113-400: The Leicester and Swannington Railway (L&SR) was one of England's first railways, built to bring coal from West Leicestershire collieries to Leicester, where there was great industrial demand for coal. The line opened in 1832, and included a tunnel over a mile in length, and two rope-worked inclined planes; elsewhere it was locomotive-operated, and it carried passengers. When it was built,
226-597: A branch in Leicester to the North Bridge, although that was never made. The colliery branches, and the land acquisition for them, were authorised by the Leicester and Swannington Railway Act 1830, but the actual construction of them would be the financial responsibility of the colliery owners. There was to be one tunnel, at Glenfield , just over a mile in length. Nine underbridges and one overbridge would be needed, and sixteen level crossings over public roads. The line
339-415: A coach pulled by four horses, a penny for an unladen horse and ten pence for a drove of 20 cows. The trustees could call on a portion of the statute duty from the parishes, either as labour or by a cash payment. The trust applied the income to pay for labour and materials to maintain the road. They were also able to mortgage future tolls to raise loans for new structures and for more substantial improvements to
452-526: A disproportionate amount of damage to the road. The rate at which new trusts were created slowed in the early 19th century but the existing trusts were making major investments in highway improvement. The government had been directly involved in the building of military roads in Scotland following a rebellion in 1745, but the first national initiative was a scheme to aid communications with Ireland . Between 1815 and 1826 Thomas Telford undertook
565-401: A distance of 11 miles 55 chains (19 km). The inaugural train was drawn by the locomotive Comet and consisted of an open wagon specially covered in for use of the directors, the company's only open second-class carriage and ten new coal wagons with improvised seats, conveying in all about 400 passengers. It left West Bridge at 10:00 and reached Bagworth at 11:00 "A slight delay was caused by
678-714: A fifth of the roads in Britain; the majority being maintained by the parishes. A trust would typically be responsible for about 20 miles (32 km) of highway, although exceptions such as the Exeter Turnpike Trust controlled 147 miles (237 km) of roads radiating from the city. On the Bath Road for instance, a traveller from London to the head of the Thames Valley in Wiltshire would pass through
791-474: A height of two hundred feet (61 m) and railway haulage on steep gradients was technically very difficult at that time. The only alternative would have been a much longer route through Sturry, Herne and Swalecliffe and land acquisition would have been a major cost. Accordingly, the direct route was chosen, with three steep gradients, two of them to be worked by ropes from stationary steam engines at Clowes Wood and Tyler Hill. From Canterbury North Lane station,
904-653: A junction with the 4 ft 2in gauge Ticknall Tramway at Worthington to the foot of the Swannington incline. Leleux states that it never made a physical connection with the L&;SR. However Hartley states that by November 1833 the first loads of coal from the Coleorton Railway were being worked up the Swannington incline, though by teams of horses due to problems with the winding engine., and Clinker states that L&SR traffic returns show 138 tons of coal from
1017-430: A level stretch of 1 mile 20 chains (2.01 km) before another descent at 1 in 53 for 40 chains (0.80 km) and a final level section of 20 chains (0.40 km) into Whitstable, giving a total length of 6 miles (9.66 km). Construction began in 1825 with George Stephenson as the engineer, with the assistance of John Dixon as resident engineer and Joseph Locke in charge of track. In 1827, following
1130-598: A major reorganization of the existing trusts along the London to Holyhead Road , and the construction of large sections of new road to avoid hindrances, particularly in North Wales. By 1838 the turnpike trusts in England were collecting £1.5 million per year from leasing the collection of tolls but had a cumulative debt of £7 million, mainly as mortgages. Even at its greatest extent, the turnpike system only administered
1243-455: A medical centre, respectively. The concrete base of the former goods shed that stood between the mid-1920s and 2009 is still visible adjacent to the harbour, with the former entrance gates still displaying the initials "SE&CR" (South Eastern & Chatham Railway). The bridges crossing Teynham Road and the mainline were removed in the 1950s, although their abutments are still in place. The famous bridge at Old Bridge Road (previously Church Road)
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#17327726351101356-478: A new deviation line, two miles in length, was constructed, by-passing the Bagworth self-acting incline. The old Bagworth incline was closed after cessation of traffic on 25 March and replaced on 27 March 1848 by the new double line, with a ruling gradient of 1 in 66. Turnpike trust Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individual Acts of Parliament , with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining
1469-516: A railway as a solution to his local difficulty, he enlisted the support of the wealthy weaver John Ellis , and together they travelled to see George Stephenson , who was engaged on the construction of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . Stephenson and his son Robert Stephenson , then 25, visited Leicester by invitation in the Autumn of 1828. George Stephenson agreed to become involved in making
1582-544: A railway line from Swannington to Leicester; the first formal meeting to project the line was held at the Bell Inn in Leicester on 12 February 1829. At a further meeting on 24 June 1829, Robert Stephenson stated that a sixteen-mile line could be built for £75,540. Subscriptions amounting to £58,250 were raised at this meeting. The remainder of the £90,000 necessary for the construction of was raised through Stephenson's financial contacts in Liverpool . The act of incorporation for
1695-726: A rising volume of traffic, or in building new sections of road. During the first three decades of the 18th century, sections of the main radial roads into London were put under the control of individual turnpike trusts. The pace at which new turnpikes were created picked up in the 1750s as trusts were formed to maintain the cross-routes between the Great Roads radiating from London. Roads leading into some provincial towns, particularly in Western England, were put under single trusts and key roads in Wales were turnpiked. In South Wales,
1808-446: A second special train at 16:30. On the next day, the ordinary train service started; this usually consisted of three empty wagon trains each weekday, leaving West Bridge at 08:00, 13:00 and 16:30; the passenger carriage was attached to these and the corresponding return loaded trips. Apparently, special passenger trips were run for a few weeks after opening, until the novelty of a train journey had worn off. At first only Bagworth colliery
1921-547: A siding by horses once they had been detached from the goods wagons. It was well into the 1870s before a platform was provided, and the conveyance of passengers at the rear of coal trains continued until 1887. From that time the Midland Railway supplied a proper branch train of six-wheel carriages hauled by a Midland 0-6-0 tender locomotive. The cross-sleepers were found to cause difficulties, especially in cuttings, and some sections were replaced with stone blocks. However
2034-660: A spur line at Whitstable to connect with the Herne Bay to Faversham line and a bay platform at Whitstable Town station, but the work was stopped when the Board of Trade demanded major improvements to the C&;W before they would approve the new connection. In 1906, eleven trains a day were run. A halt was opened at Blean and Tyler Hill on 1 January 1908, appearing in timetables from 13 June. South Street Halt opened on 1 July 1911, and Tankerton Halt opened on 1 July 1914. The latter
2147-550: A trust was ended, there were often great celebrations as the gates were thrown open. The assets of the trust, such as tollhouses, gates and sections of surplus land beside the road were auctioned off to reduce the debt, and mortgagees were paid at whatever rate in the pound the funds would allow. The legacy of the turnpike trust is the network of roads that still form the framework of the main road system in Britain. In addition, many roadside features such as milestones and tollhouses have survived, despite no longer having any function in
2260-549: A tunnel attracted the interest of local people and in March 1832 temporary gates were placed at the entrances "so as to keep out intruders on Sundays until the permanent gates can be put up". A formal opening of the first part of the line took place on 17 July 1832; a passenger journey for proprietors and directors and their friends only, ran from the West Bridge terminus in Leicester to the summit level at Staunton Road crossing,
2373-488: Is cut through by the A299 road. A bridge remains near Bogshole Brook, which dates from the line's construction, although it was almost certainly reconstructed c.1846. A section of trackbed through Clowes Wood is also a footpath where the site of the winding house can be found. The site of Blean & Tyler Hill Halt is occupied by the driveway leading to a bungalow. About a half-mile section of trackbed remains abandoned leading to
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#17327726351102486-647: The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway Act 1828 ( 9 Geo. 4 . c. xxix) and the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway Act 1835 ( 5 & 6 Will. 4 . c. lxxxii). The construction of Whitstable Harbour, under the direction of Thomas Telford , was completed in 1832. The line finally opened on 3 May 1830, with a single track throughout and passing loops at Clowes Wood and the entrance to Tyler Hill tunnel. The track consisted of 28 pounds per yard (14 kg/m) fifteen-foot (4.6 m) fish-bellied iron rails, laid on wooden sleepers at three-foot (0.91 m) intervals,
2599-597: The British Empire (Ireland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and South Africa) and in the United States. Turnpikes declined with the coming of the railways and then the Local Government Act 1888 gave responsibility for maintaining main roads to county councils and county borough councils. The term "turnpike" originates from the similarity of the gate used to control access to
2712-724: 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 it the first railway in South of England. In 1823, William James visited Canterbury . He suggested to Canterbury City Council that a railway to link Canterbury and the Thames Estuary would help alleviate traffic problems in
2825-461: The River Stour which flows to Pegwell Bay, near Ramsgate on the eastern coast of Kent. Although this is only seventeen miles (27 km) as the crow flies, the meandering river journey is around seventy miles (110 km). The river was continually silting up, and the cost of dredging such a length was prohibitive. Although turnpikes had been built, four or five carts were needed to carry
2938-467: The 14th century. These grants were made by letters patent , almost invariably for a limited term, presumably the time likely to be required to pay for the required works. Tudor statutes had placed responsibility on each parish vestry to maintain all its roads. This arrangement was adequate for roads that the parishioners used themselves but proved unsatisfactory for the principal highways that were used by long-distance travellers and waggoners. During
3051-399: The 17th century, the piecemeal approach to road maintenance caused acute problems on the main routes into London. As trade increased, the growing numbers of heavy carts and carriages led to serious deterioration in the state of these roads and this could not be remedied by the use of parish statute labour. A parliamentary bill was tabled in 1621/22 to relieve the parishes responsible for part of
3164-625: The 1870s it was feasible for Parliament to close the trusts progressively without leaving an unacceptable financial burden on local communities. From 1871, all applications for renewal were sent to the Turnpike Trust Commission. This arranged for existing acts to continue, but with the objective of discharging the debt, and returning the roads to local administration, which was by then by highway boards . The Local Government Act 1888 gave responsibility for maintaining main roads to county councils and county borough councils. When
