History of the four successive Caldon Low Tramroads

Line 1: An iron horse-drawn railway with steep gradients;

 

Line 2: A revised route with gentler gradients;

 

Line 3: A tramway with inclined planes, stationery winding drums on inclined planes and flat sections in-between; and

 

Line 4: A cable railway utilising the shortest route complete with cuttings, embankments and tunnels. All these lines are still visible on the ground for most of their length, however a proposed solar park at their northern confluence threatens to destroy these vital heritage lines.  Scheduling and/ or listing is therefore needed in order to protect them.

 

 

Methods of Construction
 

Built using parliamentary powers granted in 1776, the first line was completed by 1778. Rails of cast iron were laid and secured upon thin wooden strips which in turn were laid at right angles to a wooden substructure.  However, the gradients were too steep for the waggons to get a proper grip on the metal rails and so the steepest part of the route which climbed up from the Shirley Brook was abandoned completely and a new route devised.

 

A further Act of Parliament was granted in 1783 and the second line was completed by 1785. The canal basin was also extended for 450 yards (411.48 metres).  Construction methods utilised were similar to the first line. Both lines were described as having been (P. Lead P.71-2 100 words).

 

The third line represented a complete departure from the construction methods of the first two.  Essentially, a tramway with inclined planes was built, the Great Froghall Plane and the Cotton Plane together achieved most of the height required; both upper winding houses and one lower one are still in existence.  On the planes, three tramlines split into four half way, letting full waggons on their way down pass empty ones on their way up.  A further Act of Parliament was obtained in 1802 for this tramway, which was completed by 1804.  The architect was John Rennie, the famous canal engineer (Contemporary description P. Lead P.74 1st paragraph).

 

The fourth line is a simple cable railway linking Froghall with the Caldon quarries by an almost straight line, with embankments, cuttings and a tunnel all constructed and overseen by John Trubshaw in between 1842 and 1849.  Once again, three rails with four at passing places were installed. The description continues thus to its terminus at Caldon Low.

 

The contrast between horse drawn plateways to what we would now consider as being a modern railway is stark, the development of engineering skills always using the most modern methods, coupled with the fact that the first and third lines represent the respective bests in the technology used, makes for an impressive array of railway types all within a relatively small area.

 

Visit The Society for the Preservation and Conservation of Caldon Low Tramlines website

 

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