyond the tunnel. It was the shortest contract of those let for the line, it was finished by the original contractor, and it had the fewest alterations. Work was to start on 12th July 1874 and to be completed by 22nd July 1876, at which time the Pakuratahi contract was due to be completed. [2]
Summit yard was a large cut into the hillside, 120 feet (37 m) wide and 500 yards (460 m) long initially. Excavations removed material to a depth of 15–20 feet, with this fill being dumped on the opposite side of the yard to form level ground. On the hillside above the yard, further ground was levelled and houses erected thereon. [2]
After the yard had taken shape, work commenced on the tunnel. The approach to the tunnel was about 6 chains long and up to 60 feet (18 m) deep. The line entered the tunnel on a downward grade of 1 in 1,000, steepening to a grade of 1 in 15 at the eastern portal. At that end a small drainage tunnel had to be built to divert a stream that had flowed down a steep gully where the tunnel mouth was to be. The maximum height of the tunnel was 15 feet (4.6 m) above the floor: once rails were laid the maximum clearance was 13 feet 9 inches (4.19 m) The width of the tunnel varied from 10 feet 6 inches (3.20 m) at the floor to 12 feet (3.7 m) at 7 feet 6 inches (2.29 m) above the floor. Despite castigation from various parties, it was not until March 1877 that work on both ends of the tunnel met at the middle, having taken three and a half years to complete. [2]
The Public Works Department lined the tunnel after the rails had reached the site, enabling them to use work trains to bring materials and other supplies in. It was during this phase that the only fatality on this contract occurred: on 3rd May 1878, a sizeable portion of the lining collapsed on two men. One was killed outright, the other lost his eyesight due to severe head injuries. [2]
The Summit contract was completed on 10th December 1877, 17 months behind schedule. [2]
The Incline Contract was let on 5th October 1875 to Charles McKirdy for the sum of £49,029. The contract covered the formation only, with the Public Works Department responsible for track laying. [2]
Work on the contract began on 22nd October 1875. None of the major earthworks seem to have presented any great difficulties, save the lower tunnel, which was plagued by accidents and materials failures largely because of the unstable nature of the rock through which it passed. The tunnel was named Price’s after the manager McKirdy employed for this contract. On 2nd March 1876, two men died due to a cave-in of the tunnel roof. [2]
Between October 1877 and March 1878, platelaying was completed up to Summit. This enabled the use of work trains to haul up materials that were used to line Summit Tunnel. Track laying on the incline commenced in April 1878 and reached Cross Creek the following month. During this work, locomotive H199 was stabled at Summit and used to haul work and ballast trains to the railhead. [2]
Initially, only simple arrangements were made for the station yard at Cross’s Creek, as it had yet to be decided the nature of operations on the Incline. It consisted of the main line, an engine siding of 10 chains, and the runaway siding. [2]
After formation work continued beyond Cross Creek, McKirdy ran out of time and money, with the remainder of his contract being picked up by his guarantors, T. W. Young and Robert Greenfield. They finished the formation to Featherston on 17th August 1878, with track laying finishing the following month. The contract was completed 13 months late. [2]
Operation – Initially, trains on the incline were limited to the weight that could be managed by a single locomotive. After complaints from management of the expense of running too many trains, two locomotives seem to have been used, both at the head of the train. From 1887 trains were worked with multiple locomotives, each at the head of its rated load. As the maximum weight of a train during this period was 150 tons, no more than three locomotives were used per train. Train operations continued to be modified until by 1908 the maximum load allowed per train had increased to 250 tons descending and 260 tons ascending. [2]
When the line opened, there were two Fell brake vans in service, each 12 ft 6 in (3.81 m) long and 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) from floor to ceiling, with open platforms at either end. The wear on the brake blocks fitted to these vans was so severe that a set of blocks seldom lasted more than one trip down the incline. Like the positioning and loading of the locomotives, the arrangements for positioning of the Fell vans varied until they were largely standardised by 1897. For ascending trains, Fell vans were placed at the rear of the train. For descending trains, a Fell van was placed between the locomotives and the leading vehicle. If the gross weight of the train exceeded 120 tons or included more than 15 vehicles (excluding the locomotives in both cases) a second Fell van was attached to the rear of the train. These rules applied before the introduction of the Westinghouse continuous air brake. The Fell locomotives were never turned, running cab first on descending trains. [2]
As descending trains departed Summit the “through” guard applied the brakes on the leading vehicle, then moved through the train applying the brakes on the other vehicles until he reached the train van, which also had brakes that had to be applied. Each Fell van had its own guard to operate the two sets of brakes. [2]
After the introduction of the continuous brake system in 1903 it became possible to operate trains with five locomotives, and on descending passenger trains up to five Fell brake vans could be used – two next to the locomotives, one in the middle, and two at the rear. As each brake van had its own guard and the train had a train guard and locomotive crews, a train with five brake vans and four locomotives had a crew of 14, which added to the expense of the operation. Moreover, to reduce the strain on couplings, when several locomotives were used they would be distributed through the train, as can be seen from photos. This necessitated significant re-marshalling of the train at either end of the incline. [2]
Instructions issued in 1885 regarding the use of the safety siding required that the points for the incline be set to the safety siding. As descending trains approached the Cross Creek yard, the driver of the leading locomotive sounded a long whistle, which signalled that all was well. On hearing this signal the signalman would set the points for the arrival road. As far as is known no real emergency occurred. Cross Creek had an unusual six-lever partially-interlocked signalling installation and had no “distant” signals so had points indicators which applied to the “main” line (see Heine for station layout), while Summit had a fully interlocked 27-lever frame. [2][3]
Unusual traffic included four royal trains: for the Prince of Wales in 1921; the Duke (later King George VI) and Duchess of York in 1927; the Duke of Gloucester in 1935; and Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh in 1954. Trains were diverted from the Manawatu line due to slips, floods or other mishaps. [2]
The original yards at Cross Creek and Summit were sufficient for the traffic levels of the time, but increasing traffic brought about incremental additions. The full extent of the Summit yard was reached in 1903, which coincided with the introduction of full signalling and interlocking, not introduced to Cross Creek until 1915. [2]
The Fell locomotives (H class) were not to be operated on any part of the railway other than the Incline, with the sole exception of conveying them to the Petone (and later Hutt) Workshops for maintenance. In the latter case, bunkers, water tanks and boilers were to be empty and the locomotives were to be towed at a speed not exceeding 10 miles per hour (16 km/h). These rules were relaxed to allow the locomotives to travel light engine to Petone and back under their own steam, subject to the same speed restrictions. In 1887 they were permitted to be operated between Cross Creek and Pigeon Bush, later extended to Featherston to enable them to be used for banking purposes. Running rights between Cross Creek and Featherston were revoked about 1943. [2]
Speed limits for trains on the Incline were changed several times. From 1884 to 1888 the limit was 6 mph (9.7 km/h) ascending and descending, except light passenger trains for which the limit was 8 mph (13 km/h). In 1888 these limits changed to 5 mph (8.0 km/h) up, 9 mph (14 km/h) down. The limits were finally 6 mph (9.7 km/h) up, 10 mph (16 km/h) down. [2]
Various classes of locomotives were deployed to supplement the H class when one or more was away for maintenance or repairs, including
W192 and 238 2-6-2T locomotives, built in 1889 and 1891 respectively, which spent most of their time on the Wellington to Summit section until their transfer in 1909;
54-ton We 4-6-4T locomotives rebuilt from 4-8-0 B Class locomotives, rated to haul passenger trains up to 55 tons and goods trains up to 60 tons, until 1906, after which they were used mainly on the Upper Hutt to Summit section and rated to haul passenger trains up to 130 tons, mixed trains 150 tons and goods trains 155 tons, and were then later sent to work on the Rewanui Incline on the South Island;
65-ton E 66, rated to haul 80 tons up the Incline, and nicknamed Pearson’s Dream. In 1910 it was transferred to banking duties on the Wellington to Johnsonville section, but it was never popular with crew. (This is interesting, given Lawson’s very positive description of the loco in use on the Incline);
Wg 480 4-6-4T locomotive, during the first World War.
After the Great War traffic was well within the capabilities of the six H class Fell locomotives. [2]
The mileages run by the H class locomotives show notable increases that correspond to economic and other major events, such as the opening of the Wairarapa Line as far as Masterton, completion of the line to Woodville, and the nationalisation of the Wellington and Manawatu Railway. With the opening of the railway to Masterton the annual mileage of the H class rose from less than 7,000 to more than 8,000, in 1883–1897 to 34,000, and to 42,000 when the line was opened to Woodville and began carrying traffic from the Hawke’s Bay. Mileage peaked at 64,123 in 1906–07, about 10,687 miles per locomotive or 1,780 return Incline trips. [2]
Wairarapa railcars
In 1936 seven lightweight Wairarapa railcars, RM 4–10, were introduced between Palmerston North, Masterton and Wellington. They were specifically designed for the Incline, and were built at the Hutt Workshops. They were named after historic Maori canoes: Maahunui, Mahuhu, Mamari, Matahourua, Mataatua, Arai-te-Uru and Arawa. Initially powered by 130 horsepower (97 kW) Leyland petrol engines, they were upgraded after several years to 120 horsepower (89 kW) diesel engines. They had a single rear driving axle with 38½” (978 mm) diameter wheels, necessitated by the need for the axle and final drive unit to have sufficient clearance above the Incline’s centre rail. Because of the large rear wheels the floor of the passenger compartment was 52½” (1334 mm) above rail level, more than 12 inches (300 mm) higher than normal. They were rated for a maximum speed of 60 mph (97 km/h) and expected to climb the Incline at 15-17 mph, but actually managed only 10–12 mph. Nevertheless, they greatly speeded up passenger trains on the route and immediately proved popular. They were withdrawn in 1955 when the Incline closed. [2]
Several options for an alternative to the Incline were considered in the 20th century, but it was not until after WWII that a route through a tunnel between Maymorn and Lucena’s Creek was selected. Construction was started in 1948 by the Public Works Department and completed by a private contractor in 1955. The tunnel and deviation opened on 3rd November 1955, five days after this the Incline closed. [2][6]
Demolition was swift, with the removal of track between Cross Creek and Pigeon Bush largely completed by March 1956. H 199 was used to haul the work trains that removed the track between Cross Creek and Summit. The buildings were sold at auction, on site. Some of the rails were sent to the Rewanui Incline, as were a couple of the Fell brake vans. Five of the six H class locomotives were towed to the Hutt Workshops, later to Silverstream, to be scrapped. [2]
Today
A resurgence of public interest in the incline followed the publication of a book in 1976 and the opening of the Fell Engine Museum in the early 1980s, prompting the New Zealand Forest Service to re-establish access to Cross Creek in 1984. [5: p40] Interest increased following the publishing of an article in the NZ Runner magazine “Try this Run” in the November-December 1984 issue, which promoted this incline as a backcountry running opportunity [Issue No 35]. The official opening of a rail trail using the formation of the original railway line from Cross Creek to Kaitoke followed in 1987. [5: p41] It is today one of the more popular recreational facilities in the region and forms part of the Remutaka Forest Park. [5: p41]
The Raurimu Spiral