3277-418: The 1980s when it was closed. A plan was mooted in the 1980s to open a railway museum on the site, but it remained derelict until being sold for housing development and the extension of Station Road West in about 1998. The Goods Shed was restored and became the country's first 6-day farmers' market and restaurant. The original weighbridge house and a level crossing gate into the former goods yard are preserved in
3390-504: The A5) in the 1820s reduced the journey time of the London mail coach from 45 hours to just 27 hours, and the best mail coach speeds rose from 5-6 mph (8–10 km/h) to 9-10 mph (14–16 km/h). McAdam and his sons were employed as general surveyors (consultant engineers) to many of the main turnpike trusts in southern England. They recommended the building of new sections of road to avoid obstructions, eased steep slopes and directed
3503-408: The Bagworth station at the foot of the incline, the locomotive was detached and the empty wagons connected to the rope. The loaded waggons had been brought by another locomotive to the top, and they were attached to the other end of this rope. Their greater weight pulled the empty ones to the top. In the middle of the incline there was a passing place and from this loop to the top there were three rails,
Leicester and Swannington Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
3616-696: The Coleorton Railway were conveyed on the L&SR in November 1833 and assumes that this used the incline. The Coleorton Railway ceased working during 1860, and part of its course was operated as a siding from the Ashby to Derby line, which opened in 1874, following a similar alignment to the Ticknall Tramway. Other branches were made: they were the Bagworth Colliery branch, opened in July 1832;
3729-554: The Great North Road by imposing a scale of tolls on various sorts of traffic. The toll revenue was to be used in repairing the road, however, the bill was defeated. During the following forty years, the idea of making travellers contribute to the repair of roads was raised on several occasions. Many parishes continued to struggle to find funds to repair major roads and in Hertfordshire , way wardens on behalf of
3842-601: The Ibstock Colliery branch, opened in 1832; the Long Lane (Whitwick) Colliery branch, opened in 1833; and a branch to Snibston Colliery, opened in 1833. Two further branches to Snibston were built up to 1850; they were followed later by the Nailstone Colliery branch, opened in 1866, and Ellistown Colliery Branch, opened about 1875–1876. Five locomotives were built by Robert Stephenson and Company for
3955-558: The L&SR on 1 January 1847. The Midland Railway had acquired 16 + 1 ⁄ 2 miles of railway, eight locomotives, six carriages, and twelve goods vehicles. The line was not physically connected to any other railway. In July 1847 the Midland got Parliamentary authorisation to make a new railway from Leicester to Burton, incorporating part of the L&SR into the route. The L&SR was doubled between Desford Junction and Thornton, also between Bagworth and Mantle Lane, Coalville, and
4068-411: The L&SR was the only railway in the area, but the Midland Railway (MR) was formed and had a main line through Leicester, opened in 1840 and its directors decided to acquire the L&SR. They made a generous offer and they took possession in 1847. At first the Midland Railway line and the L&SR were not connected, but the Midland Railway constructed a route from its main line to Burton, using part of
4181-465: The L&SR, but this traffic ceased in 1860. Calcutta Colliery was the last to be closed, in 1892, but it had to continue being pumped out to prevent inundation of other pits in the vicinity. Coal was brought down the incline for the pumping engine, until electric pumps were installed in 1947, and the incline was closed on 14 November 1947. In 1843 a serious accident took place on the Bagworth incline. A train of goods wagons and an empty passenger carriage
4294-406: The L&SR. The MR by-passed the inclines for its new route, but most of the other parts of the L&SR continued in use until 1966. The MR Burton line continues in use at the present day. The industry of Leicester was dominant in the county and the region generally, but it was limited by poor transport links. The developing industry brought about a huge demand for coal. During the closing years of
4407-546: The Midland Railway, successor to the Midland Counties Railway, made an offer to purchase the L&SR. The motivation of the Midland Railway was partly to exclude competing railways that might take on the L&SR. The offer was excellent, and the L&SR shareholders agreed on 20 August 1845. The Midland Railway (Leicester and Swannington Railway Purchase) Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ccxliii) ratified it as from 27 July 1846. The Midland began working
4520-839: The Old Groby Quarry, close to the centre of Groby village. Later extensions linked to other quarries in and near Groby: the Castle Hill Quarry (after 1870), the Bunney Hill Quarry, the Sheet Hedges Wood Quarry (1890s), and the Dowry Quarry (1907 to 1916). The wagons were hauled by a stationary engine at the summit of the hill beside the Ratby Road. The loaded wagons were pulled there from the quarries and then they ran downhill to
4633-555: The Tyler Hill tunnel collapsed at the beginning of July 1974, causing severe subsidence to some buildings at the University of Kent at Canterbury that had been built on the hill above. The resulting voids were filled over the next year, using fly-ash from Richborough Power Station . In 1997, a charity, The Crab and Winkle Line Trust, was formed to reopen the route as a footpath and cycleway, 'The Crab and Winkle Way'. In 1999,
Leicester and Swannington Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4746-429: The boring of Tyler Hill Tunnel, work stopped through a lack of funds. Robert Stephenson took charge. Money was raised to enable the completion of the line. Dixon left the company, being replaced by Joshua Richardson. The promoters returned to Parliament three more times to obtain authorisation for the raising of additional funds, obtaining the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway Act 1827 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 4 . c. xi),
