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54-631: The Peak Forest Tramway was an early horse- and gravity-powered industrial railway (or tramway ) system in Derbyshire , England . Opened for trade on 31 August 1796, it remained in operation until the 1920s. Much of the route and the structures associated with the line remain. The western section of the line is now the route of the Peak Forest Tramway Trail. The tramway was originally planned to be about 4 miles (6 kilometres) long from Chapel Milton to Dove Holes . However, it

108-414: A "Glossop" station, later to be renamed Dinting , on 24 December 1842. There were six daily trains to Glossop supplemented by four to Newton & Hyde station. There were four to Glossop on Sundays. By November 1842 the stations were Manchester (Store Street), Ardwick , Gorton , Fairfield , Ashton , Dukinfield , Newton & Hyde , Broadbottom and Glossop . The Dukinfield station (called Dog Lane)

162-621: A Sheffield station at Bridgehouses . Finally on 22 December 1845 Woodhead Tunnel was ready and a ceremonial opening of the entire line, including the Stalybridge branch, took place; the following day it opened to the general public. The tunnel was at the time the longest in the country, at 3 miles 22 yards (4.848 km). Two extra stations were added at the site of previous coal sidings at Oxspring and at Thurgoland . Besides Woodhead, there were short tunnels at Audenshaw Road, Hattersley (two), Thurgoland and Bridgehouses. Among

216-648: A few miles/kilometers long. While these types of lines most often at some point connect via exchange sidings or transfer sidings to bulk mainline shipping railways, there are notable exceptions which are hundreds of miles long, which include the iron ore -carrying railways in Western Australia , or in China to transport coal, while in Canada there are the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway and

270-539: A formidable barrier, and the line's engineer constructed Woodhead Tunnel , over three miles (4.8 km) long. The company amalgamated with the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway and Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway companies, together forming the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway in 1847. In the twentieth century the line carried an exceptionally heavy freight traffic, and it

324-486: A large number of industrial railways serve the sugarcane industry. In Colorado , the Coors Brewing Company uses its own industrial railway at the brewery both for the delivery of raw materials and for shipping the finished product. Some industrial railways are military in purpose, and serve ammunition dumps or transportation hubs and storage facilities. The world's largest industrial railway serves

378-477: A longer tunnel at a lower level would reduce the approach gradients involved. After parliamentary expenses of £18,000 (equivalent to £2,100,000 in 2023), the line obtained its authorising act of Parliament , the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway Act 1837 ( 7 Will. 4 & 1 Vict. c. xxi) on 5 May 1837. The only opposition came from the Manchester and Birmingham Railway , with whom it

432-537: A speed that the MS&;LR and GNR service could not match. For a time there was bitter hostility from the LNWR with some underhand tactics employed by it to discourage use of the rival service. There were a number of viaducts on the original line, although few survived into the 20th century in their original form. The principal engineering feature was Woodhead Tunnel. At 3 miles 22 yards (4.848 km) in length it

486-571: A station was built, and opened on 15 September 1851, and named Victoria station . An express passenger train service was run from Manchester to London, from 1857, in association with the Great Northern Railway . A timing of 5 hours 20 minutes was operated, the same time as on the rival London and North Western Railway (successor of the Manchester & Birmingham Railway), although that company soon accelerated its services to

540-454: A wrought-iron body held in place by two wooden wedges. The axles were bolted onto axle trees and the cast-iron wheels (about 20 inches in diameter) were held on the axles by a linchpin (known as a "lily-pin"). Later the bodies were fixed with a door at the back, unloading by means of a tippler mechanism mounted on a turntable . Each waggon carried between 2 and 2.5 long tons (2.24 and 2.80 short tons; 2.03 and 2.54 t) of limestone. From

594-662: The Baikonur Cosmodrome , and has been long operated by a military rail unit of the Russian Armed Forces . The railway closely participates in space launches , transporting space vehicles to their immediate launch pads . Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway The Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway was an early British railway company which opened in stages between 1841 and 1845 between Sheffield and Manchester via Ashton-under-Lyne . The Peak District formed

