The Finedonhill Tramway was a British

industrial Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

railway which operated under various ownership between 1875 and 1926.

History

In 1869, the Stanton Ironworks took a lease on

ironstone Ironstone is a sedimentary rock, either deposited directly as a ferruginous sediment or created by chemical replacement, that contains a substantial proportion of an iron ore compound from which iron (Fe) can be smelted commercially. Not to be con ...

-rich land to the east of Wellingborough, near Finedonhill Farm. They began quarrying, initially carting the ore by road to sidings on the

Midland Railway The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It am ...

near the

Wellingborough Loco Shed Wellingborough Loco Shed was a stabling point located in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, England. The depot was situated on the Midland Main Line and was located just north of Wellingborough station. The depot code is WO. History The s ...

. In 1875, a gauge horse-hauled tramway was laid to connect the quarries with the sidings. The first pits were exhausted by 1884, and the tramway was extended north across Sidegate Lane to access new quarries. A

stationary steam engine Stationary steam engines are fixed steam engines used for pumping or driving mills and factories, and for power generation. They are distinct from locomotive engines used on railways, traction engines for heavy steam haulage on roads, steam cars ...

was installed at the south end of the tramway, which powered a continuous rope that hauled the wagons along the tramway. A mine

adit An adit (from Latin ''aditus'', entrance) is an entrance to an underground mine which is horizontal or nearly horizontal, by which the mine can be entered, drained of water, ventilated, and minerals extracted at the lowest convenient level. Adits ...

was driven under Finedonhill Farm in 1909 to access further ore deposits. This was served by a short branch off the tramway. In 1912 new leases for quarrying were taken by John Clark near South Hill Farm, about half a mile from Finedonhill Farm. He laid a short tramway to connect with the Finedonhill Tramway and ran ore trains under a

wayleave An easement is a nonpossessory right to use and/or enter onto the real property of another without possessing it. It is "best typified in the right of way which one landowner, A, may enjoy over the land of another, B". An easement is a propert ...

from Stanton. Clark purchased a secondhand steam locomotive and ran trains over the lower section of the rope-hauled tramway. The leases that Stanton held ended in 1918 and the Finedonhill and Sidegate Lane quarries were abandoned. In 1920, Clark took a new lease of the Sidegate Lane quarry and used the full length of the tramway. He continued to work the Sidegate Lane quarry until 1926, when he abandoned all ore quarrying. The Finedonhill Tramway was not lifted until the wartime scrap drive of 1940.

Locomotives

References

2 ft 6 in gauge railways in England Industrial railways in England Rail transport in Northamptonshire {{England-rail-transport-stub