4859-484: The branch was worked as a siding from then on. It continued to carry coal, grain and roadstone, with munitions to the harbour during World War II . By 1948, when it became part of British Railways , Whitstable Harbour had fallen into disuse and what was left of the line's trade had disappeared. The final scheduled freight train ran on 29 November 1952. The line closed with effect from 1 December 1952, when R Class locomotive 31010 hauled two brake vans , although there
4972-457: The capital for the line from businesspeople in Liverpool. The line was to run from West Bridge, in Leicester, at a location alongside the navigable River Soar; the intention was to be able to continue the transit of coal by water. The line was to run to the north end of Swannington village, together with three colliery branches, to Whitwick , Ibstock and Bagworth . In addition there was to be
5085-543: The cart driver, and the engine struck it. Mr Baxter the line manager suggested the use of a steam trumpet or whistle and by Mr George Stephenson's instructions such an appliance was at once constructed by a local musical instrument maker and it worked satisfactorily. If this is factual, it would appear to be the creation of the first steam whistle. However many factories used steam power supplied by stationary steam engines to drive mill machinery, and it seems remarkable that steam whistles had not been in use to indicate for example
5198-613: The castle of Leicester in order finally to determine upon a general plan of navigation in this country. Lord Rawdon opened the business of the meeting... and laid before them the outline of a plan, viz., the [River] Soar to be made navigable to Loughborough , and a cut, or railway, from Swannington and the neighbourhood to the Bason at Loughborough. In the 1820s the Leicester Navigation was carrying 56,000 tons of coal annually for Leicester and 59,000 tons for other markets. There
5311-423: The centre rail being common to both up and down movements; the object of this was to account for the width of the wheel and the position of the rope. 10 or 12 loaded waggons of about 6 tonnes each were run down at one time the descent occupying eight or nine minutes. The Swannington incline was 48 chains in length on a gradient of 1 in 17. It was operated by a stationary steam engine. The engine developed problems at
5424-520: The city. The initial act of Parliament for the construction of the line, the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway Act 1825 ( 6 Geo. 4 . c. cxx), was passed on 10 June 1825. Three further acts in 1827, 1828 and 1835 allowed for the issue of a further £80,000 of stock. From the beginning, the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway was a public railway, intended for passengers as well as freight. Indeed,
5537-598: The company saying that he would be willing to make a line from the Coleorton colliery area to the L&SR at Peggs Green if the L&SR would meet the parliamentary costs of obtaining an authorising act of Parliament. The L&SR agreed to this arrangement and the Coleorton Railway received its authorising act of Parliament, the Coleorton Railway Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4 . c. lxxi), on 10 June 1833. It opened in 1834, using horse traction. It ran from
5650-710: The development. The Invicta has been preserved, having been extensively restored in 1979, and can be seen in the Whitstable Museum and Gallery . The locomotive is not in its original form, since various modifications were made around 1836 in an effort to improve its performance. One of the stationary steam engines also survives, having been in the possession of the University of Kent and is currently (2021) undergoing restoration. Its wheel and engine are visible in Whitstable Museum, Whitstable. Part of
5763-676: The eighteenth century, the opening of turnpikes , and improvements to the River Soar – the Loughborough Navigation in 1778; the Leicester Navigation in 1791) and then in 1814 the completion of the Grand Union Canal towards Rugby – were all supportive of Leicester's development. As early as 1790 a railway connection from Swannington was proposed: [On 12 July 1790] a meeting was held at
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#17327726351105876-609: The end of November 1833, and arrangements were had to be made to get horses to haul wagons up the incline. The working of the incline was entirely suspended on 7 March 1834, when the Breedon Hill lime and Peggs Green coal traffics stopped using the railways in protest against a rate increase. However the traffic resumed on 11 May. Traffic at Swannington was never heavy, and the collieries there were soon worked out. The Coleorton Railway had been made to bring coal and other minerals from Worthington to Swannington, being transshipped to
5989-425: The engine chimney striking the roof of the tunnel at a point where the platelayers had temporarily raised the track to pack a 'low' place. The train was halted specially at Glenfield Brook to enable the passengers, especially the ladies, to remove the effects of the enforced sojourn in the tunnel." The return journey conveyed two wagons of coal in addition. The general public were able to travel to Bagworth and back by
6102-411: The existing highway. The trusts applied some funds to erecting tollhouses that accommodated the pikeman or toll-collector beside the turnpike gate. Although trusts initially organised the collection of tolls directly, it became common for them to auction a lease to collect tolls. Specialist toll-farmers would make a fixed payment to the trust for the lease and then organise the day-to-day collection of
6215-425: The highway passed, augment this with tolls from users from outside the parishes and apply the whole to the maintenance of the main highway. This became the pattern for the turnpiking of a growing number of highways, sought by those who wished to improve flow of commerce through their part of a county. The proposal to turnpike a particular section of road was normally a local initiative and a separate Act of Parliament
6328-441: The highway. These officers were paid by the trust. Trustees were not paid, though they derived indirect benefits from the better transport, which improved access to markets and led to increases in rental income and trade. The first action of a new trust was to erect turnpike gates at which a fixed toll was charged. The Act gave a maximum toll allowable for each class of vehicle or animal – for instance one shilling and six pence for