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648-487: The Cartier Railway . These lines can be thought of as dedicated shipment routes, where only the products of that industry require shipment between those two points, and hence a dedicated line makes more economic sense with only limited possibility of consolidation of shipment with other industries. See Compagnie de gestion de Matane Industrial railways serve many different industries. In both Australia and Cuba

702-572: The LNER . The most important surviving features of the tramway are the elevated tramway branch at Bugsworth Basin, Stodhart Tunnel and the self-acting inclined plane at Chapel-en-le-Frith , known as the Chapel inclined plane . The elevated tramway branch forms part of the scheduled monument of Bugsworth Basin. It was believed that the Grade II* listed Stodhart Tunnel was the oldest railway tunnel in

756-601: The North Midland Railway at Royston . The Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway , from Sheffield to Gainsborough, was already approved. Supplementing this list were proposals for lines from Wortley through Thorncliffe to Chapeltown , and from Dukinfield to New Mills and on to a junction with the Buxton line of the Manchester and Birmingham Railway. The Barnsley Junction Railway might be extended to Pontefract , and exploratory meetings were opened with

810-753: The Railway Mania took hold. The directors of the SA&;MR saw that expansion was the way forward for the company. On 15 April 1845 a shareholders' meeting approved the submission of bills for the Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway , which would connect the line to the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , and the Barnsley Junction Railway, which would run from near Penistone to Barnsley and connect with

864-543: The Sheffield station of the Midland Railway . It had originally been opened as the terminus of the Sheffield and Rotherham Railway ; it was known as Sheffield Wicker station from 1852. The short steeply graded line was enclosed within a tunnel for almost its entire length, and was known locally as the Fiery Jack . It was used for wagon transfer purposes. The through line required a better Sheffield station:

918-609: The Gorton Works (Gorton Tank) of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway Company. In 1846 the MSLR's predecessor, the Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway , took on a £9,325 a year (equivalent to £1,140,000 in 2023) perpetual lease of the Peak Forest Canal, including the tramway. The railway became owner of the canal in 1883. The tramway closed in 1920 and its rails and waggons were sold by

972-535: The LNER approved a scheme for electrifying the whole line from Manchester via Sheffield to Darnall , together with the branches from Guide Bridge to Ashton-under-Lyne , from Dinting to Glossop and from Penistone to Wombwell and Wath upon Dearne – a total of 74 miles (119 km). The system chosen was 1,500 V DC with overhead wires. All freight as well as passenger traffic was to be hauled by electric traction. For many years about 80 trains travelled through

1026-820: The Pennines. On 5 January 1970 the passenger service between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield Victoria over the Woodhead route was withdrawn; the electric commuter service from Manchester to Glossop and Hadfield continued in operation. Freight trains were withdrawn on the Woodhead route on 18 July 1981 and the line between Hadfield and Penistone was then closed completely. The line between Penistone and Sheffield remained in use by diesel Sheffield–Huddersfield trains , but with all intermediate stations including Sheffield Victoria having closed, trains had to reverse at Nunnery Junction to enter Sheffield Midland station . On 13 May 1983 these trains were diverted via Barnsley and

1080-413: The bottom of the plane to Bugsworth Basin, a team of four horses could draw up to twenty wagons. The ganger and nipper (apprentice), controlling a gang of waggons, rode on the axles and kept the speed at 4 to 6 miles per hour (6.4 to 9.7 km/h) by spragging the wheels to make them skid. In 1803 the tramway was made double-track, with the exception of Stodhart Tunnel and below Buxton Road Bridge, using

1134-588: The bridges the two most notable were the Etherow Viaduct and the Dinting Viaduct , the latter with five central and eleven approach arches. The completed network consisted of 40 miles (64 km) of main line, 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (3.6 km) on the Stalybridge branch and one mile (1.6 km) on the Glossop branch. The state of the money market considerably improved in 1844–45, and

