Bog Walk to Port Antonio railway

Last updated
Bog Walk to
Port Antonio railway
km
BSicon CONTg.svg
BSicon eHST.svg
0.0
Bog Walk
BSicon hbKRZWae.svg
0.2
Rio Cobre Bridge (
40 m
44 yd
)
BSicon xABZgl+xl.svg
BSicon dCONTfq.svg
0.5
Bog Walk Junction
Main line to Ewarton
BSicon exKMW.svg
0.6
250' contour
BSicon exKMW.svg
8.1
500' contour
BSicon exHST.svg
8.5
Crawle Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
10.3
Riversdale
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
11.9
Riversdale Tunnel (
130 m
142 yd
)
BSicon exHST.svg
13.1
Harewood Halt
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
14.4
Harewood Tunnel (
200 m
219 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
14.6
Darling Spring Tunnel (
160 m
175 yd
)
BSicon exHST.svg
14.8
Darling Spring Halt
BSicon exhbKRZWae.svg
15.7
B2 & River Doro Bridge (
30 m
33 yd
)
BSicon exHST.svg
17.3
Troja
BSicon exKMW.svg
17.6
750' contour
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
18.6
Cromwell Mountain #1 Tunnel (
70 m
77 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
18.8
Cromwell Mountain #2 Tunnel (
90 m
98 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
19.1
Cromwell Mountain #3 Tunnel (
160 m
175 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
19.4
Cromwell Mountain #4 Tunnel (
145 m
159 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
19.6
Cromwell Mountain #5 Tunnel (
180 m
197 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
20.0
Cromwell Mountain #6 Tunnel (
285 m
312 yd
)
BSicon exKMW.svg
20.4
750' contour
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
20.6
Cromwell Mountain #7 Tunnel (
215 m
235 yd
)
BSicon exHST.svg
21.3
Taja Halt
BSicon exKMW.svg
21.5
750' contour
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
21.6
Taja Tunnel (
245 m
268 yd
)
BSicon exKMW.svg
22.1
750' contour
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
22.8
Flint River Tunnel (
90 m
98 yd
)
BSicon exKMW.svg
23.5
500' contour
BSicon exhbKRZWae.svg
24.2
Bridge #1 (
20 m
22 yd
)
BSicon exhbKRZWae.svg
24._
Flint River Bridge #2
BSicon exhbKRZWae.svg
24._
Flint River Bridge #3
BSicon exKMW.svg
24.7
500' contour
BSicon exTUNNEL1.svg
25.0
Richmond Tunnel (
270 m
295 yd
)
BSicon exKMW.svg
25.4
500' contour
BSicon exHST.svg
25.8
Richmond
BSicon exhbKRZWae.svg
26.0
Orange River Bridge (
25 m
27 yd
)
BSicon exKMW.svg
26.6
500' contour
BSicon exKMW.svg
28.6
750' contour
BSicon exHST.svg
29.1
Highgate
BSicon exABZgl.svg
BSicon exdCONTfq.svg
29.4
Highgate Junction
BSicon exKMW.svg
30.2
750' contour
BSicon exKMW.svg
31.3
500' contour
BSicon exHST.svg
34.2
Baughs Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
35.4
Esher
BSicon exBHF.svg
36.1
Albany
BSicon exKMW.svg
37.5
250' contour
BSicon exKMW.svg
39.1
100' contour
BSicon exKMW.svg
41.6
50' contour
BSicon exHST.svg
44.5
Belfield Halt
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
43.6
Wagwater Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon exHST.svg
Grays Inn Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
Fort George Halt
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
Pencar River Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon exHST.svg
Annotto Bay
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
Dry River Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon exHST.svg
Fort Stewart Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
Windsor Castle Halt
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
White River Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
Buff Bay River Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon exHST.svg
Buff Bay
BSicon exHST.svg
Spring Garden Halt
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
Spanish River Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon exHST.svg
Orange Bay
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
Rock Hill Tunnel (
150 m
164 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
Hope Bay #1 Tunnel (
225 m
246 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
Hope Bay #2 Tunnel (
50 m
55 yd
)
BSicon exTUNNEL2.svg
Hope Bay #3 Tunnel (
100 m
109 yd
)
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
Swift River Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon exHST.svg
Hope Bay
BSicon exHST.svg
Robertson's Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
Saint Margaret's Bay
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
BSicon exSTR.svg
BSicon RP4oW.svg
BSicon dWASSERq.svg
Rio Grande Bridge (
combined
road & rail
)
BSicon exHST.svg
Snow Hill Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
Passley Gardens Halt
BSicon exHST.svg
Norwich Halt
BSicon exKBHFe.svg
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]

Contents

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]

Buff Bay Station in 1960. Jamaican railroad with railcar and station 1960.jpg
Buff Bay Station in 1960.

Tunnels

Rear of a train entering a tunnel near Troja c1896. Rear of a train entering a tunel near Troja, St Catherine, Jamaica c1896.png
Rear of a train entering a tunnel near Troja c1896.

There were 17 tunnels: [4]

TunnelApproximate 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.

Bibliography

See also

Notes and references

  1. Satchell & Sampson 2003 , p. 6
  2. Satchell & Sampson 2003 , p. 7
  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.
  4. 1 2 3 4 UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheets K, L & M c1970.
  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.