“The Raurimu Spiral is a single-track railway spiral, starting with a horseshoe curve, overcoming a 139-metre (456 ft) height difference, in the central North Island of New Zealand, on the North Island Main Trunk railway (NIMT) between Wellington and Auckland. It is a notable feat of civil engineering, having been called an ‘engineering masterpiece’. [8] The Institute of Professional Engineers of New Zealand has designated the spiral as a significant engineering heritage site.” [7][9]
A bird’s eye view of the Raurimu Spiral, seen from the West and taken in November 2007, (c) Duane Wilkins and licenced for reuse under a Creatiev Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [10]
“During the construction of the central section of the NIMT, a major obstacle arose: how to cross the steep slopes between the North Island Volcanic Plateau to the east and the valleys and gorges of the Whanganui River to the west? … South of Taumarunui, the terrain is steep but not unmanageable, with the exception of the stretch between Raurimu and National Park, where the land rises too steeply for a direct rail route. A direct line between these two points would rise 200 metres (660 ft) in a distance of some 5 kilometres (3.1 mi), a gradient of 1 in 24. The area was thoroughly surveyed during the 1880s in an attempt to find a route with a lesser grade, but the only viable possibility seemed to require a 20-kilometre (12 mi) detour and nine massive viaducts. Even then, the gradient would have been steeper than 1 in 50.” [9]
“The problem was solved in 1898 by a surveyor in the employ of Robert Holmes, Public Works Department engineer. He proposed a line that looped back upon itself and then spiralled around with the aid of tunnels and bridges, rising at a gradient of 1 in 52. Though costly and labour-intensive, the scheme was still cheaper than the previous plan by Browne and Turner which required 9 viaducts down the Piopiotea River.” [9]
Wikipedia tells us that the railway “forms an ascending spiral southwards, with two relatively short tunnels, a circle and three hairpin bends. From the north, trains pass Raurimu before going round a 200° bend to the left in a horseshoe curve, climbing above the track on which they have just travelled. Two sharp bends to the right follow, after which the line passes through two short tunnels, the Lower Spiral Tunnel (384 m) and the Upper Spiral Tunnel (96 m). Trains then complete a full circle, crossing over the Lower Spiral Tunnel through which they have just passed which is 23-metre (75 ft) below, before continuing towards Wellington. Two kilometres (1.2 mi) further on the line has two more sharp bends, to the right and then to the left. … After the second of these bends a train has risen 132 metres (433 ft) and travelled 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi) from Raurimu– the straight-line distance is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). Some of the sharp curves are only 7½ chains (150 m) radius. … A masterly feature of Holmes’ layout is the way in which it uses natural land contours so that no viaducts are needed, and only two short tunnels.” [9]
The line to Auckland was only completed in November 1908. The work on construction of the line across the feet of substantial mountains such as Mt. Ruapehu, Mt. Tongariro and Mt. Ngaruhoe (still an active volcano) proved arduous and held back the opening of the route. Overall, the “line rises to 3,000 ft. above sea-level. The maximum grade in the 90-mile mountain section is 1 in 50, and the sharpest curve has a radius of 7. 5 chains.” [1: p126]
At Raurimu, the railway rises 700 ft. in 7 miles, of which 4 miles constitutes the spiral. For the main lengths of the trunk route New Zealand Railways designed 72-ton four cylinder balanced compound Class ‘A’ locomotives. For the 90-mile mountain section a bigger beast of an engine was required! The Class ‘X’ “mountain engine [was] a monster weighing 92 tons. … The ‘A’ was probably the first narrow gauge locomotive, (3ft 6in gauge) in the world to be fitted with inside as well as outside cylinders, and the ‘X’ [was] similarly equipped. She [was] a four-cylinder engine, with eight-coupled 3ft. 9in. driving-wheels, which, carrying about 50 tons of her weight, [gave] her immense grip of the rail, her tractive force being 30,000 lbs. The ‘A’ (six- coupled 4ft. 6in. wheels) [had] a force of 17,000 lbs. So the ‘X’ [pulled] nearly double the load an ‘A’ [could] haul. A four-wheeled leading bogie and a two-wheel trailing truck [completed] her wheel arrangement. New Zealand, in the design and construction of this engine, [had] taken a stride which [brought] her narrow gauge on almost level terms with the standard one. The only fault which [could] possibly be found in the ‘X’ [was] in the width of the locomotive in the region of her fire-box. Her furnace and tubes [had] a heating surface of 2,000 square ft., and she [worked] at a pressure of 250 lbs. of steam to the square inch. Consequently, she [had] an enormous fire-box, which [overhung] at the sides. But, having length as well, she [had] symmetry and stability. At a high speed she [would have been] inclined to roll. Her speed, however, rarely [exceeded] 30 miles an hour, her business being to pull a heavy train up the hills at a fair pace.” [1: p126-127]
On the mountain section, the rails are 70 lbs., flat-footed (Vignoles) ones, spiked to sleepers and heavily ballasted. “The line [crossed] viaducts of great height, two of them curved ones, and it [pierced] many tunnels, one of which [had] an S-curve in its length. Altogether, the engineering conditions [were] severe, making the maintenance of a service of fast travel over this section a strenuous task.” [1: p127]
Train ascending the Raurimu Spiral in the early 1900s, (c) Frederick George Radcliffe/Auckland Libraries and authorised for reuse without restriction (Public Domain). [12]
Lawson goes on to describe a journey South over the spiral:
“There is bustle and babel on the railway platform at Taumarunui when the south-bound overland train is due. Her strident whistle sounds through the wintry morning air. A porter hurries along, his lantern gleaming in the dark, bidding all stand back, and he has hardly walked the length of the station when the express engine rushes past, bringing as her train six passenger cars, and the mail and baggage cars, three in number. She has come headlong from Te Kuiti, 50 miles away, through the long Poro-o-tarao tunnel and along the banks of the beautiful Ongaruhe River. But her ‘beat’ ends here. To fill her place comes a broad-backed monster whose bulging flanks overshadow her narrow wheel base. This is the ‘X’ engine, the monster of the mountains which will carry the mail, careering, where all Nature is, like herself, colossal. Her footplate is wide and her cab roomy and comfortable, after the American pattern. When her fire-door is opened it discloses an enormous cavern whence a stinging glare strikes out to the eyes. Beneath her tremendous energy one can almost feel the giant quiver. A shrill whistle is blown, and the fireman, watching for the guard’s starting signal, says, ‘Right away!’ There is a deep hoot from her whistle, and her throttle is opened slowly. So gently does she apply her strength, that the first sign of her moving is a gentle puff from her funnel 20 ft. away. Gathering way, she blows out a steady succession of muffled puffs, for there is nothing noisy about this locomotive until occasion in the shape of hard work demands it. Soon she is warming up and getting into her stride along the gently-rising track which leads to Piriaka. Originally it was intended that no grade on this line was to exceed 1 in 70, which, if not an easy one, is not unusual when cost of construction has to be studied, but the trend of the land towards the mountains compelled a maximum of 1 in 50, as already stated. Except on the Spiral, the maximum is 1 in 55. The big engine is making light work of her train of 9 heavy cars. Her fireman finds time to lean out and watch the carriage lights twinkling away in perspective. Past Kakahi and Owongo to Oio (surely the shortest railway name in the world!) and then the grades begin. Her furnace yawns for coal, her funnel’s roar rises in tone and intensity, her fireman mops his brow. Presently her hoarse, booming whistle hoots at the lights of Raurimu, the station at the foot of the Spiral. She steams into the station and makes her first stop after a 30-mile run. The engine is uncoupled, and runs along to a tank to water. This done, she returns to the train, and again her whistle blows for a starting signal. ‘X’, now thoroughly warmed to her work, makes haste to gather speed on the level stretch below the Spiral. It is a brave effort, and when she meets the rise she has attained some pace. Looking back, one may see where the grade begins. Some of the cars are still on the level. One by one they lift their noses to the grade until the whole train is hanging heavily on the engine’s draw-bar. Round to the left we sweep, and faintly can be heard the flange of a carriage wheel crying on the curve. Round and upwards for a mile.
Then nearly 100 ft. below, pale in the coming dawn, gleam the lights of Raurimu. One mile to gain a hundred ft. – that is, approximately, the achievement of Raurimu Spiral. Up we go: the engine blowing stentoriously, the fireman firing furiously, the carriages following unwillingly, and the speed a good 20 miles an hour. There is never a slip from the 8 driving-wheels, though there is a slight frost on the mountain side. The driver is watchful, and sands the line judiciously. A hoot from her whistle, and we are in the long 35-chain tunnel, and we feel it to be a relief when we are out in the pure mountain air once more.
Round and upwards, the big ‘X’ roars, steaming well. At last, the spiral motion ceases, and we rush out on to a length of straight line, which carries us over the long tunnel just passed through, which is 85 ft. beneath us. The mail rushes southward to the muffled measure of deep sound which her wheels toss out. Suddenly the thunder of our speed changes to an echoing, hollow-crashing sound. The earth which choked and deadened the uproar has dropped away, and a deep gorge, crossed by a towering entanglement of steel, echoes and re-echoes the sound. At either side of the engine, white handrails gleam. We are on Makatote Viaduct, the tallest in New Zealand, standing 260 ft. above the river-bed. Soon after, two curved viaducts are crossed: Toanui and Hapuawhenua. Then the train runs into Ohakune, which is half-way between Auckland and Wellington. After a short pause, we speed on across the Karioi Plains, and climb up to Waiouru, which is 2,659 ft. above the sea, and is the highest railway point in New Zealand. Snow-clad Ruapehu, the nearest and highest of the trio of mountains, shows bravely in the morning sunlight, and the wind that blows from the mountain is bitterly cold. So far, there has not been need for a snow-plough here, yet the possibility of one being required is always to be reckoned with. Last winter (1908), on the Central Otago Line, in the South Island, a snowstorm swept the high lands traversed by the railway, effectually blocking the line. One train was cut off from civilisation, and the engine belonging to it was set to the task of clearing the line. A snow-plough was devised by fastening a stout beam from the point of the cowcatcher to the top of the funnel, resting also against the smoke-box. Then all around were arranged timbers bound with iron. The engine, one of the “B” type of the New Zealand railways – 4-8-0, with 3ft. 6.25in. driving-wheels, weight 65 tons – patrolled the line, and finally succeeded in clearing the road again. Her enginemen had a cold time, working in a blizzard at 2,000 ft, above the sea. At one time it was freezing so hard, that icicles were formed on the engine. Whether such conditions will be met with on the North Island Trunk Line remains to be seen. Even the ‘X’ engines will find it hard work to climb the Raurimu Spiral if there are ‘ice-whiskers’ on the rails.” [1: p127-129]
A Wf class tank engine climbing the Raurimu spiral in 1909 Original photographic prints and postcards from file print collection, Box 5. Ref: PAColl-5800-54. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. (c) A. Williams/Alexander Turnbull Library and made available without restriction provided reproduced as taken with no alteration. [13]
References
Will Lawson; New Zealand’s Mountain Railways; in The Railway Magazine, August 1909, p121-129.
Richard Leitch, David; Scott, Brian (1995). Exploring New Zealand’s Ghost Railways (1998 ed.). Wellington: Grantham House.W. Heine; Semaphore to CTC: Signalling and train working in New Zealand, 1863-1993; New Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society, Wellington, 2000.
In July 1923, The Railway Magazine carried an article about the Callander & Oban Railway (C&O) written by G.F. Gairns. [1]
Gairns commented that the C&O constituted the third of the three great mountain lines: the Perth-Inverness line of the Highland Railway; the West Highland Line of the North British Railway; and the Callander & Oban Railway (including the Ballachulish Extension).