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1188-418: The cost of construction. The Woodhead Tunnel would be built as a single-track bore to reduce costs. The relationship between the board and its engineer, Vignoles, was becoming strained, and Vignoles resigned. Joseph Locke agreed to act as engineer in a consultative capacity only, if the board would appoint resident engineers for the day-to-day supervision of the work. In 1841 Locke reported that construction of

1242-570: The ex-Midland route ; the track between Penistone and Deepcar was lifted, however the line from Deepcar to Nunnery Junction remains, single track, to serve the Fox steelworks . On 10 December 1984, Manchester to Glossop and Hadfield electric trains started running at 25 kV AC (the same system as used on the West Coast Main Line which it adjoined) following conversion from the old 1500 V DC system. The system continues in use at

1296-645: The final approach from Ardwick to Travis Street with the M&;BR trains, on the M&BR track. Nearly 40% of gross passenger receipts were payable to the M&BR for the use of the short section of their line. Goods traffic was developed much more slowly. The arrangements for safe working at the junction seem to have been lax, and the Manchester Guardian observed that Some caution will be requisite here to prevent two trains... coming into contact at this point. This, of course, may be done by arranging

1350-413: The foot, the inclined plane varied from 1 in 6 at the top to 1 in 12 at the base. It was intended to be, at least partly, self-acting with descending wagons counterbalanced to some extent by partly loaded wagons being drawn up. Initially rope was tried, followed by a patent twisted chain, passing round a wheel, with a brake to control it, in a pit at the top. Eventually a chain with 5-inch (130 mm) links

1404-503: The line as safe, and it was opened to the public on 17 November 1841. There was no opening ceremony, but each shareholder was sent a free ticket for travel on that day. The Manchester and Birmingham Railway 's temporary station at Travis Street, Manchester, was used, pending the readiness of the Store Street terminal. The route was single track throughout as an economy measure, at first without any intermediate passing places. It shared

1458-475: The mineral waggons. From Bugsworth it rose 129 feet (39 m) to Whitehough, then proceeded to Chapel Milton on the level. It then climbed 56½ to the base of the inclined plane, which took the line upwards 192 feet (59 m) over a distance of 512 yards (468 m). After a more gentle slope to Barmoor Clough the line proceeded to the Dove Holes quarries. To aid acceleration from the top, and braking at

1512-618: The nationalisation of railways in 1948, it was decided to close them permanently and bore a new double-track tunnel alongside, with enough clearance for the overhead electrification catenary. The new tunnel was 3 miles 66 yards (4.888 km) long. It was opened by the Minister of Transport on 3 June 1954. The two old tunnels were later sealed off, and they were later purchased by the Central Electricity Generating Board to carry power cables through

1566-543: The need for improved transport links between Manchester and Sheffield, only 35 miles (56 km) apart but separated by the upland Peak District, was increasing. The canal route involved a long northwards detour through the Pennines , and the journey took eight days. In 1826 a land surveyor in Sheffield, Henry Sanderson, put forward a line to Manchester via Edale and a prospectus for a "Sheffield and Manchester Railway"

1620-512: The network were in the minds of the directors. Encouragement was offered to a proposed Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway , to run from the SA&MR at Sheffield to Gainsborough . At the same time (1844) friendly relations with the Manchester and Birmingham Railway were further developed, and at length this led to a proposal by the M&BR with the Midland Railway to lease the SA&MR, giving those companies better access to Manchester. This seemed to be going well, and an authorising Act

1674-548: The promoters of a Boston , Newark and Sheffield Railway, and of a Hull and Barnsley Junction Railway. Not all of these lines were later authorised. Of greatest significance was a meeting on 5 September 1845 between the SA&MR, the promoters of the Sheffield and Lincolnshire Junction Railway, and the Great Grimsby and Sheffield Junction Railway ; the Grimsby Docks Company was included. The outcome

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1728-490: The rise of road transport , their numbers have greatly diminished. An example of an industrial railway would transport bulk goods, for example clay from a quarry or coal from a mine, to an interchange point, called an exchange siding, with a main line railway, onwards from where it would be transported to its final destination. The main reasons for industrial railways are normally for one of two reasons: Resultantly, most industrial railways are short, usually being only

