50 years ago today

WISBECH

FACEBOOK - WISBECH AND UPWELL TRAMWAY

RAILFILE - WISBECH AND UPWELL TRAMWAY

It is the 20th May 1966 and the last tram from Upwell trundles alongside Elm Rd towards Wisbech East Station and the goods yard. Despite the uniqueness of this tramway and its connection with the Rev Awdry and Toby the Tram engine etc. the Wisbech Town Council seems to have no interest at all in this part of its heritage. This will be the only commemoration of its passing in Wisbech today - how sad.

The Cavan and Leitrim Railway and the Arigna Tramway

Train crossing the road in Kiltubrid, County Leitrim.  Source

Classic postcard view of the line

C&L railway stamp

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RAILFILE - THE ARIGNA TRAMWAY

The Arigna Tramway was a branch of the Cavan and Leitrim Railway in Ireland. Steam worked to the end this system almost made it to the 1960s, closing on the 31st of March 1959. It was a three foot gauge line, in common with most Irish narrow gauge lines.

It's most interesting feature was the Arigna Tramway, a mainly roadside route which connected the coal mine at Arigna with the rest of the line at Ballinamore. As late as 1920 a 3 mile plus freight only extension of the tramway allowed coal to be shipped directly from the mine to locations all over Ireland. This was the only coal mine on the island.

The tramway was a charming rural route and at the time of closure was unique in these islands and just about unique in western Europe.

More info (on the Cavan and Leitrim Railway including the Arigna line) from Wikipedia

The Cavan & Leitrim Railway was a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge railway in the counties of Leitrim and Cavan in the north-west of Ireland, which ran from 1887 until 1959. Unusually for Ireland, this 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge line survived on coal traffic, from the mine at Arigna. It outlived most of the other Irish narrow-gauge lines, giving a further lease of life to some of their redundant engines.

Early years

In September 1883, a public meeting in Ballinamore declared that a light railway and tramway would open up the coal and iron districts of Arigna and Lough Allen. The Cavan and Leitrim Railway opened for goods traffic on 17 October 1887 and for passengers on 24 October 1887. The section from Belturbet in County Cavan to Dromod in County Leitrim was light railway, and a tramway ran from Ballinamore to Arigna. At the start both lines were operated by eight Robert Stephenson and Company 4-4-0T locomotives. In later years locomotives from other closing narrow gauge lines were used.

Ballinamore was the hub of the line, with the locomotive depot and works. At Belturbet the line connected with the Great Northern Railway (Ireland) broad-gauge branch to Ballyhaise on the Clones toCavan line, and at Dromod connected to the Midland Great Western Railway mainline from Dublin to Sligo. The line was extended to Arigna in 1920. The line was unique in using native coal mined at Arigna.

Later years

In 1925, the company was amalgamated into the Great Southern Railways. By the 1930s the Cavan and Leitrim Railway was in trouble due to road competition. The demolition of the carriage sheds as an economy measure only served to worsen the condition of the stock. It survived World War II, but the opening of a power station near Lough Allen using Arigna coal, and not needing rail services, did not help. The line finally closed on 31 March 1959, the last exclusively steam narrow-gauge line in Ireland.

Moving goods wagons by steam in 1959 at Dromod.

Routes

The line consisted of a main line 54 km (34 mi) long between Dromod and Belturbet with a 24 km (15 mi) branch from Ballinamore to Arigna.

The Belturbet to Dromod part of the Cavan and Leitrim Railway ran from Belturbet through Tomkin Road, Ballyconnell, Ballyheady, Bawnboy Road, Killyran,Garadice, Ballinamore, Lawderdale, Fenagh, Adoon, Rosharry, Mohill and Dereen to Dromod.

The Belturbet to Arigna part of the line ran from Belturbet to Ballinamore and from there through Ballyduff, Cornabrone, Annadale, Kiltubrid, Creagh andDrumshanbo to Arigna.

Locomotives

When the line opened, there were eight 4-4-0T locomotives, numbered 1 to 8, supplied by Robert Stephenson and Company. A ninth locomotive, No. 9, an 0-6-4Tcame from the same supplier in 1904. In 1933, after the closure of the Cork, Blackrock and Passage Railway, the GSR transferred its four 2-4-2T locomotives to the C&L line, renumbering them 10L to 13L.