The Callander & Oban Railway. [1: p11]
A short series of four articles about the Ballachulish line can be found here, [2] here, [3] here, [4] and here. [5]
The C&O had previously been written about in the Railway Magazine, specifically in the issues of September 1903, August 1904, and August and September 1912. Gairns leaves the detailed history to those previous articles, apart from a brief introduction, and focusses in 1923 on a journey along the line from Stirling to Oban and to Ballachulish.
An excellent presentation of the various scenes which preceded the Callander & Oban Railway can be found in the early pages of John Thomas’, ‘The Callander & Oban Railway‘. [62: p1-26]
Ultimately, an agreement was signed between the Scottish Central Railway (SCR) and the Callander & Oban (C&O) was signed on 17th December 1864 which affirmed that the SCR would subscribe £200,000 to the scheme. “The C&O was to have nine directors, five appointed by the Scottish Central and four by the promoters. The line was to be ‘made, constructed and completed in a good, substantial sufficient and workmanlike manner, and without the adoption of timber bridges and culverts’. … The rails were to weigh 75 lb per yard and were to be laid in 24 ft lengths on larch sleepers placed at an average distance of 3 ft.” [62: p26-27]
As part of the agreement, once at least 20 miles of line directly connected to the Dunblane, Doune & Callander Railway had been constructed and passed by the Board of Trade, the Scottish Central Railway undertook work it in perpetuity, on the basis that it would receive half of the gross revenue.
The Callander & Oban Railway bill was drawn up and presented in Parliament in January 1865. … The bill sought:
“First, a Railway commencing about Five Furlongs South-westwards from the Schoolhouse in the Town of Oban called the Oban Industrial School, and terminating by a Junction with the Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway, about One and a Half Furlongs Eastward from the Booking Office of the Callander Station of the Railway.
Secondly, a Tramway commencing by a Junction with the Railway above described about One Furlong South-westwards from the said Schoolhouse, and terminating on the Pier on the East Side of the Harbour of Oban about Two Chains Eastward from the South-western end of the said Pier.” [62: p27]
148 railway bills were passed in a two-day session of Parliament on January 1865. These included the C&O and the Dingwall & Skye Railway. Both these schemes had a similar primary purpose – to reach ports on the West Coast of Scotland to give the fishing trade access to markets in the rest of Scotland and further South.
Thomas comments: “The Callander & Oban Railway Act was passed on 8th July 1865. The first sod was not cut for over fourteen months. Five years were to pass before a revenue-earning wheel was to turn on the line (and on only 17½ miles at that), and it would be fifteen years before a train entered Oban. … But even before the Act was passed sweeping changes had transformed the railway political scene. Ten days earlier, on 29th June, the Scottish Central had won permission to take over the Dunblane, Doune & Callander as from 31st July 1865; and the Central had enjoyed its new-found gains for one day. On 1st August 1865 the Central itself had been absorbed by the Caledonian, which acquired all its assets and liabilities including the obligation to finance and operate the Callander & Oban. At the outset the C & O directors found themselves with formidable new masters.” [62: p28]
As much as the Callander & Oban had looked attractive to the Scottish Central. “It was not at all attractive to the Caledonian, whose shareholders, had no stomach for squandering cash among the Perthshire hills. … The 1861 census had shown that Oban and Callander between them possessed fewer than 3,000 inhabitants, and the scattered hamlets between the two could produce barely a thousand more. The certain dividends lying in the coal and iron traffic of the Clyde Valley were infinitely preferable to the nebulous rewards from the fish and sheep of the West Highlands.” [62: p29]
From the beginning there was a faction on that Caledonian board which wished to drop expansion towards Oban at the earliest opportunity, “but the terms of the SCR-Caledonian amalgamation agreement forbade such a course. And there was another reason, if a negative one, why the Caledonian should use caution. The amalgamations of 1865 had given the Edinburgh & Glasgow to the North British, which as the result had now penetrated deep into traditional Caledonian territory – Glasgow and the Clyde coast; and the North British already possessed and exercised running powers into Callander. If the Caledonian abandoned its awkward foster-child on the Callander doorstep, it was reasonable to suppose that the North British would attempt to pick it up.” [62: p29]
The Callander & Oban directors had undertaken to find £400,000 along the route of the railway. This proved to be a monumental task. Their first attempts brought in 201 individual shareholders who subscribed for a total of £56,360 worth of shares! The C&O may well have been stillborn had it not been for the appointment of John Anderson as the Secretary to the C&O.
Given palpable hostility between the directors, Anderson “was left to conduct the line’s affairs single-handed.” [62: p32] Thomas goes on to describe in some detail the different methods he used to achieve progress. The machinations involved need not, however, detain us here
Gairns writes:
“The Callander and Oban Railway Company was constituted in 1865. The Dunblane, Doune and Callander Railway was already in existence, having been opened in 1858. The Callander and Oban line was opened: Callander to Killin Junction, 1870; Killin Junction to Tyndrum, August, 1873; thence to Dalmally, May, 1877; and to Oban, July, 1880. At Balquhidder, at first known as Lochearnhead, the line from Crieff makes connection. This route, with connecting lines, was opened, Perth to Methven, 1838; Methven Junction to Crieff, 1866; Gleneagles (previously Crieff Junction, 1856; Crieff to Comrie, 1893; Comrie to St. Fillans, 1901; St. Fillans to Balquhidder (Lochearnhead), 1905. The Callander and Oban line has always been worked by the Caledonian Company, and is now [1923] included in the London Midland and Scottish Railway.
Dunblane is the ordinary junction for theCallander and Oban line, but trains which are not through to or from Glasgow use Stirling as their southern terminus. In some instances, ordinary Caledonian main line engines work the trains to and from Callander, the special C. and O, engines being attached or detached there, though this is mainly a traffic arrangement, convenient in the case of certain trains. At Dunblane there is an island platform on the down side, thus enabling branch trains to wait on the outer side to make connections. To Doune is double track, and the country mainly pastoral. Thence to Callander is single line, controlled by electric train tablet, as is the whole of the Callander and Oban line. The scenery continues to be of lowland character, though picturesque, but signs of the mountain country beyond show themselves. Between Doune and Callander is an intermediate crossing place – Drumvaich Crossing – to break up the long section of nearly 7 miles between stations. The original line diverged into what is now the goods station at Callander, the present station having been built when the Oban line was made. Callander station is distinctly picturesque, an ornamental clock tower surmounting the footbridge, and the station buildings being neat and attractive, while the platforms are decorated florally. It also has refreshment rooms on the platforms. On the up and down sides there are short bay lines from which locals can start as required. For down trains there is also a ticket platform, half a mile or so short of the station, but this is now used only by a few trains.” [1: p10]
Wikipedia tells us that “closure [for Callander Station] came on 1st November 1965, when the service between Callander and Dunblane ended as part of the Beeching Axe. The section between Callander and Crianlarich (lower) was closed on 27th September that year following a landslide at Glen Ogle.” [8]
This is an embedded link to a Flickr image of Callander Railway Station (seen from the road bridge at the East end of the Station) in 1973, (c) David Christie. [10]A very similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, October 2016]The road bridge at the East end of Callander Raiway Station in 1967 (Ancaster Road Bridge). (c) J.R. Hume, Public Domain [11]Callander Railway Station forecourt in the 1940s, seen from the East. This image was shared on the Callander Heritage Society Facebook Page on 18th December 2023, (c) Public Domain. [12]A similar view in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, October 2016]Lookin West from Callendar Railway Station after the lifting of the rails. The tall signal box allowed for visibility beyond Leny Road Bridge which is just off the scene to the left. This image was shared on the Callendar Heritage Facebook Page on 27th September 2023. [14]
The old railway passed under Leny Road, Callander at the western end of the station site. The first image below shows the alignment of the railway looking Northeast from Leny Road. The pelican crossing marks the location of the old bridge. The second image shows the public footpath which follows the old railway to the South side of Leny Road.
The location of Leny Road Bridge, Google Streetview, July 2023]The location of Leny Road Bridge, Google Streetview, July 2023]
The first length of the railway to the West of Callander is shown on the RailMapOnline.com image below.
The route of the Callander & Oban Railway to the West of Callander as shown on the satellite imagery provided by RailMapOnline.com. Loch Lubnaig is at the top-left of this image. [15]
This embedded image from the Canmore National Record of the Historic Environment looks Northeast along the Callander & Oban railway towards Callander Railway station. The Bowstring Girder Bridge in the foreground is mentioned by Gairns below. The stone-arch bridge in the distance is the bridge that carried Leny Road over the old railway, (c) J.R. Hume. [16]
Gairns mentions the Pass of Leny and the Falls of Leny, below. The falls are shown on the map extract immediately below. The Falls can be seen in the right half of the extract.
The Falls of Leny and the Callander & Oban Railway. Note that the river – Garbh Uisge – is crossed twice by the railway. These bridges were bowstring Girder bridges like that seen above. [17]
This image is embedded from Flickr and shows one of the two girder bridges shown on the map extract above. The photograph was taken shortly before the closure of the line. (c) locoman1966. [18]
Gairns continues:
“Crossing the River Leny [Garbh Uisge] by a bowstring girder bridge, mountain country is entered in the Pass of Leny, and Ben Ledi and Ben Vane on the one side (the former skirted by the line), Ben Each, and, in the distance, Ben Vorlich, on the other, give evidence of the nature of the country traversed. The Falls of Leny can be seen on the right providing the intervening foliage is not too full. St. Bride’s Crossing, at the head of the Pass of Leny, is now only used as a crossing place at periods of special pressure. For nearly two miles the line then proceeds along the western shore, and almost at the water’s edge of Loch Lubnaig ‘the crooked lake’. A short distance beyond St. Bride’s Crossing is Craignacailleach Platform, used by children of railway servants going to school in Callander the 5.40 a.m. from Oban and the 6.45 pm from Callander, daily except Saturdays. At the picturesque little station of Strathyre, both platforms are adorned by ornamental shrubs, and on the up side there is a fountain, rockeries, rustic gate ways, etc.. lending further interest to this pretty station among its beautiful natural surroundings.
Before reaching Strathyre station the River Balvag is crossed. It keeps close company with the railway until near Kingshouse Platform, where a glimpse is had of the hills encircling Loch Val. Kingshouse Platform is used as a halt, trains calling as required, for the convenience of visitors to the Braes o’ Balquhidder.” [1: p10-11]
The adjacent RailMapOnline.com satellite image shows the railway running up the West side of Loch Lubnaig. Strathyre, mentioned by Gairns above, can be seen to the North of the Loch.
This portion of the old railway has been metalled to support its use as National Cycleway No. 7. South of the Loch, there is now a car park close to the upstream of the two bridges noted above.
The old railway formation is now the National Cycle Route No. 7. The blue line marks the route of the railway. The River Garbh Uisge is to the right of this North facing photograph. [Google Streetview, March 2009]Another North facing view, this time alongside Loch Lubnaig. The tarmacked cycle route follows the line of the old railway. [Google Streetview, May 2022]
North of Loch Lubnaig, the old railway ran North through Strathyre, first crossing the river to the East bank and few hundred metres short of the Railway Station.
This extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1898, published in 1901 [19] shows the small village of Strathyre, its railway station and the bridge over the River Leny [Garbh Uisge].
Looking South from the main platform at Strathyre Railway Station towards Callander in September 1956, (c) T. Morgan and made available for use here under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [20]Looking back through the station site from a minor road just to the North. [Google Streetview, July 2023]Looking North along the old railway from the same minor. [Google Streetview, July 2023]
North of Strathyre the line continued North-northeast towards Balquhidder.
