Kingston to Montego Bay railway

v t e Kingston to Montego Bay railway
Legend
km 0.0 Kingston to goods yard and railway piers 1, 2 & 3 engine sheds turntable, workshops & Permanent Way Depot locomotive works Trench Town Gully Shoemakers Gully Greenwich Town Halt Marcus Garvey Drive Halt Hunts Bay Halt Cockfight Bridge Salt River to sugar estate light railway Rio Cobre 10.5 Gregory Park 50' contour 14.5 Grange Lane irrigation canal 18.9 Spanish Town 18.9 Spanish Town Junction to Ewarton irrigation canal Town Gully 20.5 Horizon Park Halt irrigation canal 24.1 Hartlands Halt Estate light railway crossing 50' contour Cut Throat Gully Spring Garden River 50' contour irrigation canal irrigation canal Coleburns Gully 32.2 Bushy Park Halt Church Pen Gully east Church Pen Gully west Stony Gully Fraser's Gully 36.5 to works 36.6 Old Harbour Old Harbour River Bowers Gully 39.8 Bodles Junction Sandy Bay Halt 100' contour 100' contour Palmetto Gully 100' contour Bushy Park Halt or Inverness Halt 250' contour Lancasters Halt Hunts Pen road 250' contour A2 road Rio Minho ( combined A2 road and rail ) 52.3 May Pen 52.3 May Pen Junction Jacks Gully No.1 Jacks Gully No.2 55.4 Logans Junction Halt 55.5 Logan's Junction 56.3 Denbigh Siding Jacks Gully No.3 56.7 Jacob’s Hut Jacks Gully No.4 59.5 Four Paths 63.2 Rock Halt Flemings Gully east Flemings Gully west 68.4 Clarendon Park 250' contour Milk River 70.8 Scott’s Pass Halt 71.2 No. 1 Scotts Pass Tunnel 21m 71.6 No. 2 Scotts Pass Tunnel 52m Milk River (seasonal) 75.2 Porus 500' contour unnamed halt [1] 750' contour 1,000' contour 1,250' contour 85.3 Williamsfield 88.1 Kendal Kendal-Mandeville Road 1,500' contour 1,500' contour 1,500' contour 93.3 Grove Place Halt 98.2 Greenvale (Mile Gully) 1,500' contour 1,250' contour 1,250' contour 1,250' contour 105.4 No. 3 Comfort Hall Tunnel 209m 105.8 Comfort Hall Siding & Halt 1,000' contour 109.0 Duck Pond Halt [2] 750' contour 111.0 Oxford Siding 112.6 No. 4 Balaclava Tunnel 106m 750' contour 113.4 Balaclava B6 road 750' contour 500' contour Estate light railway crossing Raheen Halt [1] 121.9 Siloah Halt 123.5 Appleton Appleton Estates light railway 124.7 Appleton Tourist Halt Black River No.1 Black River No.2 128.3 Maggotty Black River No.3 & Maggoty Falls Road 500' contour 750' contour 135.2 No. 5 Highworth Tunnel 56m 136.0 No. 6 YS Tunnel 66m 138.0 Ipswich Ipswich-Merrywood Road 138.8 No. 7 Ipswich Tunnel 261m 750' contour 750' contour 140.8 Breadnut Walk Halt 141.2 No. 8 unnamed tunnel 165m 142.4 No. 9 Merrywood Tunnel 116m 1,000' contour 146.0 Stonehenge 151.3 Catadupa 1000' contour Richmond Hill Road B6 road 750' contour 157.3 Cambridge Seven River No.1 Seven River No.2 500' contour Fifth Bridge (Seven River No.3) Seven River No.4 Seven River No.5 Browns River 165.7 Montpelier Anchovy Gully 500' contour B6 road 168.2 No. 10 Anchovy Tunnel 31m 170.2 Anchovy 171.8 Ailford’s Halt 173.8 No. 11 Ramble Tunnel 56m 500' contour 174.6 No. 12 Long Hill Tunnel 389m 500' contour 175.0 No. 13 Bogue Hill Tunnel 140m viaduct over dry valley 250' contour 177.0 Gordon’s Halt 100' contour 50' contour Montego River engine sheds sidings 181.4 Montego Bay km
Railroad Crossings Gated│Ungated A and B roads Parochial motorable road Unclassified road Track

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.