6441-536: The intended extent of passenger operation, as from that point to Swannington would be used for mineral traffic only. The continuation to Swannington probably opened at the end of November 1833. There had previously been plans to extend at Leicester across the Leicester Canal to Soar Lane. The decision was taken to revive the Soar Lane branch on 22 October 1832. On 10 June 1833 the necessary act of Parliament
6554-444: The junction with L&SR, speed being controlled by a brakesman. Two horses were aboard for the downhill journey; they drew empty wagons back up the incline. Sir George Beaumont owned lands and colliery workings at Coleorton, to the northwest of Swannington. He had anticipated that the Leicester and Swannington Railway would be extended to Coleorton, but the L&SR directors decided not to do so. On 28 September 1832 Beaumont wrote to
6667-499: The jurisdiction of seven trusts, paying a toll at the gates of each. Although a few trusts built new bridges (e.g. at Shillingford over the Thames), most bridges remained a county responsibility. A few bridges were built with private funds and tolls taken at these (e.g., the present Swinford Toll Bridge over the Thames). The quality of early turnpike roads was varied. Although turnpiking did result in some improvement to each highway,
6780-576: The justices in other counties in England and Wales. An example is the first Turnpike Act for Surrey, the Surrey and Sussex Highways Act 1696 ( 8 & 9 Will. 3 . c. 15), during the reign of William III for enhanced repairs between Reigate in Surrey and Crawley in Sussex. The act made provision to erect turnpikes , and appoint toll collectors; also to appoint surveyors, who were authorized by order of
6893-477: The justices to borrow money at five per cent interest, on security of the tolls. The first scheme that had trustees who were not justices was established through a Turnpike Act in 1706 ( 6 Ann. c. 4) for a section of the London- Chester road between Fornhill (near Hockliffe ) and Stony Stratford . The basic principle was that the trustees would manage resources from the several parishes through which
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#17327726351107006-605: The line at an altitude of 565 feet (172m). The engine was built by the Horseley Coal and Iron Company ., and was equipped with a very early example of a piston valve . The other was near Swannington, on a gradient of 1 in 17 against the load The line was standard gauge, with fish-bellied rails on half-round oak cross-sleepers, but longitudinal timbers were used in Glenfield Tunnel. Construction began almost immediately but soon ran into trouble, particularly with
7119-474: The line climbed for 1 mile 70 chains (3.02 km) at 1 in 46 to Tyler's Hill, where there were two 25 horsepower (19 kW) winding engines. At Tyler Hill, there was an 828-yard (757 m) tunnel. The gradient eased to 1 in 750 for a further 1 mile 10 chains (1.81 km) to the summit of the line at Clowes Wood, where there was a 15 horsepower (11 kW) winding engine. The line descended for 1 mile (1.61 km) at 1 in 31, followed by
7232-709: The line for use with its own locomotives throughout, after upgrading the track using standard rails of 70 pounds per yard (35 kg/m). Under George Stephenson 's influence, the track had been built to standard gauge, but the loading gauge was small, the height of Tyler Hill Tunnel being only twelve feet (3.66 m) and the South Eastern locomotives were modified with shorter chimneys and lowered boilers. Tayleur's 119 Class 0-6-0 locomotives were used. Passenger services in 1846 were six trains daily, with five on Sundays. Canterbury North Lane station closed to passengers in 1846 and Canterbury West subsequently served
7345-604: The line was carrying about 60 passengers a day and their fares were repaying one per cent of the capital. In time, both first and second class was provided. On payment of the fare at the departure station, each passenger would receive a metal token marked with the destination. This would be given up on arrival and reused. Small four-wheeled wagons and coaches, painted plain blue, comprised the rolling stock. For many years facilities for passengers remained primitive; tickets were procured at local inns; passenger carriages were attached to goods trains. At West Bridge carriages were drawn into
7458-416: The line, as compared to that of the Canterbury and Whitstable line, and is quoted as saying: "Make them of the same width; though they may be a long way apart now, depend upon it they will be joined together some day." Williams stresses the magnitude of the undertaking: Although but a single line 16 miles long, it was only the fifth line to be authorised in England and was opened six years before Birmingham
7571-463: The line, the Leicester and Swannington Railway Act 1830 ( 11 Geo. 4 & 1 Will. 4 . c. lviii), obtained royal assent on 29 May 1830. Authorised share capital was £90,000. The act prescribed that the company might carry goods, that is, operate as a carrier and not merely as a provider of the route for independent carriers. George Stephenson was consulted about the track gauge to be selected for
7684-523: The line. The line was never prosperous, even under South Eastern management, and there was a new setback when the London, Chatham and Dover Railway opened in 1860 offering a better passenger service from Whitstable to London . Sunday trains were withdrawn in 1860. The platform at Whitstable Harbour station was extended in the mid-1870s to take three carriages. In 1883, two Stirling O class 0-6-0 locomotives received cut down cabs to enable them to work
7797-435: The line. The first was Comet , shipped from the works by sea and canal. The second engine, Phoenix , was delivered in 1832; both had four-coupled wheels. Phoenix was sold in 1835 to work in the construction of the London and Birmingham Railway . The next were Samson and Goliath , delivered in 1833. They were initially four-coupled, but were extremely unstable and a pair of trailing wheels were added. This 0-4-2 formation
7910-437: The line. These were replaced by four Stirling R class 0-6-0T locomotives in 1891, which worked the line until closure. Canterbury North Lane closed to freight in 1891. A new station opened at Whitstable Harbour on 3 June 1895. It was located south of Harbour Street thus enabling uninterrupted shunting in the harbour area. In 1898, Sunday trains were reinstated, running during summer only. In 1902, work started on building
