Bog Walk to Port Antonio railway

Last updated February 09, 2025

Bog Walk to
Port Antonio railway

Legend

km

Main line to Spanish Town

0.0

Bog Walk

0.2

Rio Cobre Bridge (

40 m

44 yd

)

0.5

Bog Walk Junction

Main line to Ewarton

0.6

250' contour

8.1

500' contour

8.5

Crawle Halt

10.3

Riversdale

11.9

Riversdale Tunnel (

130 m

142 yd

)

13.1

Harewood Halt

14.4

Harewood Tunnel (

200 m

219 yd

)

14.6

Darling Spring Tunnel (

160 m

175 yd

)

14.8

Darling Spring Halt

15.7

B2 & River Doro Bridge (

30 m

33 yd

)

17.3

Troja

17.6

750' contour

18.6

Cromwell Mountain #1 Tunnel (

70 m

77 yd

)

18.8

Cromwell Mountain #2 Tunnel (

90 m

98 yd

)

19.1

Cromwell Mountain #3 Tunnel (

160 m

175 yd

)

19.4

Cromwell Mountain #4 Tunnel (

145 m

159 yd

)

19.6

Cromwell Mountain #5 Tunnel (

180 m

197 yd

)

20.0

Cromwell Mountain #6 Tunnel (

285 m

312 yd

)

20.4

750' contour

20.6

Cromwell Mountain #7 Tunnel (

215 m

235 yd

)

21.3

Taja Halt

21.5

750' contour

21.6

Taja Tunnel (

245 m

268 yd

)

22.1

750' contour

22.8

Flint River Tunnel (

90 m

98 yd

)

23.5

500' contour

24.2

Bridge #1 (

20 m

22 yd

)

24._

Flint River Bridge #2

24._

Flint River Bridge #3

24.7

500' contour

25.0

Richmond Tunnel (

270 m

295 yd

)

25.4

500' contour

25.8

Richmond

26.0

Orange River Bridge (

25 m

27 yd

)

26.6

500' contour

28.6

750' contour

29.1

Highgate

29.4

Highgate Junction

30.2

750' contour

31.3

500' contour

34.2

Baughs Halt

35.4

Esher

36.1

Albany

37.5

250' contour

39.1

100' contour

41.6

50' contour

44.5

Belfield Halt

43.6

Wagwater Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Grays Inn Halt

Fort George Halt

Pencar River Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Annotto Bay

Dry River Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Fort Stewart Halt

Windsor Castle Halt

White River Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Buff Bay River Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Buff Bay

Spring Garden Halt

Spanish River Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Orange Bay

Rock Hill Tunnel (

150 m

164 yd

)

Hope Bay #1 Tunnel (

225 m

246 yd

)

Hope Bay #2 Tunnel (

50 m

55 yd

)

Hope Bay #3 Tunnel (

100 m

109 yd

)

Swift River Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Hope Bay

Robertson's Halt

Saint Margaret's Bay

Rio Grande Bridge (

combined

road & rail

)

Snow Hill Halt

Passley Gardens Halt

Norwich Halt

87

Port Antonio

km

The Bog Walk to Port Antonio railway was a railway in Jamaica built to serve the banana, cacao, citrus and coconut districts of St Catherine, St Mary and Portland.^[1]

Construction, operation and closure

The railway operated from 1896 to 1978. It was temporarily closed from 1975 to 1977.^[2] The line was 54 miles (87 km) long.^[3]

Gradients

The ruling gradient was 1 in 63 with the line climbing approximately 550 feet (170 m) in 18 miles (29 km) (average gradient 1 in 173) from Bog Walk (approximately 250 feet (76 m)) to its summit at Highgate (approximately 800 feet (240 m)) then descending approximately 750 feet (230 m) in just 9 miles (14 km) (average gradient 1 in 63) to the Wag Water Bridge (just above sea level) and continuing for another 27 miles (43 km) more or less on the level and along the coast to Port Antonio.^[4]

Stations and Halts

There were 13 stations and 15 halts:^[4]

Tunnels

There were 17 tunnels:^[4]

Tunnel	Approximate length
Riversdale	150 metres (160 yards)
Harewood	150 metres (160 yards)
Darling Spring	200 metres (220 yards)
Cromwell Mountain #1	75 metres (82 yards)
Cromwell Mountain #2	270 metres (300 yards)
Cromwell Mountain #3	150 metres (160 yards)
Cromwell Mountain #4	100 metres (110 yards)
Cromwell Mountain #5	150 metres (160 yards)
Cromwell Mountain #6	200 metres (220 yards)
Cromwell Mountain #7	175 metres (191 yards)
Taja	250 metres (270 yards)
Flint River	250 metres (270 yards)
Richmond	150 metres (160 yards)
Rock Hill	150 metres (160 yards)
Hope Bay #1	225 metres (246 yards)
Hope Bay #2	50 metres (55 yards)
Hope Bay #3	100 metres (110 yards)

Bridges

There were ten significant bridges.^[4] Approximate bridge lengths^[6] are shown in the route diagram to the right.