Preservation

C & L Railway Station, Dromod

The preserved Cavan & Leitrim Railway is run by volunteers, based out of the former Dromod Station, in Co. Leitrim. Trains run every weekend, and on Mondays. The group also has a transport museum, with narrow-gauge trains of every gauge, buses, planes, fire engines and artillery guns from World War I and World War II. It is located beside the Irish Rail Station in Dromod. It was originally intended to rebuild the line to Mohill but this is now most unlikely to happen.

During 2014 train rides on the line ceased due to essential maintenance work and no date has been set for their resumption.

One of the original locomotives, No. 2, and one of the original carriages, is preserved on display at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum. Locomotive No. 3 was exported to New Jersey, United States and is today displayed in the New Jersey Museum of Transportation. The body of a box wagon formerly used by the railway is preserved at Dromod, and is believed to be the last example of freight stock.

A wet day at Groudle

(All June 2003, copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

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My only visit to the Isle of Man (so far) was in summer 2003. I went with my son - our first real holiday together - so it wasn't 100% railways and tramways, but it was close!

A particularly nice trip was from Ramsey down to Groudle on the fantastic electric railway. It's impossible to overhype this fantastic line which to me has it all. Scenery, interesting rolling stock, lots of interesting stops en route, serves a real transport purpose and has a fascinating route including private track and roadside running.

We went to Groudle to travel on the Groudle Glen Railway (story later!). The trip on the little line was dry, but whilst we were at Groudle MER station the heavens opened. As usual I moaned about it at the time,  but looking at the pictures now the rain gives the pictures a real punchy quality.

SBB roadside

(All pics copyright Steve Sainsbury)

I've just sent these five pictures to accompany a future article in Swiss Express.

The Seetalbahn is a fantastic 30 mile long roadside tramway that is part of the standard gauge national network (SBB). These shots are of the line in 1987, there has been much modernisation since, the line now uses ultra modern tram style trains.

In 1987 as well as passenger traffic there was a lot of freight, most seemingly originating along the route, including pick up freights.

Parts of the line have now been relocated on reservation so the roadside mileage is decreasing, which is a shame as the photo opportunities were fantastic.

The line runs from Luzern to Lenzburg, in Cantons Luzern and Aargau.

the smallest gauge in Switzerland

(All 25.5.1987)

Most of Switzerland's minor lines are metre gauge but the Waldenburgerbahn is just 750mm gauge. This line is really a roadside tramway running from Liestal to Waldenburg. Despite its small gauge the trains are pretty spacious and the line is very busy.

There are plans to eventually convert the line to metre gauge and to this end any future infrastructure works will be large enough to accomodate this. there's also talk of eventually connecting the route to the Basel tramway network at Pratteln, though this is obviously dependent on the gauge change!

With these changes being put forward it would be a good idea to visit the line when you can as the 750mm gauge line may not be there for ever.

a welsh tramway

(All pics 28.5.1978 copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing)

FACEBOOK - RAIL THING - RACK AND FUNICULAR RAILWAYS

An excellent Welsh tramway survivor is the Great Orme Tramway, which starts from an impressive station in the back streets of Llandudno, uses a narrow road, then runs roadside before reaching the Great Orme itself, where it continues through an increasingly bleak landscape until it reaches the summit. Not much has changed with this line for many years and it's still doing the job it was designed to do, no doubt making a good profit for its owners.

Llandudno once boasted a second tramway which ran along the coast to Colwyn Bay, which was stupidly closed in 1956. There are now serious attempts to reinstate at least part of this route, which would be an incredible tourist attraction as well as providing a useful transport alternative to spluttering buses!

Website

More info (from Wikipedia)

The Great Orme Tramway (Welsh: Tramffordd y Gogarth) is a cable-hauled 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge tramway in Llandudno in north Wales.

