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Merchant's Railway was a horse drawn and cable operated incline
The route of the railway led from Priory Corner, around Verne Hill to the Freeman's Incline. From this point the stone would be sent downwards to the Castletown to be shipped. In 1866, due to increasing demand, a second, upper track was cut into Verne Hill. Yeates Incline was built as an addition to the main line to serve Withies Croft, Independent, and Inmosthay Quarries. For this incline four bridges were constructed, all of which are now Grade II Listed.
The traffic on the railway began to decline with the introduction of traction engines and motor vehicles. During
Merchant's Railway was a horse drawn and cable operated incline 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 ...
on the Isle of Portland
An isle is an island, land surrounded by water. The term is very common in British English. However, there is no clear agreement on what makes an island an isle or its difference, so they are considered synonyms.
Isle may refer to:
Geography
* Is ...
, Dorset
Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset (unitary authority), Dors ...
, England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, built for the stone trade on the island. It was the earliest railway in Dorset, opening in 1826. The railway ran two miles from many working quarries at the north of Tophill
Tophill is a gently sloping area of land on the Isle of Portland in Dorset, England, rising from sea level at Portland Bill to near HMP The Verne at its northern end. On Tophill are five of the settlements on the island: Easton, Weston, ...
, along the edge of Verne Hill, to a pier at Castletown, from where the Portland stone was shipped. It was in operation from 1826 to 1939. Since becoming disused the original path of the railway has become a popular public footpath
A footpath (also pedestrian way, walking trail, nature trail) is a type of thoroughfare that is intended for use only by pedestrians and not other forms of traffic such as motorized vehicles, bicycles and horses. They can be found in a wide ...
.
History
The Merchant's Railway was created to transfer stone from the Tophill quarries to Castletown's waterfront. This was originally done using horses, but the method was deemed cruel. After gaining an Act of Parliament in 1825, the railway track was constructed and opened in 1826. it used the unusual gauge of .
The route of the railway led from Priory Corner, around Verne Hill to the Freeman's Incline. From this point the stone would be sent downwards to the Castletown to be shipped. In 1866, due to increasing demand, a second, upper track was cut into Verne Hill. Yeates Incline was built as an addition to the main line to serve Withies Croft, Independent, and Inmosthay Quarries. For this incline four bridges were constructed, all of which are now Grade II Listed.
The traffic on the railway began to decline with the introduction of traction engines and motor vehicles. During World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, the stone industry temporarily ceased. The Merchant's Railway was closed in 1939. It has been calculated that during the railway's use, approximately 704.93672 tons of stone travelled down the incline.
The route of the railway in now a public footpath and has become a popular walk. The route was included in the BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
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TV series ''Railway Walks'' presented by Julia Bradbury
Julia Michele Bradbury (born 24 July 1970) is an Irish-born English television presenter, employed by the BBC and ITV, specialising in documentaries and consumer affairs. Her passion is the outdoors and more recently following her cancer diagno ...
, where it was used as a continuation of the Rodwell Trail
The Rodwell Trail is a short-distance footpath that runs from Wyke Regis to the town centre of Weymouth in Dorset – a distance of 3.5 kilometres. The trail, opened in 2000, travels along the former route of the Weymouth and Portland Railway. ...
. The walk was included in the book accompanying the series and a picture of Bradbury standing on the incline was used for the cover.
References
{{Isle of Portland Isle of Portland Railway lines opened in 1826 Railway lines closed in 1939 Closed railway lines in South West England Rail transport in Dorset History of Dorset Railways on English Islands Horse-drawn railways 1826 establishments in England