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.

Inception

During the 1911

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

railway extension was a prominent issue, and in March the Colonial Secretary introduced into the Legislature a resolution authorising the expenditure of £90,000 on the construction of a branch line from May Pen to Danks, beyond Chapelton in upper Clarendon. "After an animated discussion the resolution was carried by 19 votes to 5. The new line will open up the fertile valley of the Rio Minho... It is hoped that ultimately the line will be driven forward to the still more fertile district of Ulster Spring in Upper

Trelawny Trelawny or Trelawney may refer to: Places * Trelawny (electoral division), an electoral division of Cornwall * Trelawny, Black Hill, Ballarat, a heritage house in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia * Trelawny, Jamaica, a parish of Cornwall County, Jam ...

and then on to Falmouth, the seaport on the north side of the island, whose former prosperity would thereby be restored."Official handbook on the BWI, 1912. Due to the Great War and the economic situation in the Twenties this long-term aim was never accomplished.B097
, BWISC Bulletin 1978-06, Jamaica Railway Markings, Major T W Jefferson.

Construction, operation and closure

The of standard gauge track from

May Pen May Pen is the capital and largest town in the parish of Clarendon in Middlesex County, Jamaica. It is located on the Rio Minho river (Jamaica's longest), and is a major market centre for the Parish. The population was 61,548 at the 2011 cens ...

to Chapelton were laid between 1911 and 1913 at a cost of £86,000. The 9¼ mile extension to Frankfield was added in 1925.The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica 1845-1975 page 7
Veront M Satchell & Cezley Sampson, The Journal of Transport History, March 2003. It required the bridging of twelve rivers, which must have been a significant contribution to the twelve year construction hiatus. The line closed in 1974.

Gradients

The line climbed 650 feet in 18½ miles (average gradient 1 in 150) from May Pen (239 feet) to its summit at Crooked River (889 feet) then continued for 3¾ miles more or less on the level to Frankfield (908 feet).

Stations and Halts

There were 10 stations and halts on the line c1973.UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheets G & H, 1973. More recent referencesAnnual Transport Statistics Report: Jamaica in Figures 2003-2004
, Ministry of Transport and Works, July 2005. mention only nine:
May Pen Station
*Longville Halt
Suttons StationCross Roads/Ivy Store StationChapelton Station
*Danks Station, closed c1921.
Morgans StationBryan's Hill Station
extant 1973; unmentioned 2005.
Crooked River StationTrout Hall StationFrankfield Station
(Terminus)

Bridges

There were 13 significant bridges on the line, all but the first being on the Chapelton to Frankfield extension. Approximate bridge lengthsBridge lengths were obtained using Wikimapia's GeoTools. are shown in the route diagram (right): *Track leading to Sevens sugar estateGoogle satellite image resolution is at present insufficient to show this station/bridge.
Thomas RiverRio MinhoOrange RiverStony RiverOrange RiverBallards RiverCrooked RiverCrooked RiverDawkins River & trackRio Minho & B3 roadFranks RiverTributary of Rio Minho

Notes and references