Bowes Railway facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Bowes Railway |
|
|---|---|
| Pontop & Jarrow Railway | |
The Bowes Railway at Springwell Village, City of Sunderland
|
|
| Locale | Tyne and Wear |
| Terminus | Dipton Colliery to Jarrow Staith (preserved Springwell - Wrekenton) |
| Coordinates | 54°55′25″N 1°33′29″W / 54.9236°N 1.5580°W |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Robert Stephenson, designed by George Stephenson |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Stations | 2 (Springwell & Blackhams Hill) |
| Length | 1+1⁄2 miles (2.4 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1826/1855 |
| Closed | 1974 |
| Preserved era | 1975- |
The Bowes Railway is a special railway built by George Stephenson in 1826. It's the only working preserved standard gauge (normal size) cable railway system in the world! This means it used ropes and engines to pull wagons, not just locomotives. The railway was made to carry coal from mines in Durham to ships on the River Tyne. Today, it's a protected historical site. You can visit the railway on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Easter until October. They also have special event days throughout the year.
Contents
The Story of Bowes Railway
Why the Railway Was Built
A group of business partners, called the Grand Allies, opened a colliery (a coal mine) in Springwell, Durham. One of these partners was John Bowes. They needed a way to move the coal from the mine to the River Tyne, where it could be loaded onto boats.
Their idea was to build special sloped tracks called inclined planes. They planned to use a mix of steam power and gravity to pull the coal wagons along these tracks. The famous engineer George Stephenson designed this railway. He had also designed the Hetton colliery railway, which was finished in 1822.
Building the Tracks
The Bowes Railway was built between Mount Moor and Jarrow, passing through Springwell village. The first part of the railway, from Springwell to Jarrow, opened on January 17, 1826. The section to Mount Moor opened a few months later in April 1826.
When it first opened, the railway had four inclined planes. Two steep slopes went from Mount Moor to Blackham's Hill and from Blackham's Hill to Springwell. At Blackham's Hill, which was the highest point, there was a "hauler house." This building held powerful stationary engines that wound the ropes to pull the wagons.
A long slope that worked by itself (called a self-acting incline) ran from Springwell. Nearly 5 miles (8 km) of track were used by locomotives to reach Jarrow. There, a final slope helped load coal onto ships. The railway was later extended in May 1842 to Kibblesworth Colliery. The whole railway was finished in 1854. This happened when a new link connected Marley Hill to Kibblesworth, allowing coal from mines in Dipton to be reached.
How the Railway Operated
From January 1, 1947, the National Coal Board (NCB) owned and ran the railway. After 1974, the special rope-pulled slopes were no longer used. Only the part of the line northeast of Wardley was still working. The very last day the slopes were used was Friday, October 4, 1974. This historic day was even filmed by BBC and Tyne-Tees TV crews!
The remaining part of the Bowes Railway was served by a shed at Wardley. The railway became shorter and shorter. In the end, only about 1 mile (1.6 km) of track was still in use. This last section closed on January 10, 1986. This was just a few days before its 180th anniversary. The NCB called this smaller system the Monkton Railways. It mainly served a coke works between 1975 and 1986.
The Preserved Railway Today
The Tyne & Wear Industrial Monuments Trust was started in April 1975. This group took over the railway around Springwell from the National Coal Board. By 1975, the Springwell Workshops were even building copies of old locomotives, like Locomotion No. 1.
The preserved Bowes Railway includes the Springwell Colliery workshops. It has a 1-mile (1.6 km) passenger railway and another mile of rope-hauled slopes. Visitors can explore the old Victorian workshops. They can also see demonstrations of engineering and blacksmithing. You can take a tour of the railway buildings and see the railway's collection of wagons. There's also a small museum, a cafe, and a shop at Springwell.
The railway hopes to offer passenger rides again in the future. They also want to show how the rope haulage system worked for visitors.
How Rope Haulage Works
The Original System
When the Bowes Railway was fully working, it used eight rope-pulled inclined planes. Two of these, the Springwell and Birkheads inclines, worked by themselves. This meant the weight of full wagons going down pulled the empty wagons up using a rope. The rope went around a wheel at the top of the hill.
On the other six inclines, the ropes were pulled by a stationary steam engine. Later, electric engines were used. These engines were located at the top of the slope. This way of moving trains is very old. George Stephenson designed it here in 1826, even before modern locomotives were common. The railway slowly closed down, and only four inclines were still in use. These finally closed on October 4, 1974.
The Preserved System
The railway, as it is preserved today, still has two rope-worked inclines. These are the Blackhams Hill East and West inclines. Both are powered by the Blackhams Hill engine. This is a 300 horsepower Metropolitan Vickers engine that started working on July 30, 1950.
This engine works both the East or Flatt Incline (1,170 yards long with a slope of 1 in 70) and the West or Short Bank (750 yards long with a slope of 1 in 13). On these inclines, the preserved railway shows one of the oldest and most unusual ways railways operated. It is now the only place in Britain where you can see this type of operation. However, the inclines are not currently working due to damage and needing repairs.
Locomotives and Brake Vans
Steam Locomotives
- Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST W.S.T. (Maker's Number 2361), built in 1954. This locomotive is waiting for a major repair. It needs a new steam pipe and its boiler needs to be checked. It used to work at Long Meg Mine and Cocklakes. British Gypsum gave ownership of this locomotive to the Bowes Railway Company in September 2008.
- Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No 22 (Number 6 Area B Group 85). This one was built in 1949 (Maker's Number 2274) specifically for the Bowes Railway. It was one of the first locomotives used on the preserved Bowes Railway. It is currently waiting for a major repair and its boiler needs to be checked.
Diesel Locomotives
- Planet 0-4-0 No 101. This was the first locomotive regularly used for moving wagons and freight trains when the railway became preserved. It is currently in use.
- Hunslet Engine Company 0-4-0 No 6263. This locomotive is used for freight trains and moving wagons. It is the most powerful shunter (a locomotive used for moving wagons short distances) on the line. It is currently out of use and needs new brake blocks and a small repair.
- Ruston & Hornsby Class 88 0-4-0 No 476140 "Redheugh". This locomotive has been repaired and is used for both passenger and demonstration coal trains. It originally worked at the Redhaugh gas works.
- Ruston & Hornsby Class 165 0-4-0 locomotives "Pinky" (built 1953) and "Perky" (built 1954). These were given to the railway by the Port of Sunderland. They were some of the last industrial locomotives still working in County Durham. Perky is currently working, while Pinky is being repaired.
Passenger Stock
- Lambton Hetton & Joicey Collieries Brake van No 1. This is a special wagon used by the crew. It is currently in use.
- L.M.S. No 2. This brake van was built in Derby. It is currently in use.
- L.M.S. No 3 Brake van. This one is waiting for repairs.
- B24 - The Queen Mother's wagon. This wagon is waiting for repairs and to have handrails added.
Wagons The railway also has a collection of 45 original Bowes Railway wagons. These wagons date from 1887 all the way to 1963. They also have seven similar wagons from other industrial sites in the North East of England.