RailMapOnline.com again – the satelitel image shows the route of the line North from Strathyre through Balquidder. [15]
King’s House Inn on the modern A84 had its own Halt – Kingshouse Platform. This was a request halt serving both King’s House Inn (just to the east of the line) and the road to Balquhidder Glen (to the west). The halt was built at the expense of the King’s House Inn. It was a single platform, on the east side of the line, with a waiting shelter. Both platform and building were built in timber. Traffic handled included passengers, children using the school train and milk churns. As can be seen below, the halt was located south of the road to the glen.
Kingshouse Platform (Halt) as shown on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1898, published in 1901. [21]Looking back along the line towards Strathyre from the road up the Glen. [Google Streetview, July 2023]Looking Northeast along the line towards Lochearnhead Railway Station from the road up the Glen. [Google Streetview, July 2023]
A short distance Northeast of Kingshouse Platform was Lochearnhead Railway Station sited some distance South of the community of the same name.
Lochearnhead Railway Station. [22]Lochearnhead Railway Station as it appears on the 25″ Ordnance Survey of 1898, published 1901. [23]The same location in the 21st century, as it appears on the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the NLS. The old railway ran from bottom-left to top-middle of this extract. [24]
The station was renamed Balquhidder Station on 1st July 1904, when the line to Crieff, Gleneagles and Perth was completed. The station then became the junction station. The branch came in from the North, paralleled by the Oban line for some distance, from the head of Loch Earn. Balquhidder station had an island platform on the up side to provide for connecting trains. A new station was built on the branch to serve Lochearnhead village. [25]
Balquhidder Railway Station looking Southwest towards Callander on 27th September 1961. The branch line was off to the left of this image, (c) Ben Brooksbank and authorised for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [26]
Gairns continues:
“Leaving Balquhidder the Oban line climbs steeply along the hillside as it finds its way up Glen Ogle, overlooking, in the ascent, the Crieff line as it follows the shores of Loch Earn eastward, and giving views over the waters of the Loch, amidst their mountain setting, which are said to be the finest in the British Isles. … Nearly 8 miles separate Balquhidder and Killin Junction stations, though there is an intermediate crossing – Glenoglehead. This was the site of the original Killin station, before the opening of the Killin Branch Railway. The whole length of ‘gloomy’ Glen Ogle – a wild rocky valley, four miles in length, described as the Khyber Pass of Scotland – is traversed, with its rocky boulder-strewn slopes, the railway being carried in places on brick or masonry viaducts around the face of the rock where the cutting of a ledge was well-nigh impossible. For most of the ascent the view from the train is down almost precipitous slopes, continued upwards on the other side.” [1: p11]
The Oban line runs South to North on this extract from the RailMapOnline.com satellite imagery. The branch turns away to run East along the North side of Loch Earn which just peeps into this satellite image at the bottom-right. [15]Four pictures of Glen Ogle Viaduct. The first was taken from the opposite side of the valley, (c) Euan Reid, Octobr 2024. [Google Maps, November 2024]Summer (c) Craig McArdle. (2023)Autumn (c) Sky T. (2021)Winter (c) Ken Schwart (2022)This next extract from RailMapOnline.com’s satellite imagery shows that to the North of Glen Ogle the old railway turned to the West. The line entering the extract from the top and meeting with the Callander & Oban Railway is the Killin Branch. [15]
Gairns continues:
“At the northern end of the Pass the line curves westward, overlooking the Loch Tay branch which runs from Killin Junction to the little town of Killin, with an extension of about a mile to a pier on Loch Tay to connect with the railway steamers which serve the whole length of the Loch, glimpses of which are had from the Oban train. The branch is on a lower level and its track can be seen for a long distance from the main line. The branch railway is one of very heavy gradients. At Killin Junction it makes connection with the main line which has descended from Glenoglehead to meet it. The station here has the usual island platform on the up side, to accommodate the branch trains clear of the main line.” [1: p11-12]
Looking South towards Lochearnhead, the A85 and the route of the old railway run immediately adjacent to each other alongside Locham Lairig Cheile which is just off the right side of this photograph. [Google Streetview, May 2022]Looking North towards Glenoglehead Crossing at the smae location as the image above. Lochan Lairig Cheile ican be picked out on the left of the image. [Google Streetview, May 2022]
Glenoglehead Crossing permitted two trains on the line to pass each other.
A Google Maps satellite image extract showing the location of Glenoglehead Crossing in the 21st century. It was once known as Killian Railway Station (even though over 3 miles from Killin) and was at that time the northern terminus of the Callander & Oban Railway. [Google Maps, November 2024]
From Glenoglehead the line dropped down to Killin Junction. The two map extracts above come from the same 6″ Ordnance Survey sheet surveyed in 1899 and printed in 1901. [27]
The location of Glenoglehead Railway Station with the original station building in private hands. [Google Streetview, May 2022]The route of the old railway descending from Glenoglehead. [Google Streetview, May 2022]The line ran West on the Southern slopes of Glen Dochart. {Google Streetview, May 2022]An enlarged extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1899 showing the location of Killin Junction. [27]A similar length of the line on the RailMapOnline.com satellite imagery. [15]Killin Junction Railway Station and Signal Box. This view looks Southwest through the station towards the Signal Box. This image is one of a number which scroll across the screen on [28]Killin Junction Railway Station. This view looks Northeast. The image is one of a number which scroll across the screen on https://railwaycottagekillin.co.uk/history [28]
Just to the Southwest of Killin Junction the line was carried over the Ardchyle Burn on a stone viaduct – Glendhu Viaduct.
Glendu Viaduct carried the old railway over the Ardchyle Burn, (c) Richard Webb and made available for resue under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0), [29]
A short distance to the West of the viaduct, a farm acess track was carried over the railway on a stone arched bridge.
Farm access bridge over the old railway. This image was shared on the Re-Appreciate the Callander & Oban Line Facebook Group by John Gray on 6th October 2018. [32]
Along the length of the old railway between Killin Junction and Luib Railway Sation two more structures are worthy of note. First, Ledcharrie Viaduct at around the half-way point between Killin Junction and Luib spans the Ledcharrie Burn. [33] The second is Edravinoch Bridge which was a girder bridge which once spanned the Luib Burn. The aboutments remain but the girders were removed for scrap on closure of the line. [34] Bothe the pictures below were taken by John Gray and shared by him on the Re-Appreciate the Callander & Oban Line Facebook Group on 4th October 2018. John Gray’s photographs are reproduced here with his kind permission.
Ledcharrie Viaduct. [33]Edravinoch Bridge. [34]
The next station on the old railway was Luib Railway Station in Glen Dochart.
River, road and railway in close proximity at Luib Railway Station. The 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1898, published in 1901. [30]The site of Luib Railway station is, in the 21st century, Glen Dochart Holiday Park. [15]
This view looking West from Luib Railway Station is embedded from Ernie’s Railway Archive on Flickr, (c) J.M. Boyce. Note the signal box and the stone water tower base. [31]The old road alignment and under bridge to the West of the Luib Railway Station site. [35]Just to the West of Luib Railway Station the line crossed what became the A85. There is no clear indication on the groud of the location of the bridge as road improvements have swept away the vestiges of the old railway in the immediate vicinity. [Google Maps, November 2024]
Gairns continues:
“Westward past Luib to Crianlarich, Glen Dochart is traversed, with the River Dochart, until it merges into Loch Iubhair, succeeded in turn by Loch Dochart, and the public road, for company close alongside. Here splendid views are hard on both sides, bare mountain slopes being relieved by wooded areas, while rushing burns and streamlets add further interest. On both sides are peaks of considerable height, notably Ben Dheiceach (3,074 ft.) to the North, Ben More (3,843 ft.) immediately ahead, and Stobinian (3,821 ft.) to the South, with many others in the distance.
Crianlarich is important as it provides for interchange traffic with the West Highland line to Fort William and Mallaig, which here crosses. The stations are within a short distance, and there is siding connection for interchange goods traffic. The Callander and Oban station is a neatdouble-platformed station with rather attractive buildings on the down side, Just beyond the station the North British Railway crosses by an overbridge, and Crianlarich Junction is then reached, this controlling the connection with the West Highland line.” [1: p12-13]
Two different railways crossed at Crianlarich. The Callander & Oban Railway ran East-West. The West Highland Line ran North-South. The East-West line and station were opened on 1st August 1873 by the Callander and Oban Railway. This was the first railway station in Crianlarich. The station was originally laid out with two platforms, one on either side of a crossing loop. There were sidings on the south side of the station. After the West Highland Railway opened in 1894, Crianlarich could boast two railway stations. The West Highland Railway crossed over the Callander and Oban Railway by means of a viaduct located a short distance west of the Lower station. The West Highland Railway’s Crianlarich station was (and still is) located a short distance south of this viaduct. [36]The two lines plotted on the modern satellite imagery provided by RailMapOnline.com. The blue line being the Callander and Oban Railway, the red line being the West Highland Line. The link line between the two stations/railways was put in by the West Highland Line and is shown in red. [15]
Crianlarich Junction was situated half a mile west of Crianlarich Lower station. Opened on 20th December 1897, the junction was located at one end of a short link line that ran to Crianlarich station on the West Highland Railway. There were two signal boxes: “Crianlarich Junction East” (32 levers) and “Crianlarich Junction West” (18 levers). Following closure of the line east from Crianlarich Lower, the line between there and Crianlarich Junction was retained as a siding, with the link line becoming the main line for trains to and from Oban. [37]
Crianlarich Lower Railway Station on the Callander and Oban Railway. The picture appears to have been taken in circa. the 1920s. Note that by this time the second platform and the loop had been removed. It is also [possible to see the high level viaduct which carried the West Highland line over the road (A85), the Callander and Oben Railway and the River Fillan. This image was shared by Brian Previtt on the Disused Stations Facebook Group on 25th October 2024, (c) photographer not known, Public Domain. [38]
The line to the West of Crianlarich Junction remains in use in the 21st century.