This is Great Britain's only remaining cable-operated street tramway and one of few surviving in the world. It takes passengers from Llandudno Victoria Station to just below the summit of the Great Orme headland. Operation of the tramway differs from the better-known San Francisco system in that it is not a cable car but, rather, operates on the funicular principle where the cars are permanently fixed to the cable and are stopped and started by stopping and starting the cable. As one car is ascending, the other is descending, and they meet midway.

The line comprises two sections, where each section is an independent funicular and passengers change cars at the halfway station. Whilst the upper section runs on its own right of way and is very similar to many other funicular lines, the lower section is an unusual street-running funicular, similar to Lisbon’s Glória, Bica, and Lavra funiculars.

History

The tramway was opened in its two stages: the lower section on 31 July 1902 and the upper on 8 July 1903. The line was initially provided with seven cars, three freight cars numbered 1 to 3 and four passenger cars numbered 4 to 7. The passenger cars were each named after a local Welsh Christian saint and are still in service. The freight cars were for the carriage of goods and parcels, as stipulated in the tramway's original Parliamentary Order, but were withdrawn from service by 1911. The freight vans were also used to carry coffins for burial at the church on Great Orme. There were two methods of using the freight tramcars - they could be placed on the track ahead of a passenger tram, and propelled up the incline, or the cable could be detached from a passenger tram and attached instead to a freight tram, which then operated alone up the incline. All seven trams were fitted with couplings, which would have allowed the passenger trams to tow the freight trams, but there is no evidence that this type of operation ever actually occurred.

The original power house, at the Halfway station between the lower and upper sections, was equipped with winding gear powered by steam from coke-fired boilers. This was replaced in 1958 by electrically powered apparatus. In 2001, the entire Halfway station, its control room and its power plant were completely rebuilt and re-equipped.

Route

The tramway has three main stations, a lower station named "Victoria" after the hotel that formerly occupied the station site, a middle one aptly named 'Halfway', and the Great Orme Summit station. Passengers must change trams at the Halfway station as upper and lower funicular sections are physically separate.

The two sections operate independently, with two cars on each section. The lower section is built on or alongside the public road and has gradients as steep as 1 in 3.8 (26.15%). The cable on this section lies below the road surface in a conduit between the rails. The bottom half of the section is single-track, but above the passing loop it has interlaced double track. In comparison, the upper section is less steep, with a maximum gradient of 1 in 10 (10%), and is single-track apart from a short double track passing loop equipped with points actuated by the flanges of the passing cars. The rails are interrupted to accommodate the cable.

Fleet

Tram number	Tram name	Type	Entered Service	Notes
1	No name	16'7" four-wheel freight tram car	1902	Withdrawn in (or by) 1911
2	No name	16'7" four-wheel freight tram car	1902	Withdrawn in (or by) 1911
3	No name	16'7" four-wheel freight tram car	1902	Withdrawn in (or by) 1911
4	St Tudno	37' bogie passenger tram car	1902	Still in service
5	St Silio	37' bogie passenger tram car	1902	Still in service
6	St Seiriol	37' bogie passenger tram car	1902	Still in service
7	St Trillo	37' bogie passenger tram car	1902	Still in service

Communication

An overhead wire telegraph was formerly used for communication between the tram and the engineer-driver in charge of winding the drum, and has been replaced with an induction-loop radio-control system.

mystery location

Any idea where this roadside railway is?

A few clues - it's in the UK, it runs regular passenger trains and is 15" gauge.

If you know please leave a comment!

If not come back tomorrow when all will be revealed!

swiss delight

(All Hitzkirch, 14.5.1987)

One of my favourite lines of all is the Seetalbahn in Switzerland.

This is a heavy, standard gauge, electrified branch owned by the SBB, but is roadside almost entirely throughout. The route is around 25 miles long.

Back in 1987 I spent a month travelling around Switzerland by train, before a summer spent on the beaches of the south of France. I was camping at Mosen, right alongside the Seetalbahn, and spent many hours walking the route and getting wonderful shots of long heavy trains trundling alongside the road, Wisbech and Upwell style! As you can see in the above shots there were light engine movements, passenger, mixed and freight trains! All these in less than an hour.

The Seetalbahn is still there, although passenger trains are now in the hands of superb, modern, tram-style trains. If you get the chance do visit it - and send me up to date photos!