Related Research Articles

Baikal–Amur Mainline railway line

The Baikal–Amur Mainline is a 1,520 mm broad gauge railway line in Russia. Traversing Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East, the 4,324 km (2,687 mi) long BAM runs about 610 to 770 km north of and parallel to the Trans-Siberian Railway.

East Coastway line railway line

The East Coastway line is a railway line along the south coast of Sussex to the east of Brighton, England. Trains to the West of Brighton operate on the West Coastway line. Together with the West Coastway and the Marshlink line to the east, the line forms part of a continuous route from Havant to Ashford. The Brighton Main Line route to Eastbourne and Hastings, via Plumpton and Cooksbridge, shares the East Coastway line east of Lewes station.

Port Antonio Place in Surrey, Jamaica

Port Antonio is the capital of the parish of Portland on the northeastern coast of Jamaica, about 60 miles (100 km) from Kingston. It had a population of 12,285 in 1982 and 13,246 in 1991. It is the island's third largest port, famous as a shipping point for bananas and coconuts, as well as one of its most important tourist attractions, tourism being a major contributor to the town’s economy.

Canterbury and Whitstable Railway

The Canterbury and Whitstable Railway, sometimes referred to colloquially as the "Crab and Winkle Line", was an early British railway that opened in 1830 between Canterbury and Whitstable in the county of Kent, England.

Rail transport in Jamaica

The Railways of Jamaica, constructed from 1845, were the second British Colony after Canada's Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad of 1836 to receive a railway system. Construction started only twenty years after George Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington Railway commenced operations in the United Kingdom.

Hundred of Hoo Railway

The Hundred of Hoo Railway is a railway line in Kent, England, following the North Kent Line from Gravesend before diverging at Hoo Junction near Shorne Marshes and continuing in an easterly direction across the Hoo Peninsula, passing near the villages of Cooling, High Halstow, Cliffe and Stoke before reaching the Isle of Grain and the container port on its eastern tip, Thamesport. There used to be a short branch line leading from Stoke Junction to the coastal town of Allhallows but this closed from 4 December 1961, the same date on which the Hundred of Hoo line was closed to passenger services.

The May Pen to Frankfield railway was a railway in Jamaica built to serve the fast developing citrus industry in the upper Clarendon regions of Chapelton and Frankfield.

The Kingston to Montego Bay railway was the main railway in Jamaica, which from 1845 to 1992 linked the capital Kingston with the second city Montego Bay, passing en route most of the major towns.

The Linstead to New Works railway was a railway in Jamaica constructed in 1921 to serve a citrus growing region to the north east of Linstead.

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. It operated from 1885 to 1992.

Dry River (Jamaica) river in Jamaica

The Dry River is a river in St Mary, Jamaica.

Spanish Town railway station

Spanish Town railway station opened in 1845 and closed in 1992 when all passenger services in Jamaica abruptly ceased. It provided rail services to Kingston and Montego Bay, Port Antonio, Ewarton and New Works. It was 11.75 miles (18.91 km) from the Kingston terminus. It is on the list of designated National Heritage Sites in Jamaica.

Montego Bay railway station

Montego Bay railway station opened in 1894 and closed in 1992 when all passenger services in Jamaica abruptly ceased. It served the Kingston to Montego Bay main line with branches from May pen to Frankfield, Spanish Town to Ewarton, Bog Walk to Port Antonio and Linstead to New Works. It was 112.75 miles (181.45 km) from the Kingston terminus.

Frankfield railway station

Frankfield railway station was the terminus of a 21-mile railway branch line from May Pen serving the eponymous market town, 55.25 miles (88.92 km) from the Kingston terminus. It opened in 1925 with the completion of the final 9¼ mile extension on the branch, and closed in 1974 when the branch itself closed due to a lack of maintenance. It has since been demolished.

Albany railway station, Jamaica railway station in Jamaica

Albany railway station opened in 1896, closed in 1975, reopened in 1977 and closed for good in 1978. It was on the Bog Walk to Port Antonio branch line, 42.5 miles (68.4 km) from the Kingston terminus, and served the surrounding agricultural community, providing a means for bananas to reach and be exported from Port Antonio. It was destroyed by fire sometime after closure.

Troja railway station In Jamaica

Troja railway station opened in 1896, closed in 1975, reopened in 1977 and closed for good in 1978. It was on the Bog Walk to Port Antonio branch line, 31 miles (50 km) from the Kingston terminus, and served the surrounding agricultural community, providing a means for bananas to reach and be exported from Port Antonio. It was vandalised some time after closure.

Ewarton Town in St Catherine, Jamaica

Ewarton is a town in the parish of Saint Catherine, Jamaica.

Ailfords halt

Ailford's halt opened in c1894 and closed in 1992. It was on the Kingston to Montego Bay line, 106.75 miles (171.80 km) from the Kingston terminus, and served the surrounding agricultural community.

Pickering Beck river in England

Pickering Beck is a river that runs for over 18 miles (29 km) from its source in the North York Moors National Park through the town of Pickering and on to its confluence with Costa Beck at Kirby Misperton. It is a meandering river that is fed by numerous named and unnamed becks and streams which flow over sandstone and limestone beds and an alluvia of sand, clay silt and gravel. The beck is known for flooding and in recent times has been a beneficiary of funding and experimental flood protection schemes.