Construction, operation and closure

The first 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) track were laid from Kingston to Angels (just north of Spanish Town) in 1845 at a cost of £222,250, or £15,377 per mile against a budgeted cost £150,000. ^[3]

An 11-mile (18 km) extension from Spanish Town to Old Harbour was added in 1869 ^[4] at a cost of £60,000. ^[5]

A further 24.5 miles (39.4 km) extension from Old Harbour to Porus was added in 1885 at a cost of around £187,000. ^[5]

The final 62 miles (100 km) from Porus to Montego Bay was completed in 1895. ^[6]

Much of the line closed in October 1992 when all passenger traffic on Jamaica's railways abruptly ceased. Some sections remain in use for bauxite and aluminium freight ^[7] while the section from Montego Bay to the Appleton Estate remained open for a while as a tourist attraction.

Gradients and curvature

From Kingston the line ran west along the coastal plain, within 50 feet (15.2 m) of sea level, for about 40 miles (64 km) before starting a gentle climb over 5.25 miles (8.45 km) from Bodles to 250 feet (76.2 m) near Lancaster Halt. ^[1] From here there was a plateau for about 24.25 miles (39.03 km) to the Milk River and the start of the 20 miles (32 km) climb through Scotts Pass and Porus to 1,500 feet (457.2 m) just north of Kendal. ^[1]

Between Kendal and Mile Gully the line reaches its summit at around 1,700 feet (518.2 m); in this section the ruling curvature was 300 feet (91.4 m) and the ruling gradient was 1 in 30 (3.33%). ^[8]

From Mile Gully there was a gentle descent over 17 miles (27 km) to 500 feet (152.4 m) near Raheen. ^[1] From here the line ran on the level across the Appleton Plain to Maggotty and the start of a climb to 1,000 feet (304.8 m) near Stonehenge. ^[1] From here to Catadupa the line ran on the level then descended to 500 feet (152.4 m) at Seven River. ^[1] Another level section brought it to Long Hill Tunnel and the final descent into Montego Bay. ^[1]

Stations and Halts

There were 22 stations and 17 halts: ^{[1] [9]}

Kingston (Terminus) Greenwich Town Halt Marcus Garvey Drive Halt                  Hunts Bay Halt Gregory Park Station Grange Lane Station Spanish Town Station Horizon Park Halt Hartlands Halt Bushy Park Halt Old Harbour Station May Pen Station Jacob’s Hut Four Paths Station Rock Halt Clarendon Park Station Scott’s Pass Halt Porus Station Williamsfield Station Kendal Station Grove Place Halt Greenvale Station Comfort Hall Halt Duck Pond Halt Oxford Halt [10] Balaclava Station Siloah Halt Appleton Station Appleton Tourist Halt Maggotty Station Ipswich Station Breadnut Walk Halt Stonehenge Station Catadupa Station Cambridge Station Montpelier Station Anchovy Station Ailford’s Halt Gordon’s Halt Montego Bay (Terminus)

Tunnels

There are 13 tunnels on the line: ^[11]

No.	Name	Distance from Kingston		Parish	Length
		miles	km		feet	metres
1	Scotts Pass	44+1⁄4	71.2	Clarendon	70	21.3
2	Scotts Pass	44+1⁄2	71.6		170	51.8
3	Comfort Hall	65+1⁄2	105.4	St. Elizabeth	688	209.1
4	Balaclava	70	112.6		348	106.1
5	Highworth	84	135.2		182	55.5
6	Y S	84+1⁄2	136.0		218	66.4
7	Ipswich	86+1⁄4	138.8		855	260.6
8	(unnamed)	87+3⁄4	141.2	St. James	555	164.6
9	Merrywood	88+1⁄2	142.4		362	115.8
10	Anchovy	104+1⁄2	168.2		102	31.1
11	Ramble	108	173.8		182	55.5
12	Bogue Hill	108+1⁄2	174.6		1,276	388.9
13	Bogue Hill	108+3⁄4	175.0		458	139.6

Bridges

There were 51 significant ^[12] bridges and one viaduct on the line ^[1]

• Trench Town Gully
• Shoemakers Gully
• Cockfight Bridge (gully)
• Salt River
• Rio Cobre
• Irrigation canal east
• Irrigation canal west
• Creek Town Gully
• Track (rail over)
• Irrigation canal
• Cut Throat Gully
• Spring Garden River
• Irrigation canal east
• Irrigation canal west
• Coleburns Gully
• Church Pen Gully east
• Church Pen Gully west
• Stony Gully
• Fraser's Gully
• Old Harbour(?) River
• Bowers Gully
• Palmetto Gully
• Hunts Pen road (rail over)
• A2 road (rail under)
• Rio Minho - originally completed in 1874, it was completely rebuilt during the second decade of the twentieth century by Hewson (of the Jamaica Government Railway) using the then new method of concrete blocks ^[13]
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #1
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #2
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #3
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #4
• Flemings (sic) Gully east
• Flemings (sic) Gully west
• Milk River
• Milk River (seasonal)
• Track (rail over)
• Kendal - Mandeville road (rail over)
• B6 road, Balaclava (rail under)
• Black River #1
• Black River #2
• Black River #3
• Ipswich - Merrywood road (rail under)
• Richmond Hill road (rail under)
• B6 road, Jubilee (rail under)
• Seven River #1
• Seven River #2
• Seven River #3
• Seven River #4
• Seven River #5
• Browns River
• Anchovy Gully
• B8 road, Mount Carey (rail under)
• Bogue Viaduct
• Montego River

Junctions

There were three branch line junctions, three railway works junctions and four estate railway junctions on the line: ^[1]

Branch lines

• Spanish Town Junction to Bog Walk, Ewarton, New Works and Port Antonio
• May Pen Junction to Frankfield
• Logans Junction to Fort Simmonds

Railway works

• Kingston railway workshops
• Kingston permanent way department
• Kingston engine sheds

Estate railways

• Caymanas estate
• Bridge Pen
• Raheen
• Appleton

Bauxite lines

• Bodles

Piers

• Kingston railway piers numbers 1, 2 & 3

Notes and references

1. UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica, various sheets (1958-1973).
2. "Duck Pond" is given in the Annual Transport Statistics; the 50K maps show "Dick Pond".
3. The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica, 1845-1975 Archived 2007-12-08 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Transport History - March 2003
4. The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica, 1845-1975 - Pg3 Archived 2010-04-09 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Transport History - March 2003.
5. The Jamaica Railway 1845-1945 by H R Fox, General Manager, Jamaica Government Railway in The Railway Magazine of November & December 1945.
6. 1866 to 1913 Crown Colony Government discoverjamaica.com
7. The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica, 1845-1975 - Pg18 Archived 2009-04-25 at the Wayback Machine Journal of Transport History - March 2003
8. The Jamaica Railway 1845-1945, H R Fox (General Manager, Jamaica Government Railway), The Railway Magazine Volume 91 Number 560 November and December 1945, pages 313-317.
9. 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.
10. UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica sheet D, 1959.
11. 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 3.6 - List of JRC Railway Tunnels by Line 2003-2004.
12. In this context, significant means mapped on the Directorate of Overseas Surveys 50K series of maps:
13. Volume 6 Number 7 Archived 2008-07-24 at the Wayback Machine , Monthly Comments, Ansell Hart, 1968-06.

External links

• Montego Bay to Williamsfield, Jamaica, 7 minute black and white silent film shot from the rear of a moving train, SINTZENICH, Hal & WEDDUP, Charlie, Kineto, 1913, Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire.
• Advertisement for shares in the railway published in the Railway Register in Britain in 1845