![Tramway bridge](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/32/Tramway_bridge.jpg)
The Lancaster Canal Tramroad, also known as the Walton Summit Tramway or the Old Tram Road, was a British
plateway
A plateway is an early kind of railway, tramway or wagonway, where the rails are made from cast iron. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later.
Plateways consisted of "L"-shaped rails, where the flange ...
, completed in 1803, to link the north and south ends of the
Lancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in North West England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria ( historically in Westmorland). The section around the crossing of the River Ribble was never complete ...
across the
Ribble valley (Barritt, 2000), pending completion of the
canal
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flo ...
. The canal link was never constructed.
History
The
Lancaster Canal
The Lancaster Canal is a canal in North West England, originally planned to run from Westhoughton in Lancashire to Kendal in south Cumbria ( historically in Westmorland). The section around the crossing of the River Ribble was never complete ...
Company obtained an
Act of Parliament
Acts of Parliament, sometimes referred to as primary legislation, are texts of law passed by the Legislature, legislative body of a jurisdiction (often a parliament or council). In most countries with a parliamentary system of government, acts of ...
(
32 Geo. III c. 101) in 1792 to construct a canal linking the towns of
Kendal,
Lancaster and
Preston to the coalfields around
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, on the River Douglas. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. Bolton lies to the north-east and Warrington t ...
.
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Coal is formed when ...
was to be the chief traffic northwards and
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
southwards. Most of the canal was completed quickly, including the impressive
aqueduct across the
River Lune
The River Lune (archaically sometimes Loyne) is a river in length in Cumbria and Lancashire, England.
Etymology
Several elucidations for the origin of the name ''Lune'' exist. Firstly, it may be that the name is Brittonic in genesis and der ...
near Lancaster, but the part across the wide valley of the River Ribble remained to be built when the construction
capital became exhausted.
The original plan foresaw an impressive stone aqueduct across the river and up to 32
locks
Lock(s) may refer to:
Common meanings
*Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance
*Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal
Arts and entertainment
* ''Lock ...
to complete the route. As a temporary measure, the canal company constructed a
tramroad
A plateway is an early kind of railway, tramway or wagonway, where the rails are made from cast iron. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later.
Plateways consisted of "L"-shaped rails, where the flange ...
to link the two halves and allow revenue traffic to start flowing. Construction took three years.
The tramroad
In 1794, the canal company engaged the services of
William Cartwright, first to supervise the construction of the foundations for the Lune Aqueduct and later as Resident
Engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
.
John Rennie and
William Jessop
William Jessop (23 January 1745 – 18 November 1814) was an English civil engineer, best known for his work on canals, harbours and early railways in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Early life
Jessop was born in Devonport, Devon, the ...
were the chief engineers to the company, but such was the demand for their services at this time of
Canal Mania
Canal Mania was the period of intense canal building in England and Wales between the 1790s and 1810s, and the speculative frenzy that ensued in the early 1790s.British Canals. The Standard History. Joseph Boughey and Charles Hadfield.
Backgro ...
that they were much in demand elsewhere and Cartwright was solely responsible for the construction of the tramroad. His house in Preston is still extant and now forms the façade of a new shopping arcade.
The five-mile-long tramroad comprised a double-track
plateway
A plateway is an early kind of railway, tramway or wagonway, where the rails are made from cast iron. They were mainly used for about 50 years up to 1830, though some continued later.
Plateways consisted of "L"-shaped rails, where the flange ...
, except for a short section of single track through a tunnel under Fishergate in Preston, just south of the canal basin. The iron rails were 'L' shaped in section and were spiked to large limestone blocks. The wheels on the wagons were not
flange
A flange is a protruded ridge, lip or rim, either external or internal, that serves to increase strength (as the flange of an iron beam such as an I-beam or a T-beam); for easy attachment/transfer of contact force with another object (as the f ...
d and it was the vertical section on the iron rails that kept the wheels on the track. The gauge was 4 foot 3 inches (1295 mm) between the verticals, which were on the inside of the track.
The wagons were pulled by
horse
The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million yea ...
s, up to six at a time, and each wagon had a capacity of two
tons. Originally there were three
inclined plane
An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...
s where the wagons were hauled via stationary
steam engines and a continuous
chain.
![Old Tram Bridge, Preston 232-01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/10/Old_Tram_Bridge%2C_Preston_232-01.jpg)
The tramroad crossed the River Ribble on a timber
trestle bridge
A trestle bridge is a bridge composed of a number of short spans supported by closely spaced frames. A trestle (sometimes tressel) is a rigid frame used as a support, historically a tripod used to support a stool or a pair of isosceles triangl ...