8023-454: The load of a single barge. Whitstable, on the coast about seven miles (11 km) due north, was at that time a small fishing village and port with a trade in iron pyrites from the Isle of Sheppey . The idea for the line came from William James who surveyed the route and produced plans for improving the harbour. The immediate problem was that the land between Whitstable and Canterbury rose to
8136-413: The local justices of the peace powers to erect toll-gates on a section of the road, between Wadesmill , Hertfordshire; Caxton , Cambridgeshire ; and Stilton , Huntingdonshire for 11 years, the revenues so raised to be used for the maintenance of the road in their jurisdictions ( 15 Cha. 2 . c. 1). The toll-gate erected at Wadesmill was the prototype in England. Parliament then gave similar powers to
8249-411: The modern road management system. Canterbury and Whitstable Railway The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway , sometimes referred to colloquially as the "Crab and Winkle Line", was an early British railway that opened in 1830 between Canterbury and Whitstable in the county of Kent , England . There are a number of other claimants to the title "first railway in Britain", including
8362-404: The money, leaving themselves with a profit on their operations over a year. The powers of a trust were limited, normally to 21 years, after which it was assumed that the responsibility for the now-improved road would be handed back to the parishes. However, trusts routinely sought new powers before this time limit, usually citing the need to pay off the debts incurred in repairing damage caused by
8475-414: The more usual alternative of stone blocks being considered too expensive. Initially, Stephenson had recommended the use of stationary engines for the three inclines, with horses for the level sections. However, the promoters insisted on use of a locomotive for the least difficult incline, and Invicta was procured from Robert Stephenson and Company , and it was brought to Whitstable by sea. Unfortunately,
8588-458: The principal roads in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the peak, in the 1830s, over 1,000 trusts administered around 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of turnpike road in England and Wales, taking tolls at almost 8,000 toll-gates and side-bars. During the early 19th century the concept of the turnpike trust was adopted and adapted to manage roads within
8701-419: The railway, and of the breakage of coal due to the additional transhipment. The rebate proved very effective and those pits forwarded considerably increased quantities. The usual train consisted of twenty-four wagons of 32 long hundredweight (1.6 t ) each. The idea that there would be a demand from passengers came as something of a surprise to the directors, but a carriage was hastily built, and very soon
8814-650: The relaying of existing road-beds with carefully graded stones to create a dry, fast-running surface (known as Macadamising ). Coach design improved to take advantage of these better roads and in 1843 the London-to- Exeter mail coach could complete the 170-mile (270-km) journey in 17 hours. The introduction of toll gates had been resented by local communities which had freely used the routes for centuries. Early Acts had given magistrates powers to punish anyone damaging turnpike property, such as defacing milestones, breaking turnpike gates or avoiding tolls. Opposition
8927-471: The renewal acts for the earlier trusts incorporated a growing list of powers and responsibilities. The Kent Roads Act 1743 ( 17 Geo. 2 . c. 4), the Turnpike Roads Act 1766 ( 7 Geo. 3 . c. 40) and the Turnpike Roads Act 1773 ( 13 Geo. 3 . c. 84) made statutory provision for the erection of milestones along the turnpike roads indicating the distance between the main towns on the road. Users of
9040-632: The result was that toll gates were dismantled and the trusts abolished in the six counties of South Wales , their powers being transferred to a roads board for each county. These are incomplete lists of trusts by county. By the early Victorian period toll gates were perceived as an impediment to free trade. The multitude of small trusts were frequently charged with being inefficient in use of resources and potentially suffered from petty corruption. The railway era spelt disaster for most turnpike trusts. Although some trusts in districts not served by railways managed to increase revenue, most did not. In 1829,
9153-447: The road were obliged to follow what were to become rules of the road, such as driving on the left and not damaging the road surface. Trusts could take additional tolls during the summer to pay for watering the road in order to lay the dust thrown up by fast-moving vehicles. Parliament also passed a few general Turnpike Acts dealing with the administration of the trusts and restrictions on the width of wheels – narrow wheels were said to cause
9266-473: The road, to the barriers once used to defend against attack by cavalry (see cheval de frise ). The turnpike consisted of a row of pikes or bars, each sharpened at one end, and attached to horizontal members which were secured at one end to an upright pole or axle, which could be rotated to open or close the gate. Pavage grants, originally made for paving the marketplace or streets of towns, began also to be used for maintaining some roads between towns in
9379-614: The roads of complete counties were put under single turnpike trusts in the 1760s. A further surge of trust formation occurred in the 1770s, with the turnpiking of subsidiary connecting roads, routes over new bridges, new routes in the growing industrial areas and roads in Scotland . About 150 trusts were established by 1750; by 1772 a further 400 were established and, in 1800, there were over 700 trusts. In 1825 about 1,000 trusts controlled 18,000 miles (29,000 km) of road in England and Wales. The acts of Parliament for these new trusts and
9492-498: The same day as the Leicester and Swannington Railway, joining the line about halfway between Glenfield and Ratby. The junction was made by a turntable into a loop siding off the L&SR main line. The branch closed around 1843. After the L&SR had been upgraded by the Midland Railway, the Groby branch was re-opened around 1866–1870. A proper running junction with sidings was put in place. The branch ran northward for over three miles, to