B2 & River Doro at Darling Spring/Troja
Orange River at Richmond
Wagwater River
Pencar River^[5]
Dry River^[5]
White River^[5]
Buff Bay River^[5]
Spanish River
Swift River
Rio Grande

Bibliography

Satchell, Veront M & Sampson, Cezley (2003), The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica 1845-1975, The Journal of Transport History

Notes and references

↑ Satchell & Sampson 2003 , p. 6
↑ Satchell & Sampson 2003 , p. 7
↑ Table 3.5 Mileage for JRC Stations, Halts & Sidings in relation to the Kingston Railway Terminus Archived March 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , Annual Transport Statistics Report: Jamaica in Figures 2003-2004, Ministry of Transport and Works, July 2005.
1 2 3 4 UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheets K, L & M c1970.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Google satellite image resolution is at present insufficient to show this station/bridge.
↑ Bridge lengths were obtained using Wikimapia's GeoTools.

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[S&S6-1] Satchell & Sampson 2003 , p. 6

[S&S7-2] Satchell & Sampson 2003 , p. 7

[TSR3.5-3] Table 3.5 Mileage for JRC Stations, Halts & Sidings in relation to the Kingston Railway Terminus Archived March 15, 2013, at the Wayback Machine , Annual Transport Statistics Report: Jamaica in Figures 2003-2004, Ministry of Transport and Works, July 2005.

[KL&M-4] 1 2 3 4 UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheets K, L & M c1970.

[lowres-5] 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Google satellite image resolution is at present insufficient to show this station/bridge.

[6] Bridge lengths were obtained using Wikimapia's GeoTools.

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t e Railways of Jamaica
Passenger lines	Kingston to Montego Bay Spanish Town to Ewarton Bog Walk to Port Antonio Linstead to New Works May Pen to Frankfield
Stations	List of railway stations in Jamaica Ailford's halt Albany Anchovy Angels halt Annotto Bay Appleton Appleton Tourist halt Balaclava Baughs halt Belfield halt Bog Walk Breadnut Walk halt Bryan's Hill Buff Bay Bushy Park halt Cambridge Catadupa Chapelton Clarendon Park Comfort Hall halt Crawle halt Crescent halt Crooked River Cross Roads/Ivy Store Darling Spring halt Duck Pond halt Esher Ewarton Fort George halt Fort Stewart halt Four Paths Frankfield Gordon’s halt Grange Lane Grays Inn halt Greenvale Greenwich Town halt Gregory Park Grove Place halt Harewood halt Hartlands halt Highgate Hope Bay Horizon Park halt Hunts Bay halt Ipswich Jacob’s Hut Kendal Kingston Linstead Longville halt Maggotty Marcus Garvey Drive halt May Pen Michleton halt Montego Bay Montpelier Morgans New Works Norwich halt Old Harbour Orange Bay Oxford halt Passley Gardens halt Port Antonio Porus Richmond Riversdale Robertson's halt Rock halt Saint Margaret's Bay Scott's Pass halt Siloah halt Snow Hill halt Spanish Town Spring Garden halt St. John's Road halt Sterling Castle halt Stonehenge Suttons Taja halt Troja Trout Hall Williamsfield Windsor Castle halt
Other infrastructure	List of railway tunnels in Jamaica
Bauxite lines	Alcan Bodies to Port Esquiville (Alcan) Woodside mines to Rocky Point Port (Alcoa) Nain to Port Kaiser (Alpart) Upper Saint Ann to Discovery Bay (Kaiser) (Reynolds)
Estate lines	Appleton (sugar) Bowden (bananas)
Military lines	Logans Junction to Fort Simmonds
Notable personnel	H R Fox David Smith (railway promoter) William Smith (railway promoter)
Notable incidents	Balaclava rail disaster Kendal rail disaster
Jamaicaportal

Bog Walk to Port Antonio railway

Contents

Construction, operation and closure

Gradients

Stations and Halts

Tunnels

Bridges

Bibliography

See also

Notes and references