Gairns continues his description of the line:
“Onwards through Strath Fillan magnificent views are had, and for some miles the West Highland line runs parallel, but on the opposite side of the valley, climbing up the hillside, after crossing the viaduct over the River Fillan until both lines are almost on the same level, with the valley between. Both lines have stations at Tyndrum (a favourite mountain resort), though these are some half-a-mile apart. The Callander and Oban station is a neat tree-shaded [location], with the goods yard at a lower level.” [1: p13]
The Callander & Oban Railway’s Tyndrum Railway Station sat to the South of the Hotel which the West Highland Line’s station to the North. [39]
Wikipedia tells us that Tyndrum Lower Station “opened on 1st August 1873 as a terminal station. This was the first railway station in the village of Tyndrum. Until 1877, it was the western extremity of the Callander and Oban Railway. In 1877, the Callander and Oban Railway was extended from Tyndrum to Dalmally. Concurrently, the station was relocated 301 yards (275 m) west, onto the new through alignment. The new station was on a higher level, as the line had to climb steeply to reach the summit about 0.6 miles (1 km) to the west. The old terminus then became the goods yard. The through station was originally laid out with two platforms, one on each side of a passing loop.” [40]
Tyndrum Lower and Upper Tyndrum Railway Stations can be seen on this extract from RailMapOnline.com’s satellite imagery. The image shows the route(also in blue) of a tramroad which served Tyndrum Lead Mines and Glengarry Lead Smelter (a little to the East of Tyndrum). After the closure of the smelter transfer to wagons of the Callander & Oban Railway took place at Tyndrum Lower Railway Station. [15]Tyndrum Lower Railway Station in 2015 – a single platform Halt. The platform is on the North side of the line. This view looks East toward Crianlarich, (c) Alex17595 and made available under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). [41]Looking West along the line from the access road/carpark at Tyndrum Lower Railway Station. [Google Streetview, April 2011]
Gairns’ description of the line continues:
“Passing Tyndrum station a final view is had of the West Highland line [before] it turns its course northwards, while the Callander and Oban line makes a long sweep southwesterly through Glen Lochy, wild and bare. An intermediate crossing, Glenlochy breaks the 12-mile run from Tyndrum to Dalmally. Approaching the rather pretty station at the latter place, Glen Orchy is joined, fine views being had along it. Dalmally, at the foot of Glen Orchy, has been described as ‘the loveliest spot in all that lovely glen’. A short run of less than 3 miles crossing the Orchy and rounding a bay on Loch Awe, and incidentally giving beautiful views up the Loch, and Loch Awe station is reached, right on the water side, and with a pier alongside for the steamers which ply along the Loch. For four miles or so the line runs high on the base at Ben Cruachan and follows the shores of the Loch through the gloomy Pass of Brander in which the waters of the loch merge into the brawling River Awe most turbulent of Highland salmon streams, Three miles beyond Loch Awe station the Falls of Cruachan Platform is a convenience for visitors to the celebrated Falls, a glimpse of which is had from the train in passing. The crossing place is, however, Awe Crossing, a mile or so beyond. A further run of 41 miles and Taynuilt is reached, beyond which the shores of Loch Etive are followed to Connel Ferry, a run of 64 miles, with one intermediate station – Ach-na-Cloich – and providing lovely views over the loch and the hills and mountains. beyond.” [1: p13]
Glenlochy Crossing, which Gairns describes as “An intermediate crossing, Glenlochy breaks the 12-mile run from Tyndrum to Dalmally.” This image shows what is recorded on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1898, published in 1900. [41]The same location as it appears in the 21st century on the ESRI satellite imagery provided by the NLS. The site of Glenlochy Crossing is in the trees close to the centre of this image. which runs diagonally down the centre portion of the imageof this image. The A85 runs to the West of the old railway’s route which runs diagonally down the centre portion of the image. The River Lochy passes immediately to the West of Glenlochy Crossing (left of centre). [41]
Glenlochy Crossing was a passing loop opened in 1882 to increase the capacity of the line. It broke the singl-track section between Tyndrum Lower and Dalmally. The building shown just to the East of the line was similar to that found at other crossings (such as Drumvaich Crossing and Awe Crossing0. It combined a railway cottage with a signal cabin. When first built the loop had two trailing sidings one at each end of the loop. We know that the loop was lifted in 1966 when the building was also demolished. There is still a footbridge across the River Lochy which gave access to the Crossing but that is now locked against public access. [42]
The Callander & Oban Railway closely followed the South bank Of the River Lochy, only turning away to the South to cross Eas a Ghaill (a tributary which approached the River Lochy from the South) by means of Succoth Viaduct.
Succoth Viaduct. This is an embedded link to an image on the GetLostMountaineering.co.uk webpage. The viaduct carries what was the Callander & Oban Railway over Eas a Ghaill. [43]
The line runs almost due West from Succoth Viaduct at a distance from the River Lochy until it reaches Dalmally Railway Station.
Dalmally Railway Station as it appears on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897, published in 1900. [44]Dalmally Railway Station as it appears on the satellite imagery provided by RailMapOnline.com. [15]Looking West through Dalmally Railway Station, this mage was shared by Donald Taggart on Google Maps, (c) Donald Taggart (March 2020)A similar view of the station buildings at Dalmally from Platform No. 2, (c) Anna-Mária Palinčárová. (June 2017), shared by her on Google Maps.
This photograph was taken from the Road overbridge at the West end of Dalmally Railway Station site, (c) inett (November 2017) and shared on Google Maps.
the road overbridge at the West end of Dalmally Station site seen from the ned of Platform No. 1, (c) Marian Kalina (November 2017) and shared on Google Maps.
The Station approach, seen from the West, Dalmally. [Google Streetview, November 2021]The road over the bridge at the West end of Dalmally Railway Station site. [Google Streetview, May 2022]
West of Dalmally the line ran on towards a viaduct which crossed the River Lochy at Drishaig. However, we need to note that the road layout in this immediate area is considerably different to what was present at the turn of the 20th century.
The Southeast approach to the viaduct over the River Orchy as it appears on the 1897 Ordnance Survey, published in 1900. [46]The smae area as it appears on the 21st century RailMapOnline.om satellite imagery with two roads appearing where non were evident at the turn of the 20th century. [15]The view East from the bridge carrying the A819 over the railway. [Google Streetview, November 2021]The view West from the bridge carrying the A819 over the railway. [Google Streetview, November 2021]
Just a short distance to the West, the line crossed the River Orchy at the East end of Loch Awe.
Further West of Dalmally, the line bridged the River Orchy at Drishaig. The mineral Railway which branched off the Callander & Oban Railway at Drishaig served the Ben Chruachan Quarry which was high on the East flank of Ben Chruachan. [45]The same location as it appears in satellite imagery in the 21st century. [15]An aerial image of Lochawe Railway Bridge with the A85 bridge behind. This aerial image was shared on Google Maps in September 2022, (c) Kevin Newton. [Google Maps, November 2024]Lochawe Railway Bridge seen from ground level. This image was shared on Google Mpas in April 2021, (c) Wojciech Suszko. [Google Maps, November 2024]
The Ben Cruachan Quarry Branch was standard-gauge and ran North from Drishaig. It is shown here as it appears on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897, published in 1900. The line North from Drishaig appears on the map extract on the left. [47]
Ben Cruachan Quarry itself, shown on the next 6″ OS Map Sheet. The quarry was on the eastern slopes of Ben Cruachan. The full extent of the quarry’s internal railways is not shown. [48].
Ben Cruachan Quarry was multi-levelled and was accessed by the railway which zig-zagged to gain height. The RailScot website rells us that”The ground frame for this short Ben Cruachan Quarries Branch (Callander and Oban Railway) was released by a tablet from Loch Awe station for the section to Dalmally. The quarry had its own pair of 0-4-0ST locomotives.” [49]
Just a short distance Southwest of Drishaig was the Lochawe Hotel which had its own railway station alongside the Loch.
Lochawe Railway Station and Hotel in 1897 as shown on the 6″ Ordnance Survey sheet of that year. [50]The same location as shown on the satellite imagery of RailMapOnline.com. [15]A postcard view of Lochawe Railway Station and Hotel, (c) Public Do9main. [52]Lochawe Railway Station in 2015. The removed second platform can be seen easily, (c) Tom Parnell and licenced for reuse under a Creative Commons Licence (CC BY-SA 2.0). [51]
The line ran across the North shore of Loch Awe to a Halt named for the Falls of Cruachan – Falls of Churachan Platform.
The Falls of Cruachan Platform as shown on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897. [50]The same location in the 21st century. There is a significant hydro electric scheme at this location which has a visitor centre and its own Railway Station – Falls of Cruachan Railway Station. [15]A train approaching Falls of Cruachan Railway Station from the West in 2024, (c) Alex Morgan. (July 2024)The Falls of Cruachan Railway Station sat immediately above and t the North of the A85, (c) Alex Morgan. (July 2024)
The line continues West/Northwest along the Northside of the River Awe. It crosses the river just North of The Bridge of Awe. Just prior to reaching the Viaduct the line bridged the minor road which served properties on the North side of the River Awe.
The bridge over the minor road mentioned above – seen from the Southwest. [Google Streetview, May 2022]The bridge over the minor road mentioned above – seen from the Northeast. [Google Streetview, May 2022]
A matter of not much more than a couple of hundred metres to the West of the minor road, the line bridges the River Awe.
The Bridge of Awe with the Railway Viaduct just to the North, as they appear on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897, published in 1900. [53]
The same location on RailMapOnline.com’s satellite imagery. [15]An aerial image of the railway viaduct. [54]
The railway viaduct over the River Awe. Network Rail Undertook a £3.5m project to refurbish Awe viaduct in 2024/25. The viaduct is a three-span wrought iron viaduct, completed in 1879. During the 7-month project, engineers replaced the timber deck (which supports the track). They removed the old paint, carry out repairs to the metallic parts of the structure and repainted those parts of the structure to protect against rusting. [54]
Over the river, the line heads for Taynuilt.
The A85 runs directly alongside the line on the approach to Taynuilt. This photograph looks Northwest along the road/railway. [Google Streetview, May 2022]Taynuilt village and Railway Station as they appear on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897. [53]The same length of the line as it is shown on the RailMapOnline.com satellite imagery. [15]
On the way into Taynuilt the line crosses a minor road which serves the East end of the village. That road can be seen at the righthand side of the satellite image and the map extract above.
The minor road bridge seen from the Northwest. [Google Streetview, Novermber 2021]The minor road bridge seen from the Southeast. [Google Streetview, May 2022]
The next bridge spans the railway adjacent to Taynuilt Railway Station it carries the B845.
The view East along the line from the B845 overbridge. [Google Streetview, May 2022]The view West from the B845 into Taynuilt Railway Station. [Google Streetview, May 2022]The view East from Taynuilt Railway Station to the bridge carrying the B845 over the line, (c) Robert Hamilton (October 2017). [Google maps, November 2024]Taynuilt Railwaty Station forecourt. [Google Streetview, November 2021]The view East from the A85 towards Taynuilt Railway Station. [Google Streetview, May 2022]The view West from the A85. [Google Streetview, May 2022]
A little further to the West the railway passes under the A85 again.
The bridge over the railway in 1897. [53]The bridge over the railway in 2024. [53]Looking West along the A85 showing the parapets of the bridge over the Callander & Oban Railway. {Google Streetview, November 2021]
The line now drops down to the shores of Loch Etive and in due course arrives at Auch-na-Cloich.
In 1897, the station at Auch-na-Cloich bore the name ‘Ach-na-Cloich, as the 6″ OS map extract shows. It bore that name right through to closure on 1st November 1965. [55][56]The remaining buildings at Ach-na-Cloich, seen from the public road adjacent to Loch Etive. [Google Streetview, April 2011]
The line continues to hug the shore of Loch Etive passing over the A85 a couple of local roads on its way to Connel Ferry Railway Station.
The next bridge over the A85,seen from the Northwest. [Google Streetview, November 2021]
The next image comes form Gairns’ article in The Railway Magazine and shows a train approaching Connel Ferry from the East.
In its heyday when it served a branch to Ballachulish, Connel Ferry Railway Station had three platforms, a goods yard and a turntable. Later this was reduced to just the single platform, after the branch closed in 1966, [64] as it remains today. [63][65]
As we have already noted, the journey along the branch can be followed by reading articles elsewhere on this blog. We will continue our journey with Gairns along the main line to Oban. ….
Gairns continues
“At Connel Ferry, junction for the Ballachulish line, there is a wide island platform serving the up and down main lines, and a single platform on the up side designed for branch trains, though generally these use the main platform to facilitate passenger and luggage transfer. The station has sidings and [a] goods yard. Its height above the village entails high viaducts both on the Oban line and on the approach to the famous Connel Ferry bridge, crossed by Ballachulish trains. Fine views are had of the bridge from the Oban line as it pursues its course high up on the hillside until it cuts inland to attain the summit of Glencruitten. This is at the top of the 3-mile incline at 1 in 50 by which the line zig-zags down to reach the shore at Oban, giving views now over Oban and the landward hills above it, and then, with final sweep round, over the Kerrera Sound and Kerrera Island, to the mountains of Mull and the Firth of Lorne.
