Edge Hill Light Railway
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| Edge Hill Light Railway | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Status | Closed |
| Locale | Warwickshire |
| Termini |
|
| Stations | None |
| History | |
| Opened | 1920 |
| Closed | 1925 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 3.5 mi (5.6 km) |
| Track gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) |
The Edge Hill Light Railway, one of Colonel Stephens' light railways, was in Warwickshire, England. It was designed to carry ironstone from Edge Hill Quarries to Burton Dassett where a junction was made with the Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway. It was never officially opened, but began operating in 1922.[1]
"a dead duck of a railway from inception"[1]
In the middle of the line, there was a cable-worked incline at 1 in 6 (16%). As the quarry was at the top of the incline, the incline could be worked as self-acting: the weight of full ore wagons descending was sufficient to draw the empties back up.
Within three years it was found that the iron ore deposits were uneconomic, and the line ceased operating in 1925.[1] It was not dismantled until 1946. A caretaker was employed until the late 1930s in the possibility that the line could be re-opened. In 1942, permanent way from the lower portion of the line was requisitioned for the construction of the army depot now known as MoD Kineton. This had the effect of isolating the line, and the remaining stock at the top of the incline, from the main line and so they survived there until 1946.[2]
Locomotives[edit]
| Name | Number | Builder | Build Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deptford | 673 (EHLR 1) | LBSCR Class A1X | 1872 | Scrapped 1946 [1] Archived 2 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine |
| Shadwell | 674 (EHLR 2) | LBSCR Class A1 | 1872 | Scrapped 1946 [2] Archived 2 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine |
| Sankey | 1088 | Manning Wardle | 1889 | Scrapped 1946 |
Goods stock[edit]
| Description | Origin | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4-wheeled open wagons | Various | ? | All scrapped 1947 |
| Brake vans | GER | 2 | All scrapped 1947 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b c "The Railway". Colonel Stephens Museum. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008.
- ^ Burton, Anthony; Scott-Morgan, John (1985). Britain's Light Railways. Ashbourne: Moorland Publishing. pp. 110–111. ISBN 0-86190-146-0.
Further reading[edit]
- Tonks, Eric (1998). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 2 The Oxfordshire Field. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870754-02-6.
- Scott-Morgan, John (1978). The Colonel Stephens Railways: A Pictorial Survey. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-7544-X.
- Jordan, Arthur (1982). The Stratford-upon-Avon and Midland Junction Railway. Oxford: Oxford Publishing Co. SBN 86093 131 5.
External links[edit]
 | This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. (March 2017) |
- Edge Hill Light Railway, via The Colonel Stephens Railway Museum
- Photos of the railway, via Yahoo
- The line in relation to the SMJ, via SMJ Society
- The line in 1945, via Michael Clemens Railways
- https://web.archive.org/web/20100324132738/http://www.colonelstephenssociety.co.uk/EHLR%20photo%20gallery.html
- http://warwickshirerailways.com/misc/ehlr.htm
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