. This structure outlived the tramroad by nearly one hundred years and still stands today albeit with heavy modifications (including the replacement of the wooden trestles with precast concrete ones in 1938 and the bridge deck with prestressed precast concrete in the mid sixties).
There were many accidents during the life of the tramroad, many involving the inclined planes with wagons running away.
As was common on early 'railway' systems, the wagons could be privately owned by the hauliers themselves (known locally as halers) who paid the company a toll to use the tramroad. The last haler to work the tramroad, John Procter, walked the 10-mile return journey twice a day for 32 years. It has been estimated that he walked or rode nearly during his career on the tramroad, and needed his
clogs
Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Used in many parts of the world, their forms can vary by culture, but often remained unchanged for centuries within a culture.
Traditional clogs remain in use as protective f ...
resoling once per week.
Decline and closure
In 1813, estimates were prepared to replace the tramroad by a canal but the cost of £160,000 was too much for the company at the time. In 1831 the coming of the
Preston and Wigan Railway
The Preston and Wigan Railway would have been an early British railway company operating in Lancashire.
The Preston and Wigan Railway obtained an Act of Parliament on 22 April 1831 to build a line between Wigan and Preston.
On 8 August 183 ...
sounded the death knell for the tramroad and proposals were made to convert it into a
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
or amalgamate with the new railway company. This never happened and the tramroad became embroiled in the railway politics of the day.
In 1837 the new
Bolton and Preston Railway
The Bolton and Preston Railway connected Bolton and Preston, in Lancashire, England. Its authorising Act of Parliament forbade its early completion to protect the North Union Railway and imposed other restrictions that limited the success of t ...
leased the tramroad as a potential alternative route into Preston that avoided the rival
North Union Railway
The North Union Railway was an early British railway company, operating in Lancashire. It was created in 1834, continuing independently until 1889.
Formation
The North Union Railway (NUR) was created by an Act of Parliament on 22 May 1834 whic ...
. However, an agreement was concluded between the two parties before this proved necessary. Nevertheless, the lease arrangements were incorporated into the Bolton and Preston Railway’s Act of Parliament and the ownership of the tramroad passed to the railway. In 1844 the Bolton and Preston merged with the rival North Union Railway and shortly afterwards a branch line to the canal basin in Preston was built. This created a railhead for Wigan coal in Preston and removed the ''raison d’être'' of the tramroad.
![Walton summit remains](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Walton_summit_remains.jpg)
Although the North Union wanted to close the tramroad immediately the canal company objected and they were forced to maintain it in an increasingly decrepit state until the Lancaster Canal Transfer Act of 1864 provided for the canal north of Preston to be leased in perpetuity to the railway and that south of Walton Summit to be leased to the
Leeds and Liverpool Canal
The Leeds and Liverpool Canal is a canal in Northern England, linking the cities of Leeds and Liverpool.
Over a distance of , crossing the Pennines, and including 91 locks on the main line. The Leeds and Liverpool Canal has several small branc ...
. The Act also allowed closure of the tramroad between Preston and
Bamber Bridge
Bamber Bridge is an urban village in Lancashire, England, south-east of Preston, in the borough of South Ribble. The name derives from the Old English "bēam" and "brycg", which probably means "tree-trunk bridge". The population was 13,945 at ...
.
In 1872, a land exchange between Preston Corporation and the railway saw the formation between Preston and Carr Wood pass into municipal ownership. This part, including the tramroad bridge over the River Ribble, was turned into a footpath, which remains to the present day.
A further Act in 1879 enabled the last part of the tramroad between Bamber Bridge and Walton Summit, to be closed. The north end of the canal was eventually sold to the
London & North Western Railway
The London and North Western Railway (LNWR, L&NWR) was a British railway company between 1846 and 1922. In the late 19th century, the L&NWR was the largest joint stock company in the United Kingdom.
In 1923, it became a constituent of the Lon ...
and the Lancaster Canal Company was wound up at the beginning of 1886.
Preserved remains
![Tramway bridge, Garden St, Preston 231-17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Tramway_bridge%2C_Garden_St%2C_Preston_231-17.jpg)
A well-preserved section of track from the south side of the McKenzie Inn on Station Road in Bamber Bridge was taken up and relaid in
Worden Park in
Leyland. Plates and stone sleepers are in South Ribble Museum in Leyland and the
Harris Museum
The Harris Museum is a Grade I-listed building in Preston, Lancashire, England. Founded by Edmund Harris in 1877, it is a local history and fine art museum.