Before reaching the terminus a stop is usually made at Oban ticket platform, adjacent to the goods yard and engine shed. Oban station has picturesque build ings surmounted by a clock tower, and the circulating area is adorned with hanging flower baskets. Refreshment and dining rooms are provided. The three main platforms are partly covered by a glazed all-over roof, though their outer curved portions are open. Alongside are two open arrival platforms permitting cabs, &c., to come directly alongside the trains, The station is immediately alongside the steamer pier and harbour premises, the location being peculiarly convenient to the principal hotels, the sea front, and the Corran Esplanade.
Oban – ‘a little bay’ – so widely favoured as a holiday resort, as a boating and yachting centre, and as headquarters for touring the Highlands and the Hebrides in all directions, has been described as the ‘Charing Cross of the Highlands’. Whether readers will agree with this as a happy choice or not, it certainly justifies it as a great steamer traffic and touring centre. Messrs. David MacBrayne, Ltd., operate steamers between Oban, the Sound of Mull and Tobermory to Castlebay and Lochboisdale (‘Inner Island Service’), Ardrishaig via the Crinan Canal, to Staffa and Iona, to Ballachulish, Kentallen and Fort William, and thence via the Caledonian Canal to Inverness, besides many local trips and excursions.” [1: p13-15]
Connel Ferry is the last station before Oban. The railway line runs behind (South of) Connel and then turns away from the coast and the A85.
The line Southwest of Connel Ferry Railway Station, as shown on railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery. [15]This extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897, published in 1900 shows the next bridge on the line where a local road passes under the railway. [66]A similar area in the 21st century. [Google Maps, December 2024]The bridge shown on the Ordnance Survey extract and on the modern satellite image from Googlee Maps. This view looks Northwest along the lane under the bridge from the Southeast. [Google Streetview, November 2021]Looking Southeast along the lane this time. Google Streetview, November 2021]The next length of the line as shown on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897, published in 1900. [66]
Trains encounter a number of accommodation bridges/underpasses which allow field access under the line of the railway. The one shown below, at the highest magnification possible from the public highway, is typical of one type of culvert.
A narrow lane approaches the railway from the Northand an underpass sits to the East of the road where there is a slight gaps in the trees. [Google Maps, December 2024]A typical farm/field access under the railway. [Google Streetview, November 2021]
Just a short distance Southwest is another underpass, this time of stone arch construction.
A further underbridge constructed as a stone arch. [Google Streetview, June 2011]The narrow highway is in the top-left of this staellite image – the stone-arch bridge is just to the right of centre. [Google Maps, December 2024]The next length of the line as shown on railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery. [15]
Another few hundred metres to the Southwest a further underpass is a girder bridge.
The highway and the railway are in close proximity at this location. [Google Maps, December 2024]Looking Southeast under the railway, rather than being a stone arch this underpass is a girder bridge. [Google Streetview, June 2011]
The next underpass is a stone arched structure.
The next underpass is only just visible from the road. [Google Streetview, June 2011]It is located bottom-right of this image. [Google Maps, December 2024]
These two locations appear on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897. …
The next length of the railway as shown on the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1897, published 1900. [67]These two extracts (this and the one above) from the 6″ Ordnance Survey take us as far along the railway as the last railmaponline.com satellite image above. [68]The railway cottages in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, November 2021]The railway cottages in the 21st century. [Google Maps, December 2024]The next loength of the line as it appears on railmaponline.com’s satellite imagery. The outskirts of Oban can be seem on the left of the image. [15]Two extracts from the 6″ Ordnance Survey take us almost as far at the length of line on the railmaponline.com satellite imagery above. [68]This third extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey completes the length covered by the railmaponline.com satellite image above and covers the length on the right on the satellite image below. [69]The final length of the line into Oban as shown by railmaponline.com. [15]This extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1898 covers the length of the line on the bottom half of the satellite image above. [69]Looking South out of Oban along the A816, Soroba Road, The railway crosses the road on a simply supported girder bridge. [Google Streetview, May 2022]This extract from the 6″ Ordnance Survey of 1898 shows the final length of the line and the two stations (passenger and goods) which existed at the turn of the 20th century. [69]The same area as it appears on Google Maps in the 21st century. Glenshellach Terrace marks the north side of what was the Goods Station. [Google Maps, December 2024]
Running into Oban the line is crossed by three road bridges:
For the sake of completeness, we note that Gairns’ narrative returns to Connel Ferry for commentary on the Ballachulish Branch.
“Commencing at Connel Ferry station, the branch train reaches the famous bridge by a viaduct approach over the village of Connel Ferry. The Connel Ferry bridge, claimed to be the Forth Bridge’s ‘biggest British rival’, was opened for traffic on 21st August 1903. The bridge, which is of cantilever type (hence the analogy suggested with the Forth Bridge), has a length of 524 ft. between the two piers, the clear span being 500 ft., and the headway above high-water level, 50 ft. Extreme height from high water to the topmost point of the bridge is 125 ft., while the middle span, carried by the two cantilever spans, has a length of 232 ft. This bridge not only enabled a district hitherto most inconveniently situated in regard to rail traffic to be placed in communication with the Callander and Oban Railway at Connel Ferry, but provided a means of crossing Loch Etive, where previously a very lengthy detour had to be made to get from one side to the other, the only alternative being a very uncertain ferryservice,
The difficulty having been solved from the railway point of view, there still remained the problem of providing for the transit of motor-cars and other road vehicles across the Loch, and for several years after the opening of the bridge the Caledonian Railway Company conveyed private motor-cars across the bridge by placing them on flat trucks and hauling them, passengers included, by road motor vehicles adapted to run on rails across the bridge.
This … was continued for a considerable time, but, several years ago, the Caledonian Railway Company adopted the alternative method of adapting the bridge also for the passage of motor vehicles, cycles, etc., under their own power. There is not, however, sufficient room for a roadway clear of the railway track, so that it is necessary to restrict the passage of road vehicles to periods when no train is signalled. At eachend of the bridge, therefore gates under the control of the bridge keeper, are provided to close the bridge to road traffic when a train is due, and the tablet instruments are controlled by electric circuits in connection with the road gates, to ensure that unless the gates are properly closed, a tablet cannot be used. The roadway over the bridge comes close up to the rails, there being just sufficient room for a vehicle to pass between the rails and the side of bridge, and the bridgekeeper has to see that vehicles from both directions are not allowed on the bridge at the same time. These facilities apply only to private motor-cars and horse-drawn vehicles, and not trade vehicles, of either class. Cyclists and pedestrians also use the bridge. In each case the crossing of the bridge is subject to toll, the men in charge at the Connel Ferry and Benderloch ends acting as toll-keepers. … In August [1922], the bridge was used by 6,009 foot passengers, by 852 motor-cars, and by 290 cycles. [1: p15-16]
Gairns continues:
“Passing North Connel halt, at the North end of the bridge, the line follows the shore to Benderloch station. At Barcaldine Crossing a platform is provided, where trains call as required. So far, the country traversed has been ‘comparatively’ flat and uninteresting, but as it crosses a peninsula to reach the shores of Loch Creran, mountain vistas again open up. Short of Creagan station the line crosses the Narrows to the Loch by a two-span girder bridge with approach viaducts, fine views being had on both sides.
Again crossing a peninsula. Appin is reached, and for the remainder of the journey the line follows closely the shores of Loch Linnhe. As it curves round after leaving Appin station, a good view is had of the ruins of Castle Stalker. Alongside the Loch splendid views are had, and Duror and Kentallen stations are sufficiently picturesque to harmonise with the general character of the scenery. At Ballachulish Ferry station tickets are collected, and the line then curves round to follow the shores of Loch Leven to the terminus at Ballachulish. This is a neat two-platformed station, with dining and refreshment rooms, and the district is impressively mountainous. A short distance from the station is a small harbour, whence a David MacBrayne steamerused to ply three times daily to and from the Kinlochleven wharf of the British Aluminium Company, for goods, passenger and mail traffic. This steamer service has now been withdrawn, a road having been built by German prisoners during the [First World War] and opened for traffic at the end of [1922].” [1: p16]
As noted close to the start of this article, the Ballachulish Branch has been covered extensively in an earlier series of articles which can be found here, [2] here, [3] here, [4] and here. [5]
Gairns goes on to reflect on the use of the Callander and Oban line. He says that its use is “complicated by the fact that its gradients are systematically so severe.” [1: p16] Indeed 1 in 50 gradients occurred:
“several times for considerable distances, curves are numerous, and in several places reduced speed is necessary owing to the danger of tumbling rocks, notably alongside Loch Lubnaig in Glen Ogle and the Pass of Brander, and automatic alarm wires are erected on some stretches, a fall of rock encountering them causing warnings to be given in adjacent signal cabins and watchmen’s huts, and putting the special signals to danger. On the steep grades both goods and passenger trains are operated under special restrictions, stops being made at the summits and brakes tested, or, on goods trains, a proportion pinned down before descending. Mountain mists and fogs, occasional torrential rainstorms or cloudbursts and other ‘episodes’ peculiar to mountain lines, also complicate the working at times. But even in winter there is a steady traffic in meeting the transport needs of the wide areas rendered accessible by this line, of the various townships and villages (many are centres for other places within a considerable radius), country houses, castles and large estates, and in carrying mails, supplying coal and, in due season, conveying cattle and other live stock.
The winter train services are, naturally, much reduced as compared with those of the summer, but even the winter service provides four through trains each way daily, a local each way between Oban and Dalmally, and several additional trains between Callander and Glasgow. Sleeping cars and through carriages are provided between Euston and Oban in winter on Fridays only from London, returning on Mondays. The down vehicles are conveyed on the 8.25 a.m. from Stirling, due in Oban at 12.15 p.m. It is also possible to reach Oban at 4.45 p.m. from London by the 11 p.m. from Euston the night before, and by the 5 a.m. from Eustonat 9.50 p.m., the same night, though not, of course, with through carriages.” [1: p16-17]
Gairns goes on to cover train movements on the line in some detail. While the copious detail he provided need not detain us here, it is worth noting the care with which connections to the various railway branches, steamer and motor-coach services associated with the main line were arranged. There were also a significant number of excursions and tours to suit passenger’s differing budgets.
Gairns’ final paragraph concentrated on the motive power in use on the line in the early 1920s and is worth recording here:
“The locomotives generally employed are the well-known ‘Oban’ 4-6-0s, with 5-ft. coupled wheels, together with Mr. Pickersgill’s new ‘Oban’ class recently introduced, though odd trips are taken by 0-6-0 goods engines, which also render assistance on the steep grades. On the Killin branch and the Ballachulish extension 0-4-4 tank engines of the 4 ft. 6 in. class are used. Between Dunblane and Callander main line 4-4-0 locomotives from Glasgow or Stirling and 0-6-0 goods engines are used, as well as the Oban 4-6-0s on the through trains, a change being sometimes made at Callander. The Callander and Oban line and the Ballachulish extension are controlled by electric train tablet apparatus. Ordinary train staff is used on the Killin branch.” [1: p18]
References
G.F. Gairns; The Callandar and Oban Railway; in The Railway Magazine, London, July 1923, p10-17
John Thomas; The Callander &Oban Railway: The History of the Railways of the Scottish Highlands – Vol. 4; David St. John Thomas Publisher, Nairn, Scotland, 1966, 1990 and 1991.
The first three articles in this series covered the network as it was established by the beginning of the First World War. These articles can be found here, [1] here [2] and here. [3]
The fourth article looked at the period between WW1 and WW2. It can be found here. [4] This fifth article covers the period after WW2 to the eventual closure of the network.
The Network during World War 2
During the war period, new work was suspended and maintenance was reduced to a minimum; tunnels were used as air raid shelters, and the service schedules were redistributed to avoid the tunnels. Suburban lines acquired considerable importance for the transport of evacuees, especially in the morning and evening. The transport of goods also became important and some older trams were adapted to accommodate the service. Fruit and vegetables were transported to the central market and to the local markets. Building materials for urgent works were carried, as we’re a variety of other goods. Examples of these adapted vehicles can be found close to the end of this article. [36]
After WW2 and the Decline of the Network
The modernization of the tram network, covered in the fourth article in this series, was abruptly interrupted by the Second World War which saw significant damage to the network and rolling stock. After the War the Littorio depot-workshop was renamed for ‘Romeo Guglielmetti’, a tram driver and martyr of the partisan resistance. [19][20: p238-239] .
The poor condition of much of the network resulted in trams being restricted to main arteries and the introduction of trolleybuses on the rest of the network. Trolleybuses were trailed in 1938 but it was 1949 before planned introduction occurred. obsolescence and degradation of large parts of the network were the reasons that led to the choice of maintaining the tram only on the ‘main lines’, introducing tolleybuses as replacements for the tram on the secondary lines. In reality the project had already begun before the conflict (the first trolleybuses had been activated in 1938), [20: p227] but only in 1949 was the decision planned in detail. [21: p88]
Trams were removed from the central area of the city where trolleybuses were perceived, not being tied to tracks, to be more flexible and better able to negotiate heavy traffic. The lines in the hills were also converted to a trolleybus service (the rubber-wheeled vehicles, having greater grip, guaranteed quicker restarts and with less energy expenditure. [19][20: p255-256]
The result of these changes was effectively to create two different networks (East and West), linked only by a line along the coast as shown on the map below which shows the tram network as it existed in 1956. [19][21: p93]
By 1956 trams served the following routes: [21: p126]
1 Banco San Giorgio – Voltri 2 Banco San Giorgio – Pegli 3 Banco San Giorgio – Sestri 4 Banco San Giorgio – Pra’ Palmaro 5 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Rivarolo 6 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Bolzaneto 7 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Pontedecimo 9 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Rivarolo 10 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Bolzaneto 11 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Pontedecimo 12 Banco San Giorgio – Prato 13 Banco San Giorgio – Giro del Fullo 14 Banco San Giorgio – Staglieno 15 De Ferrari – Galleria Mameli – Nervi 17 De Ferrari – Prato 18 De Ferrari – Staglieno 19 De Ferrari – Borgoratti 20 Bolzaneto – Pegli 21 De Ferrari – San Fruttuoso 22 Bolzaneto – Pra’ Palmaro 23 De Ferrari – Quezzi 24 San Fruttuoso – Sestri 26 Quezzi – Rivarolo 42 De Ferrari – Galleria Mameli – Sturla 43 De Ferrari – via Giordano Bruno 44 Banco San Giorgio – Borgoratti 45 De Ferrari – San Martino – Sturla 50 San Martino – Sampierdarena 51 De Ferrari – San Francesco d’Albaro – Nervi 52 Brignole – San Francesco d’Albaro – Nervi 53 Brignole – San Francesco d’Albaro – Priaruggia
The tram terminus on Via Gordiano Bruno. This line does not appear on the map above but is included in the list of services above as Line No. 43. The road in the foreground is Corse Italia, (c) Public Domain. [5]
In the period after WW2, there was a dramatic increase in private car ownership and as a result increased congestion in the city centre and on main arterial routes. Conflicts between trams and private vehicles became regular occurrences and there was increasing wear of the rails.
Despite efforts to adapt the network to the needs of car traffic, the 1949 plan was soon overtaken by events: the economic ‘boom’ then underway was leading to an enormous increase in private motorisation, which had not originally been envisaged on such a scale.
After a few years, even the so-called ‘power lines’, which had been planned to be maintained, revealed all their inefficiency: almost the entire network ran in a mixed manner with road traffic, leading not only to continuous conflicts between trams and private vehicles, but also to an ever-increasing wear on the rails. [20: p265]
Thus in 1956 the decision was taken, despite significant opposition, to manage the decline of the network and to introduce a replacement bus network. Buses had become preferable to both trams and trolleybuses because of their unconstrained movement, not hampered by rails or overhead lines. [19][20: p265]
Bolzaneto in the 1950s: in this postcard view, UITE No. 954 travels along via Pastorino, the main street of Bolzaneto, in service on Line No. 10 to Piazza Banco San Giorgio. Note the traffic policeman in the middle of the roadway. [7]
The removal of the tram lines began in 1964 with the closure of the Ponente and Val Polcevera lines. [21: p105] This also led to the closure of the Galleria Certosa. After a long period of disuse, Galleria Certosa was reopened in the 1990s and used by the Metro. [19]
“In 1965, the city acquired the remaining holding and the UITE’s activities were transferred to the Azienda Municipalizzata Trasporti (AMT).” [16][17]
However, “the municipalisation of the Company, … did not bring the expected results. The last UITE balance sheets showed a substantial positive balance, the subsequent AMT financial statements showed increasingly significant deficits. This was not, however, unique to Genoa, it was a phenomenon common to many public transport companies which, subordinated to the electoral needs of the parties in government in a local area, saw fare policies being dictated by political imperatives, often only partially covering operational expenses. Additionally: the speed of the general traffic, through which trams had to travel, decreased due to congestion; inflation became a significant factor; lines were established serving new residential areas; personnel costs increased significantly; and AMT were expected to acquire and run services beyond the immediate Genoa conurbation.” [17]
On 18th July 1965, lines along the coast road, which included the terminus in Piazza Caricamento, were closed and, on 10th November 1965, the last line on the East side of the city centre was closed. [21: p106]
Only two lines in the Bisagno valley remained in operation – Line 12 (Via Brigata Bisagno – Prato) and Line 13 (Via Brigata Bisagno – Giro del Fullo) which were left until last because they served as a connection to the Guglielmetti workshop, where the trams were progressively concentrated and decommissioned. Both Line 12 and Line 13 ran along the right bank of the River Bisagno. [19][21: p106]
One of the last trams in service on the Genovese tram network is at the Giro del Fullo tram terminus in December 1966. This image faces North and was shared by Renato Michelina Dore on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group on 9th July 2022. [6]The same location in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, August 2024]A tram heading for the Prato terminus of Line No. 12. This image was shared in monochrome on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group by Domenico Fornara on 24th March 2021, (c) Unknown. [9]A similar view looking Northwest on Via Struppa in the 21st century. [Google Streetview, July 2023]The tram depot at Prato – truly the end of the line in the Bisagno valley, (c) Public Domain. [8]The site of the depot is now the rear area behind Palazzetto Dello Sport Lino Maragliano This view looks East from Via Prato Verde. The terracotta building on the right is that sports centre. the building in the centre is the tram shed and the tall building beyond remains intact in the 21st century as well. [Google Streetview, April 2019]
Tram services in Genoa ceased definitively on the night between 26th and 27th December 1966, with the last runs of Line 12. [19][21: p110]
Genoa’s tram network was in operation from 1878 to 1966, during this time it was the main public transport service in the Ligurian capital.
Rolling Stock
AMT claims to record details of all the trams used on the network throughout its history. [20: p653-660] This list, however, does not appear to be exhaustive as photographs exist of trams with numbers not included in this list! These are noted below. ……
Trams No. 1-45 (AEG/SATO) were two-axle cars built by Grondona, Comi & Co. in 1899/1900. They were later rebuilt by the UITE between 1922 and 1927. [19]
Tram No. 7 after its rebuild by UITE, (c) Public Domain. [33]
Trams No. 46-55 (AEG/SATO) were two-axle cars built by Miani, Silvestri & Co. in 1900. These were rebuilt by Piaggio in 1926. [19]
Trams No. 56-75 (AEG/SATO) were two-axle cars built by Officine Meccaniche in 1901. These were rebuilt by Piaggio in 1926. [19]
Trams No. 76-100 (AEG/SATO) were two-axle cars built by Reggiane Boker in 1907.
Trams No. 79 was built by Reggiane Boker in 1907. [31]
Trams No. 100-110 (SFEF) were two-axle bidirectional cars built by Miani, Silvestri & Co. in 1895. The image immediately below shows one of these trams bearing the number 111. This suggests that the range of numbers taken by these trams was wider. [19]
Trams No. 101-110 were replacement two-axle bidirectional cars built by Bagnara in 1925. [19]
Two trams passing on Corso Torino – trams No. 25 and 197. According to AMT (as reported by Wikipedia.it), tram No. 25 was built by Grondona, Cornish & Co. in 1899 (see above) and tram No. 197 was built in 1897 (see below). [24]
Trams No. 171-200 were two-axle bidirectional cars built by Grondona, Comi & Co. in 1897. [19] Might this class be more numerous? Perhaps 111-200? Given the numbering of these trams, in the year of build quoted a little too early? [19]
Trams No. 363, 364 (SFEF) were two-axle bidirectional cars built by Savigliano in 1893. These vehicles were converted into trailer-cars in 1900. [19]
Trams No. 387 and 388 were prototypes received in 1929/1930 along with Trailer No. 389. ………
UITE 400 Series Trailers
I have not been able to find information about this series of trailer cars.
UITE 600 Series Trams and Trailers
I have not been able to find information about tram cars in this series. However, numbers 621-650 were trailers which were used with the 700 series trams below.
UITE 700 Series Trams
Given the success of the prototypes No. 387 and No. 388 and the trailer No. 389 of 1929 and 1930, UITE purchased 50 bogie-trams, 25 constructed by Ansaldo (Nos. 751-775) and 25 constructed by Piaggio (Nos. 776-800) and 30 trailers supplied by Carminati & Toselli (Nos. 621-650). [36]
Trams No. 751-800 were bidirectional bogie-cars built in 1931. These were known as ‘long Casteggini’ type trams. [19]
Trams No. 801-820 (UITE) were bidirectional bogie-cars built by Piaggio in 1932. These were known as ‘short Casteggini’ type trams. [19]
Trams No. 821-850 (UITE) were unidirectional bogie-cars built by Piaggio in 1934. These were known as ‘long Casteggini’ type trams (originally built as trailer-cars). [19]
Tram No. 821 at the tram terminus at Bratte in Bolzaneto. This image was shared on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group by Enrico Pinna on 14th October 2023. [22]
UITE 900 Series Trams
The 900 series electric tramcars were designed by the Unione Italiana Tramways Elettrici (UITE) and built by the UITE and other companies, also known as ‘Littorine’ or ‘Genova’ type, were a series of bidirectional, metre-gauge tramcars in service on the Genoa tram network .
The vehicles were designed in 1939 and 94 vehicles entered service on the Genovese network in 1939 and 1940. They were in service until 1966. Six (or possibly seven) other vehicles were built to the same specification and sold to Breda and used elsewhere. Five (or perhaps six) were put to use in Belgrade and one in Innsbruck.
Builders were: UITE, Piaggio, Bagnara, Ansaldo, Breda; bogies were from TIBB and CGE workshops. These vehicles were 13.56 metres long, 2.15 metres wide and 3.12 metres high. They had 25 seats and could accommodate a further 85 people standing. They weighed 18.6 tonnes empty. They had 4 No. 45hp Ansaldo LC 229 electric motors.
In exchange for the units sold to Breda in 1940, UITE received four two-bodied articulated units which went on to form the 1100 series. They were the first articulated trams used in Genova. [15]
UITE 1100 Series Trams
There were four of these articulated units (1101-1104) which were supplied to the UITE by Breda in 1942. These units operated in Genova until 1965/1966 when they were sold to Neuchâtel and continued in service there until 1988. Built by Breda with electrical parts supplied by TIBB, the units were 20.65 metres long and accommodated 33 people seated and up to 142 standing. They weighed 27 tonnes empty. [14]
These were numbered 1221-1250. They were reconstructions by UITE in 1948-1949 (in an unidirectional, articulated form) of the 221 to 250 series. They were known as ‘Lambrette’ trams. [19]
UITE 1600 Series Trams
These were numbered 1601-1678. They were reconstructions by UITE in 1949-1950 (in an unidirectional, articulated form) of 600 and 400 series cars. The old two-axle cars of the 600 series were joined to trailers of the two-axle 400 series. The transformations were decided in order to have large-capacity vehicles with significant management savings compared to a complex consisting of a tractor and trailer, which required the presence of two ticket collectors. [13][19]
These units were 16.80 metres long with a capacity of 24 seated and 104 standing passengers. They weighed 18.2 tonnes unladen and were powered by 2 No. 70hp motors. They served on routes in Ponente and the Bisagno and Polcevera valleys. They received several improvements to electrical equipment, resulting in enhanced power and speed, in 1958 and 1960. [13]
UITE 1700 Series Trams
These were numbered 1700-1715 They were reconstructions of pairs of two-axle cars in 1954 and 1955 They were bidirectional units. [19]
These units were obtained by joining two old two-axle carriages with a small suspended central body in between. The resulting configuration, quite common for the time, was nicknamed ‘two rooms and kitchen’ (‘due camere e cucina:) and allowed for large-capacity cars to be had at little expense. The transformation, designed by the engineer Remigio Casteggini of UITE, was carried out on some cars by the UITE workshops, on others by Piaggio of Sestri Ponente. The first six entered service in 1954 , followed by another nine the following year. [12]
Tram No. 1703 was one of 15 in the 1700 series. This image was shared by Giovanni Valente on the Foto Genova Antica Facebook Group on 6th April 2022, (c) Unknown. [34]
These units were 20.88 metres long and had capacity for 26 seated passengers and 127 standing. They were 26.5 tonnes unladen and were powered by 4 No. 45hp motors. [12]
The 1700 series units were employed primarily on Line No. 1 (Piazza Banco di San Georgio to Voltri. [12]
The first three articles in this series covered the network as it was established by the beginning of the First World War. These articles can be found here, [1] here [2] and here. [3]
We have already noted that there were changes to the network above which occurred before WW1, particularly the second line to Piazza Sturla in the East, the additional line to Sampierdarena in the West and the Municipal line to Quezzi in the Northeast.
In this article we look at the network from World War 1 to the beginning of World War 2.
After WW1 and into early WW2
In 1923, driving on the right was imposed on roads throughout the country (until then, individual cities had discretion over the matter). Genoa complied on 31st August 1924. The change did not cause major upheavals in the tram service as it had always been undertaken by bidirectional carriages with doors on both sides. [19][21: p56]
In the mid 20s the autonomous municipalities between Nervi and Voltri along the coast, up to Pontedecimo in Val Polcevera and up to Prato in Val Bisagno, were annexed to the capital and a ‘Greater Genoa’ was formed. The entire tram network fell within the new municipal area. [19]
During this time UITE remained as a private company but the City acquired a majority of shares. [19][20: p223] and began to direct the development of the company and the network. [19][21: p62]
In 1934, major reform of the network took place. Trams ceased to use Via Roma, Via XX Settembre, and Piazza de Ferrari. The piazza saw major change – the lifting of the ‘tramway ring’ allowed, first, the planting of a large flower bed, and later (in 1936) the construction of a large fountain designed by Giuseppe Crosa di Vergagni. The trams were diverted through Piazza Dante and Galleria Colombo which was newly opened. [20: p224] At the same time new lines crossing the city were activated, with the aim of better distributing passengers in the central areas. [19][21: p62] The following year the trams also abandoned Corso Italia, in favour of a new route further inland which also included the new Galleria Mameli. [19][21: p125]
The modernization of the network included renewal of the fleet of trams. That renewal commenced in 1927 with the introduction of ‘Casteggini’ (trolley/bogie trams – named after the UITE engineer who designed them). These were followed in 1939 by modern ‘Genoa type’ trams, [20: p657] built first as single units and then, from 1942, in an articulated version. [19][20: p660]
In 1935, the large Littorio depot near Ponte Carrega (Val Bisagno) came into operation. In 1940, workshop facilities were opened at the depot. [20: p237-238]
Italian Wikipedia tells us that after the changes made in 1934, the following list covers the tram routes on the network: [19][21: p125]
1 Banco San Giorgio – Voltri 2 Banco San Giorgio – Pegli 3 Banco San Giorgio – Sestri 4 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena 5 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Rivarolo 6 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Bolzaneto 7 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Pontedecimo 8 Banco San Giorgio – Sampierdarena – Campasso 9 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Rivarolo 10 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Bolzaneto 11 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Pontedecimo 12 Banco San Giorgio – Galleria Certosa – Certosa – Sampierdarena – Banco San Giorgio 13 The reverse of Line 12 14 Banco San Giorgio – Cornigliano 15 Banco San Giorgio – Pra 16 Brignole – Corvetto – Pegli 18 Marassi – Bolzaneto 21 Dinegro – Manin – Staglieno 22 Manin – Corvetto – Piazza Santa Sabina 23 De Ferrari – Marassi – Quezzi 24 Corso Dogali – Manin – Corvetto – Principe – Corso Dogali (circulating clockwise through the hills) 25 The reverse of Line 24 (circulating anti-clockwise through the hills) 26 Dinegro – Principe – via Napoli 27 Corso Dogali – Manin – Corvetto – Tommaseo 28 Principe – Corvetto – Via Atto Vannucci – Banco San Giorgio 30 De Ferrari – Foce 31 Banco San Giorgio – Staglieno – Prato 32 Banco San Giorgio – Molassana – Giro del Fullo
33 De Ferrari – Piazza Verdi – Staglieno 34 Piazza della Vittoria – Staglieno – San Gottardo – Doria 35 Piazza della Vittoria – Staglieno 36 Piazza della Vittoria – Ponte Carrega 37 De Ferrari – Piazza Verdi – San Fruttuoso 38 De Ferrari – Via Barabino – Boccadasse 39 De Ferrari – Sturla – Nervi 40 Banco San Giorgio – De Ferrari – Albaro – Quinto 41 Piazza Cavour – Via Barabino – Corso Italia – Priaruggia 42 De Ferrari – San Francesco d’Albaro – Sturla 43 De Ferrari – San Francesco d’Albaro – Lido 44 Banco San Giorgio – De Ferrari – Borgoratti 45 De Ferrari – San Martino – Sturla 46 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – San Martino 47 De Ferrari – San Francesco d’Albaro – Villa Raggio 48 Piazza Cavour – Piazza della Vittoria – San Fruttuoso 49 De Ferrari – Tommaseo – ‘Ospedale San Martino 50 San Martino – Brignole – Corvetto – Sampierdarena – Campasso 51 Quezzi – Brignole – Principe – Galleria Certosa – Rivarolo 52 San Giuliano – Brignole – Principe – Dinegro 53 Tommaseo – Brignole – Principe – Sampierdarena – Campasso 54 Sturla – Albaro – De Ferrari – Banco San Giorgio – Dinegro 55 Foce – Brignole – Principe – Dinegro 56 Marassi – Brignole – Principe – Dinegro
The lines marked with a red ‘X’ are those which closed in the city centre with the reorganisation of 1934, (c) Paolo Gassani. [8]
After 1934, Piazza Banco di San Georgio became the centre of the altered network (it was referred to originally as Piazza Caricamento). This was facilitated by earlier alterations to the network which included:
Piazza Railbetta, Piazza di San Georgio, Via San Lorenzo and Piazza Umberto 1
These earlier alterations included a very short line, shown on the Baedecker 1916 map of Genova, connecting Piazza Banco di San Georgio and Piazza Raibetta. In addition, a line along Via San Lorenzo and Piazza Umberto 1 made a connection from that short line to Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari which at the time was at the heart of Genova’s tram network. This three-way length of connecting tramways opened up the possibility of the significant revisions to the network which occurred in 1934. The 1916 Baedeker map is the first I have found which shows these links, early Baedeker maps available online do not show these lines. There is photographic evidence of these lines being in use by 1906.
An additional short line was provided from Piazza Galeazzo Alessi at the top of Via Corsica along Mura Sant Chiara, Mura del Prato, Viale Milazzzo and Via Alessandra Volta, as shown below.
Corso Italia was built between 1909 and 1915 [6] and the tram line to Foce was extended along Corso Italia sometime in the early 1920s. The tram line can be seen (dotted) on the map extract below.
Other links were added such as a line between Piazza Brignole and Piazza Giuseppi Verdi (outside Brignole Station). With the culverting of the Bisagno River in 1930/31, a link along Via Tolemaide from Piazza Verdi to meet the existing tramway which ran Northeast/Southwest on Via Montevideo and continued East towards San Martino, became possible.
Piazza Raffeale de Ferrari, Piazza Dante and routes East
We have already noted that Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari ceased to be the main focus of the network in 1934 and that trams were removed from Via XX Settembre and Via Roma at the time. What remained in the vicinity of Piazza de Ferrari was a single loop line were 11 lines from the East and Valbisagno terminated. The terminus was on Via Petrarca with a return loop through Via Porta Soprana and Via Antonio Meucci to Piazza Dante and then on to their destinations. The first image below shows the revised arrangements on the South corner of Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari.
Trams which originally entered Piazza Raffaele de Ferrari from the north along Via Roma were diverted from Piazza Corvetto along Via Serra toward Piazza Brignole. More about this further down this article.
A 600 series tram in Via Meucci on the return loop. The tram is approaching Via Dante where it will turn right to head East out of the centre of Genova, (c) Public Domain. [13]
Trams travelled up and down Via Dante and through Galleria Cristoforo Colombo to serve the East of the city and the coast.
When trams were diverted away from Piazza De Ferrari, those which used to travel down Via Roma were diverted along Via Serra and Piazza Brignole. A new length of tramway was built along Via Edmondo de Amicis to link Piazza Brignole with Piazza Verdi and Brignole Railway Station.
The station forecourt of Brignole Railway Station and the North side of Piazza Giuseppe Verdi became a significant hub within the new network inaugurated in 1934.
Looking East across the face of Brignole Railway Station in the 1960s with the tram station in the centre of the view. This image was shared by Gianfranco Curatolo on the C’era Una Volta Genova Facebook group on 20th August 2016. [29]Piazza Giuseppe Verdi and Brignole Railway Station in the 21st century. [Google Maps, December 2024]
East from Piazza Verdi (Via Tolemaide)
Major work was undertaken in the 1930s along the length of the River Bisagno from the railway to the sea shore. That full length of the river was converted and a broad boulevard was created.
Piazza Verdi (Brignole Railway Station), Viale Brigata Partigiane/Viale Brigata Bisagno, Via Barabino, Galleria Mameli, Via Carlo e Nello Rosselli and further East
The construction of Galleria Principe di Piemonte (later Galleria Mameli) allowed a further route East from the city centre to be exploited.
Roger Farnworth 
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