Hetton colliery railway: Difference between revisions
removed Category:Industrial railways; added Category:Industrial railways in England using HotCat |
add ref |
||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
The '''Hetton colliery railway''' was an {{convert|8|mi}} long [[private railway]] opened in 1822 by the Hetton Coal Company at [[Hetton Lyons]], [[County Durham]], England. |
The '''Hetton colliery railway''' was an {{convert|8|mi}} long [[private railway]] opened in 1822 by the Hetton Coal Company at [[Hetton Lyons]], [[County Durham]], England. When it closed in 1959 it was the oldest mineral railway in [[Great Britain]]. |
||
==History== |
==History== |
||
Th Hetton was the first railway to be designed from the start to be operated without animal power, and was [[George Stephenson]]'s first entirely new line. It ran from Hetton Colliery, about two miles south of [[Houghton-le-Spring]], to a staithe (wharf) on the [[River Wear]].<ref name="TIDec59">{{cite journal |
|||
| title=Talking of trains: First mineral railway closed |
| title=Talking of trains: First mineral railway closed |
||
| first=G. Freeman |last=Allen | authorlink=Geoffrey Freeman Allen |
| first=G. Freeman |last=Allen | authorlink=Geoffrey Freeman Allen |
||
| Line 10: | Line 10: | ||
}}</ref> |
}}</ref> |
||
From 1831, the [[Marquis of Londonderry]] had developed the Rainton and Seaham Railway, a similar rope-worked incline railway which ran from [[West Rainham]] to his newley developed docks at [[Seahma]]. However, after the line closed in 1896, the Hetton Railway bought the section which ran from its Moorsley Pit to the top of the Copt Hill engine, and integrated it into its workings.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.twsitelines.info/siteline.nsf/SMR/845A634ED91AB003802576AF003E5907?opendocument|title=Rainton and Seaham Railway|publisher=twsitelines.info|accessdate=18 March 2013}}</ref> |
|||
| ⚫ | After [[Lambton Collieries]] merged with Hetton Collieries in 1911, the companies merged their railway operations, and the still rope-incline worked Hetton system was merged with the locomotive-operated [[Lambton Railway]]. The company additionally connect Lambton staithes to the Hetton staithes within [[ |
||
| ⚫ | After [[Lambton Collieries]] merged with Hetton Collieries in 1911, the companies merged their railway operations, and the still rope-incline worked Hetton system was merged with the locomotive-operated [[Lambton Railway]]. The company additionally connect Lambton staithes to the Hetton staithes within the [[Port of Sunderland]].<ref name=LLTHist/> |
||
In 1947 control of the line passed to the new state-owned [[National Coal Board]]. Because extraction of coal from this area had been concentrated at the Hawthorn Combined Mine (adjacent to the former [[Durham Sunderland Line|Durham and Sunderland Railway]]), the Hetton system closed on 12 September 1959.<ref name="TIDec59"/> A further spate of closures occurred in 1967 with Lambton Staithes being closed in January and the line to Pallion closing in August of the same year.<ref name=LLTHist>{{cite web|url=http://www.lambtonlocomotivestrust.co.uk/History2.htm|title=Brief History of the Lambton Railway|publisher=LambtonLocomotivesTrust.co.uk|accessdate=17 March 2013}}</ref> |
In 1947 control of the line passed to the new state-owned [[National Coal Board]]. Because extraction of coal from this area had been concentrated at the Hawthorn Combined Mine (adjacent to the former [[Durham Sunderland Line|Durham and Sunderland Railway]]), the Hetton system closed on 12 September 1959.<ref name="TIDec59"/> A further spate of closures occurred in 1967 with Lambton Staithes being closed in January and the line to Pallion closing in August of the same year.<ref name=LLTHist>{{cite web|url=http://www.lambtonlocomotivestrust.co.uk/History2.htm|title=Brief History of the Lambton Railway|publisher=LambtonLocomotivesTrust.co.uk|accessdate=17 March 2013}}</ref> |
||
| Line 28: | Line 30: | ||
==References== |
==References== |
||
| ⚫ | |||
{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
||
| ⚫ | |||
{{coord|54.81629|-1.44306|type:landmark_region:GB_source:npemap.org.uk-enwiki|display=title}} |
{{coord|54.81629|-1.44306|type:landmark_region:GB_source:npemap.org.uk-enwiki|display=title}} |
||
[[Category:Closed railway lines in North East England]] |
[[Category:Closed railway lines in North East England]] |
||
[[Category:Rail transport in County Durham]] |
[[Category:Rail transport in County Durham]] |
||
Revision as of 02:55, 19 March 2013
The Hetton colliery railway was an 8 miles (13 km) long private railway opened in 1822 by the Hetton Coal Company at Hetton Lyons, County Durham, England. When it closed in 1959 it was the oldest mineral railway in Great Britain.
History
Th Hetton was the first railway to be designed from the start to be operated without animal power, and was George Stephenson's first entirely new line. It ran from Hetton Colliery, about two miles south of Houghton-le-Spring, to a staithe (wharf) on the River Wear.[1]
From 1831, the Marquis of Londonderry had developed the Rainton and Seaham Railway, a similar rope-worked incline railway which ran from West Rainham to his newley developed docks at Seahma. However, after the line closed in 1896, the Hetton Railway bought the section which ran from its Moorsley Pit to the top of the Copt Hill engine, and integrated it into its workings.[2]
After Lambton Collieries merged with Hetton Collieries in 1911, the companies merged their railway operations, and the still rope-incline worked Hetton system was merged with the locomotive-operated Lambton Railway. The company additionally connect Lambton staithes to the Hetton staithes within the Port of Sunderland.[3]
In 1947 control of the line passed to the new state-owned National Coal Board. Because extraction of coal from this area had been concentrated at the Hawthorn Combined Mine (adjacent to the former Durham and Sunderland Railway), the Hetton system closed on 12 September 1959.[1] A further spate of closures occurred in 1967 with Lambton Staithes being closed in January and the line to Pallion closing in August of the same year.[3]
Locomotives
The first five locomotives were built by Stephenson between 1820 and 1822, as a development of those at Killingworth - 0-4-0 types with chain-coupled wheels. Four of them had names: Hetton, Dart, Tallyho and Star.
They incorporated his steam springs in an attempt to compensate for the reaction to the vertical cylinders which had caused previous locomotives to rock excessively, and were not entirely successful. For a while a section of the line was an inclined plane[1] operated by stationary engines. The 1822 engine however continued in service until 1912, being rebuilt in 1857 and 1882, and is now preserved in the Shildon Locomotion Museum.[4]
The Company acquired limited liability in 1884 and later built two more locomotives, "Lyons" and "Eppleton", 0-4-0T, gear driven, with vertical boilers.
References
- Lowe, J.W. (1989). British Steam Locomotive Builders, Guild Publishing
- ^ a b c Allen, G. Freeman (December 1959). "Talking of trains: First mineral railway closed". Trains Illustrated. Hampton Court: Ian Allan.
- ^ "Rainton and Seaham Railway". twsitelines.info. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
- ^ a b "Brief History of the Lambton Railway". LambtonLocomotivesTrust.co.uk. Retrieved 17 March 2013.
- ^ Industrial Railway Society (2009). Industrial Locomotives (15EL). Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 978-1-901556-53-7.
54°48′59″N 1°26′35″W / 54.81629°N 1.44306°W
 | This article on a railway station in North East England is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |