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The Spanish Town to Ewarton railway was a railway in Jamaica, built to serve the citrus growing regions in the interior of Saint Catherine, particularly those around the towns of Bog Walk, Linstead and Ewarton.[1] It operated from 1885 to 1992.
History
editThe 14 miles (23 km) of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) track from Spanish Town to Ewarton were completed in 1885 at a cost of approximately £93,000.[1]
The section from Linstead to Ewarton was closed in 1947.[2] It was later reopened as far as the Bauxite processing plant just east of Ewarton.
The rest of the line closed to passengers in 1992 but it remains open for Bauxite traffic.[3]
The Spanish Town to Bog Walk section reopened briefly for passenger traffic in 2009/10 while the A1 road through Bog Walk Gorge was closed for major repair work.[4]
Gradients
editThe line climbs 700 feet (213.4 m) in 14 miles (23 km) (average gradient 1 in 106 or 0.0094%) from Spanish Town station (just under 100 feet or 30.5 metres[5]) to its summit at Ewarton (800 feet[6]).
Stations and Halts
editThere were 4 stations and 5 halts on the line:[3][5]
- Spanish Town Station (Branch Terminus)
- St. John’s Road Halt
- Angels Halt
- Crescent Halt
- Bog Walk Station
- Michleton Halt
- Linstead Station
- Sterling Castle Halt
- Ewarton Station] (Terminus)
Tunnels
editThere are 4 tunnels,[5] from south to north:
- Number 1 ~100 m
- Number 2 ~160 m
- Number 3 ~110 m
- Number 4 ~665 m
Bridges
editThere are 7 significant bridges on the line:
- Viaduct ~70 m
- Thomas River ~15 m
- Rio Cobre ~40 m
- Viaduct (not visible in satellite imagery)
- Rio Magno Gully ~85 m
- Byndloss Gully ~20 m
- Unnamed Gully ~40 m
Notes and references
edit- ^ a b The Jamaica Railway 1845-1945 by H R Fox, General Manager, Jamaica Government Railway in The Railway Magazine of November & December 1945.
- ^ Satchell, Veront M, Sampson, Cezley (March 2003). "The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica, 1845-1975". Journal of Transport History. p. 11. Archived from the original on 10 August 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Annual Transport Statistics Report: Jamaica in Figures 2003-2004 Archived 2013-03-15 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of Transport and Works, July 2005, Table 3.5 - Mileage for JRC Stations, Halts & Sidings in relation to the Kingston Railway Terminus 2003-2004.
- ^ "Jamaica Train Ride - Linstead to Spanish Town (09 AUG 2011) Pt # 2". YouTube. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
- ^ a b c UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheet L (1966).
- ^ UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheet G (1973).
External links
edit- Jamaican train ride part 1 - Linstead to Bog Walk, Jamaicansol, youTube, 2011-08-09
- Jamaican train ride part 2 - Bog Walk - Bog Walk Tunnel, Jamaicansol, youTube, 2011-08-09
- Jamaican train ride part 2 - Bog Walk Tunnel - Angels, Jamaicansol, youTube, 2011-08-09