9605-410: The short gradient from Whitstable proved too much for it, and a third stationary engine was installed at Bogshole. The original Whitstable Harbour station was north Harbour Street at Whitstable harbour. This caused problems as trains standing at the station held up shunting operations. For the first few years after opening, passengers were carried in open wagons that formed mixed trains . The line
9718-562: The start and end of the working day. Clinker is dismissive of this story for several reasons; in particular the board minutes recorded considerable detail of trivial events, yet this is not reported. The L&SR had not faced competition for some time, but in 1835 the Midland Counties Railway was proposed, for a line from collieries in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire to Leicester and Rugby. The Midland Counties Railway
9831-464: The stone blocks required constant packing to maintain line, level and gauge, and were considered to be harder riding than timber sleepers. Nevertheless, some of the stone blocks continued in use until at least 1885. The remainder of the line from Staunton Road to Ashby Road opened on 1 February 1833 or a few days before that. From Ashby Road to Long Lane, Coalville, was opened on 22 April 1833 for coal traffic and on 27 April 1833 for passengers, completing
9944-537: The technologies used to deal with geological features, drainage, and the effects of weather, were all in their infancy. Road construction improved slowly, initially through the efforts of individual surveyors such as John Metcalf in Yorkshire in the 1760s. 19th-century engineers made great advances, notably Thomas Telford and John Loudon McAdam . The engineering work of Telford on the Holyhead Road (now
10057-467: The tunnel. Initial boring had suggested that it would not need a lining. However, it turned out that about 500 yards (460 m) would be through sand, requiring much more expensive construction, and in fact doubling the estimated cost of the tunnel. During its construction, on 5 April 1831, one of the contractors, Daniel Jowett, fell down a working shaft and was killed. Three separate contractors gave up their contracts and had to be replaced. The novelty of
10170-563: The vestries stood frequent trial at quarter sessions for their failure to keep the Old North Road in a good state of repair. In 1656 the parish of Radwell, Hertfordshire petitioned their local sessions for help to maintain their section of the Great North Road. Probably as a result judges on the Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire circuit represented the matter to Parliament, it then passed an act that gave
10283-417: The visible blocked up tunnel mouths of Tyler Hill Tunnel. At the south end of the tunnel, the blocked up tunnel can be seen with a short section of embankment. South of Beaconsfield Road, there is a short section of embankment near St. Stephen's Pathway. A pedestrian tunnel is preserved, probably built during the 1830s following a death on the line. The site of Canterbury North Lane station was a goods yard until
10396-512: The world's first season ticket was issued for use on the line in 1834, to take Canterbury passengers to the Whitstable beaches for the summer season. Unlike the Liverpool and Manchester Railway which opened four months later, it used cable haulage by stationary steam engines over much of its length, with steam locomotives restricted to the level stretch. Until the early 19th century, Canterbury's line of supply for goods had been along
10509-528: The year before the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened, the Warrington and Lower Irlam Trust had receipts of £1,680 but, by 1834, this had fallen to £332. The Bolton and Blackburn Trust had an income of £3,998 in 1846, but in 1847 following the completion of a railway between the two towns, this had fallen to £3,077 and, in 1849, £1,185. The debts of many trusts became significant; forced mergers of solvent and debt-laden trusts became frequent, and by
10622-400: Was Atlas, the first ever six-coupled inside cylinder design. These engines were more stable than their outside cylindered counterparts. So far all the engines had been provided by Stephenson, but the directors decided to try one of Edward Bury 's locomotives. An 0-4-0 , Liverpool, was delivered in 1834 but it proved unequal to the loads hauled by Atlas. The next engine bought for the line
10735-461: Was Vulcan, an 0-6-0 by Tayleur and Company . The last two were constructed by the Haigh Foundry , Ajax , 0-4-2 and Hector , 0-6-0 . The historian Clement Stretton relates that towards the close of the year 1833 a collision took place between a train at a cart crossing the line near Thornton. The engine was “Samson”. The engine driver had a horn but could not attract the attention of
10848-487: Was a short reprieve during the floods of February 1953, the line being reopened from 5 February to 1 March in order for traffic to bypass the main line between Whitstable and Faversham damaged in the flood. Afterwards, track was lifted almost immediately and the associated infrastructure was removed. All traces of the Whitstable Harbour stations have been removed and the sites are occupied by public toilets and
10961-729: Was adjacent to Whitstable Town station and was linked by a footpath. The service in 1914 was eleven trains a day. During the 1920s, the service was eight or nine trains a day. In 1930, there were six trains daily, with ten on Sundays. In 1923, the line became part of the Southern Railway and like many other lines around the country it suffered from competition from bus services. Passenger services were withdrawn after 1 January 1931, due to falling numbers of passengers - from 51,000 in 1925 to 31,000 in 1927 and 23,000 in 1929. There were up to four freight trains daily at this time. The signal box at Whitstable closed on 11 February 1931 and
11074-690: Was advertised to let. Invicta was later given to the Canterbury City Corporation, and for many years stood on a plinth in the Dane John Gardens beside the Riding Gate. Invicta was then displayed, cosmetically restored, at the Canterbury Heritage Museum until 2018 when the museum closed. In 2019, Invicta was moved to the Whitstable Museum and Gallery and is now on display there. The line
11187-408: Was also used for Hercules, the next engine to enter service. These were the first six-wheeled goods engines with inside cylinders and, after the flanges were taken off the centre pairs of wheels, were so satisfactory, that Stephenson decided never to build another four-wheeled engine. By 1834, traffic had increased to such an extent that more powerful engines were needed and the next to be delivered
11300-408: Was authorised on 21 June 1836. The line opened on 4 May 1840. The Leicester Navigation immediately suffered from the competition and lowered its rates considerably. This put the cost of coal from those regions below that for which West Leicestershire products could be sold, forcing their owners to reduce their own prices. The L&SR was in turmoil, looking for an alternative business, and in 1845
11413-675: Was bedevilled by financial problems and was facing bankruptcy when the South Eastern Railway , which had received royal assent for the South Eastern Railway Act 1844 ( 7 & 8 Vict. c. lxix), agreed to take it over, operating it in isolation from their own line. Invicta by now was virtually useless and horse traction was being used. When the South Eastern Railway's own network eventually reached Canterbury in 1846, it decided to convert
11526-518: Was being lowered down the incline when it slipped from the incline rope, and ran at high speed down the incline and was wrecked. The company decided to discontinue the use of the incline for passenger traffic. Passengers had to disembark from their trains and walk up or down the incline to rejoin the train. The L&SR did not make any branch lines itself, although from the beginning, mine and quarry owners were encouraged to make their own connecting mineral lines from their workings. This branch opened on
11639-574: Was connected to London by rail. The Glenfield Tunnel was by any standard a major undertaking, and in 1830 called for great courage on the part of the engineer and the proprietors. When completed it was the first locomotive railway in the Midland counties, and only the second south of Manchester, after the Canterbury and Whitstable Railway . A second act for the company, the Leicester and Swannington Railway Act 1833 ( 3 & 4 Will. 4 . c. lxix),
11752-408: Was connected to the line, and accordingly income from mineral traffic was far below what was planned. Pressing ahead with the construction of the northern section of the authorised line was called for. In addition, a rebate was offered to other coal owners whose workings were near to the open section but not connected by rail; the rebate was in recognition of the cost of road transport from those pits to
11865-434: Was demolished in 1969. The track bed leading from the site of the bridge adjacent to Whitstable railway station to the site of South Street Halt was surfaced in 1983 as a designated footpath and cycle track. There is no trace of South Street Halt, although remains of the level crossing gates were visible until the early 1980s. The railway embankment can be clearly seen from the adjacent cycle route bridge as it crosses fields and
11978-470: Was good quality coal nearby around Swannington but no usable transport link, so it was cheaper to bring coal thirty miles by canal from South Derbyshire. William Stenson was part-owner of Long Lane Pit near Whitwick (close to present-day Coalville ). Frustrated by the situation, he visited the industrial north-east of England in 1827 and observed the success of the Stockton and Darlington Railway . Seeing
12091-437: Was obtained on 10 June 1833 giving authority to increase the share capital by £10,000. There was a third act of 30 June 1837, the Leicester and Swannington Railway Company Act 1837 ( 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. lxvi), which authorised £40,000 increase in share capital, making a total of £140,000. The engineer for the railway was Robert Stephenson , with the assistance of Thomas Miles, while George Stephenson raised part of
12204-506: Was particularly intense in mountainous regions where good routes were scarce. In Mid Wales in 1839, new tolls on old roads sparked protests known as the Rebecca Riots . There were sporadic outbursts of vandalism and violent confrontation by gangs of 50 to 100 or more local men, and gatekeepers were told that if they resisted they would be killed. In 1844, the ringleaders were caught and transported to Australia as convicts. However,
12317-416: Was required to create each trust. The Act gave the trustees responsibility for maintaining a specified part of the existing highway. It provided them with powers to achieve this; the right to collect tolls from those using the road was particularly important. Local gentlemen, clergy and merchants were nominated as trustees and they appointed a clerk, a treasurer and a surveyor to actually administer and maintain
12430-413: Was secured; an opening bridge was required over the Leicester Canal. The branch was brought into use on 4 October 1834. The Bagworth incline was 43 chains in length and the gradient 1 in 29. It was self-acting: the loaded wagons descended by gravity, pulling up the lighter, empty ones by means of a hemp rope. The rope passed around a large horizontal pulley at the top. When a train from Leicester arrived at
12543-408: Was to be single throughout, except at stations. The terrain was difficult, and due to the limited power of locomotives at the time, the line was built with two rope-worked inclined planes. One was at Bagworth; on a gradient of 1 in 29 it was self-acting, loaded wagons descending pulling up empty wagons. Originally it was to have been powered by a stationary steam engine. The top level was the summit of
12656-455: Was unsuccessful and led to the locomotive being taken out of service and trains being hauled only by the stationary engines. in 1838, the line was leased to Nicholson & Bayless. The C&WR tried to sell the Invicta in 1839 in order to clear some of its debts, but no buyer was found. In 1839, passenger services were five daily. Nicholson and Bayless went bankrupt in 1841 and the line
12769-523: Was visited by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1835. The purpose of his visit was to conduct some experiments with a view to silencing some of the criticism he had received in relation to his proposals for the Great Western Railway , particularly the perceived problems of working a tunnel on a steep gradient, which Brunel wished to do at Box Tunnel . Also in 1835, the Invicta was modified in order to improve its performance. The modification
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