History
In the 19th century, it became legal to raise money for libraries by local ...
in Preston. The Harris Museum also has a model of a wagon and a wheel and axle of a wagon recovered from the bed of the River Ribble (Clegg ''et al.'', 2001). They had lain there since an accident involving the failure of the endless chain on the Avenham Incline, which caused a train of wagons to run away and plunge into the river at the bottom.
A later (>1885?) enlargement of the tunnel under Fishergate (Moss, 1968) continues in use for vehicle access to the
Fishergate Shopping Centre
Fishergate Shopping Centre is a shopping centre in the city of Preston in Lancashire, England.
It opened in the 1980s as part of a development to revive the western end of Preston's main street, Fishergate. Its northern side is on Fishergate, ...
car park – it formerly accessed the
Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway
The Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway (L&YR) was a major British railway company before the 1923 Grouping. It was incorporated in 1847 from an amalgamation of several existing railways. It was the third-largest railway system based in northern ...
's Butler Street goods yard (Biddle, 1989). Part of a support for a bridge over Garden Street remains. A path on the northern edge of
Avenham Park
Avenham Park is a public park in Avenham, close to the centre of Preston in Lancashire in the northwest of England, and managed by Preston City Council.
The park is located in Preston's Conservation area and leads down to the banks of the Riv ...
follows the route of the tramway, down the Avenham Incline and over the
River Ribble on the unique concrete trestle and spar bridge that still retains structural features of the original wooden structure. The footpath continues along the flood plain embankment to the
Penwortham
Penwortham () is a town in South Ribble, Lancashire, England, on the south bank of the River Ribble facing the city of Preston. The town is at the most westerly crossing point of the river, with major road and rail links crossing it here. The ...
Incline.
In February 2019, the tram bridge was closed when an inspection revealed cracks putting the bridge at risk of collapse.
Notes
See also
*
Canals of the United Kingdom
The canals of the United Kingdom are a major part of the network of inland waterways in the United Kingdom. They have a varied history, from use for irrigation and transport, through becoming the focus of the Industrial Revolution, to today's ...
*
History of the British canal system
References
* Barritt, S. (2000) ''The Old Tramroad – Walton Summit to Preston Basin'', Carnegie Publishing,
* Biddle, G. (1963) "The Lancaster Canal Tramroad", ''Journal of the Railway & Canal Historical Society'', 9 (5 & 6), p. 88-97
* Biddle, G. (1989) ''The Railways Around Preston – A Historical Review'', Scenes From The Past 6, Foxline Publishing,
* Clegg, J., Fazackerly, C. and Ribble Link Trust Ltd (2001
''Introduction and historical background'' Ribble Link Trust Ltd, website, accessed 27 November 2006
* Engineering Timelines (2007
''Old Tram Bridge, Preston'' Timeline Item Online, accessed 30 September 2007
* Gibbs, W.M. (1970) ''Walton Summit and branch canal : the last phase'', Lostock Hall: W.M. Gibbs,
* Hadfield, C. and Biddle, G. (1970a) "The Lancaster Canal", In: ''The Canals of North West England'', Ch. 8, Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1, p. 182-211,
* Hadfield, C. and Biddle, G. (1970b) "The Lancaster", In: ''The Canals of North West England'', Ch. 17, Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 2, p. 417-429,
* Moss, I.P. (1968) ''Farewell to the Summit: historical notes to accompany a visit to the Walton Summit Branch of the Leeds and Liverpool Canal and the Lancaster Canal Tramway made by members and friends of the North Western Group on May 4th, ''
ic' 1968'', Railway & Canal Historical Society (Northwest Group), 12 p.
* Philpotts, R. (1983) "Completion", In: ''Building the Lancaster Canal'', Ch. 6, London: Blackwater, p. 40-43,
* Stretton, C.E. (1893)
The history of the Preston and Walton Summit plate-way. A paper read 1st June 1883', Stretton Collection : Chicago Exhibition, n.p., 10 p.
External links
* "The Old Tram Road" a
(select ''History > The Old Tram Road'' from left-hand panel)
Old Tramway Cycle RouteSouth Ribble Borough Council Museum, Leyland
{{City of Preston culture
Historic transport in Lancashire
Lancaster Canal
South Ribble
Transport in Preston
Horse-drawn railways
Railway lines opened in 1803
Railway lines closed in 1879
Bridges across the River Ribble