1782-447: The same method of fixing the rails. Problems were experienced because the rails became loose, and to overcome these the main line was relaid between 1832 and 1837 using pedestals or saddles placed between the rails and the stone sleeper blocks. Over the years the design of the rails and saddles underwent many modifications and in circa 1865 much of the main line was replaced by L-section steel rails 9 and 12 feet (3.7 m) long rolled at

1836-435: The times, or by keeping the rails separate, which is indeed to be the case when the line is completed to the new Manchester station, but at the present, the proper precaution seems to be to stand a watchman there to keep a look-out on both lines, and see that when a train is arriving on one line, there is no train arriving on the other, or if there be, to make the signal to one of them to slacken speed. Permanent way maintenance

1890-405: The tunnel each way, each day, of which 90% were loaded or empty coal workings and ventilation was a major problem. The decision to electrify was made as much to increase line capacity as any other consideration. Electrification work was well in hand before the advent of war in 1939 stopped it. In 1946–47 each bore of Woodhead Tunnel in turn was closed for 9 months for major repairs. However, following

1944-463: The tunnel would probably cost £207,000 (equivalent to £23,780,000 in 2023), about twice the original estimate. Considerable volumes of water were encountered in the headings and more powerful pumps were acquired. In late 1841 the line was ready as far as Godley Toll Bar , a distance of eight miles (13 km), and the directors made an experimental trip over it on 11 November 1841. The Board of Trade inspecting officer, Sir Frederick Smith , passed

1998-406: The tunnel. An SA&MR pilot engine was stationed at the tunnel and attached to the front of every train that passed through. On the front of the engine was fixed an argand lamp , with a large polished metal disc for reflection, so that a powerful beam of light was thrown forward on the track ahead. A contemporary newspaper account also stated that " Cooke & Wheatstone's patent magnetic telegraph

2052-812: The world until archaeological work on the Butterley Gangroad (also in Derbyshire) in May 2013 suggested that Fritchley Tunnel on that line was older than Stodhart Tunnel. A wagon is on display in the York Railway Museum and a wheel and track items at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum . 53°20′07″N 1°58′08″W  /  53.3354°N 1.9690°W  / 53.3354; -1.9690 Industrial railway Industrial railways were once very common, but with

2106-420: Was 272,685 cubic yards (208,483 m ), about half of this being drawn up the shafts. It was completed at a cost in the region of £200,000. The formal opening of the Woodhead tunnel and of the whole line between Manchester and Sheffield took place on 22 December 1845, more than seven years after the first ground had been broken. Special precautions were taken to ensure against accidents during operation through

2160-525: Was agreed that the line from Ardwick would be shared as it entered a joint station in Manchester at Store Street . The first sod was cut near the western end of the Woodhead Tunnel site on 1 October 1838. The following year the line had been marked out, land purchase was proceeding well, and construction had begun with Thomas Brassey as contractor. However a number of shareholders were defaulting on their payments, and there were concerns about

2214-518: Was agreement to amalgamate the three concerns, forming a single railway connecting Manchester to Grimsby on the North Sea coast. The idea was developed and approved by Parliament on 27 July 1846, to be effective on 1 January 1847. The combined company would be named the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway. On the first day of existence of the new company, a 1 ⁄ 2 -mile (0.80 km) connecting line from Bridgehouses station to

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2268-464: Was asked to examine another route, again via Woodhead and Penistone; and a new provisional company, the "Sheffield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Manchester Railway" was formed. This line could be worked by adhesion, and required only a two-mile (3 km) tunnel. Vignoles and Joseph Locke were asked to make independent surveys, and in October met to reconcile any differences, at which time they decided that

2322-410: Was being fixed in the tunnel with an index, etc., at the stations at each end, capable of being worked by the station clerks." The single line through the Woodhead tunnel soon proved to be an acute bottleneck and in 1847 (after the formation of the Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway) work upon a second bore was begun. This new tunnel, which was to accommodate the up road (towards Manchester),

2376-428: Was closed in 1845; another station, named simply Dog Lane was opened nearby in 1846, closing in 1847. There was also a Dukinfield station on the Stalybridge branch. The main line was opened as far as Woodhead in 1844, with stations at Hadfield and Woodhead . Construction of Woodhead Tunnel was the next hurdle, but improved pumping machinery had been installed, enabling better progress. Alliances and extensions of

2430-536: Was decided to start the tramway at Bugsworth (now called Buxworth ) and, as built, it was about 6 miles (10 kilometres) long. Its purpose was to carry limestone from the vast quarries around Dove Holes down to Bugsworth Basin via Chapel-en-le-Frith and Chinley , where much of it was taken by boat along the Peak Forest Canal and the Ashton Canal to Manchester and beyond. The remaining limestone

2484-475: Was driven alongside the original one, it opened on 2 February 1852. The Manchester, Sheffield and Lincolnshire Railway was renamed the Great Central Railway on 1 August 1897. In 1923 most of the main line railways of Great Britain were "grouped" in to one or other of four new large companies. The Great Central Railway was a constituent of the new London and North Eastern Railway . In 1936

2538-462: Was electrified in 1954; at that time a new Woodhead Tunnel was driven. In 1974 the major part of the route was closed to passenger trains, leaving passenger operation continuing only on the Manchester– Hadfield section, and in 1981 the line east of Hadfield closed completely. The Manchester–Hadfield– Glossop section and a branch to Stalybridge remain in use. At the end of the 18th century,

2592-518: Was opened; powers were obtained in the 1846 parliamentary session to take it over from the Duke of Norfolk , who had caused it to be built. The branch joined the main line facing Manchester some distance to the east of the original Glossop station, now renamed Dinting. The (unconnected) eastern section of the main line was opened on 14 July 1845; there were stations at Dunford Bridge , Penistone , Wortley , Deepcar , Oughty Bridge , Wadsley Bridge and

2646-472: Was passed, but the proposal was voted down in May 1845 by shareholders, who were persuaded that their line would be merely a remote satellite of the Midland Railway. A branch line was being built from Ashton to Stalybridge . However disaster took place: on 19 April 1845 a nine-arch viaduct under construction collapsed: 17 workmen were killed. On 9 June 1845 a short single line branch to Glossop

2700-483: Was published in August 1830, with George Stephenson appointed to be the engineer. There were concerns about the severity of the gradients on this line, which would involve rope-worked inclines . He suggested an alternative route, via Penistone , that would involve less tunnelling, and have gentler gradients which could be worked by locomotives, but this scheme too failed to attract support. In 1835 Charles Vignoles

2754-429: Was purchased from Birmingham , which proved more equal to the work. By the beginning of the 20th century this had been replaced by a steel rope . There was another small incline of 33 yards (30 m) within the quarry complex worked by a horse-gin at the top and a continuous rope. The mineral waggons were originally similar to those used for the earlier Little Eaton Gangway , with a substantial wooden chassis with

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2808-629: Was put into lime kilns at Bugsworth where it was converted into quick lime (or burnt lime) . Built by Benjamin Outram , the tramway was initially single-track, on a 4 ft 2 in ( 1,270 mm ) gauge, constructed of stone sleeper blocks and L-section cast-iron rails that were fastened directly onto the blocks, in the same manner as his Little Eaton Gangway built for the Derby Canal . The rails, known as gang rails or plates, were provided by Benjamin Outram and Company who also supplied

2862-399: Was put to contract. The M&BR and SA&MR opened the jointly-owned Store Street station in Manchester on 10 May 1842. The initial opening of a single line only proved impossibly constraining, and installation of double track was ordered early in 1842, together with construction on from Godley to Glossop . The line from Godley to Broadbottom was opened on 10 December 1842, and on to

2916-471: Was the longest tunnel in the United Kingdom when built, and still the longest on the LNER system in 1947. It was originally planned to build a double-track tunnel, but to economise a single-track bore was made. The track rose at 1 in 201 towards the east. No less than 157 tons of gunpowder were used for blasting and eight million tons of water were pumped out, whilst the total quantity of excavation

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