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Justifying a Narrow Gauge Line

Discussion in 'Model Railways' started by johnofwessex, Mar 15, 2019.

  1. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    I am looking at (re) starting my S&D inspired 'OO' layout

    There were a number of industrial narrow gauge systems that fed into the line.

    Now in a lot of areas, for example peat bogs railways were used because they provided a solution to the problem of moving materials, and of course in the immediate post WW1 period 2ft gauge equipment was readily available.

    But........ If I am carrying the material for any distance - say a mile what sort of weekly tonnage would be needed to justify a line? I am particularly thinking of the Fullers Earth works at Tucking Mill which had a peak output of about 200 tone per week
     
    johnofwessex, Mar 15, 2019
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  2. SpudUk

    SpudUk Well-Known Member

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    What's the proposed material the line is shifting?

    I always fancied modelling the Oakhill Brewery and the S&D interchange at Binegar. At it's peak Oakhill was producing 2,500 barrels a week
     
    SpudUk, Apr 2, 2019
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  3. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    Fullers Earth
     
    johnofwessex, Apr 2, 2019
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  4. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    It's surprising how many narrow gauge lines served nearby standard gauge - the NYMR, for example, had three - at Grosmont (ironstone tramway) Goathland (whinstone tramway) and New Bridge (sand quarry) so perhaps they were a lot more common than we appreciate.
     
    61624, Apr 3, 2019
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  5. johnofwessex

    johnofwessex Resident of Nat Pres

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    The British NG scene isnt a 'public' line its a purely 'industrial' one, more often than not worked by IC engined locos from the start not steam
     
    johnofwessex, Apr 3, 2019
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  6. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Just on the grounds of defining terms - do you mean "rails" or "fully fledged railway with its own motive power"?

    As an example, Sheffield Park had a small narrow gauge line that was used to transport churns between a dairy and the platform where they could be loaded onto mainline trains; rolling stock was probably small trolleys and motive power the good old Mark 1 human, but rails clearly made the labour easier. I suspect such things were far from uncommon in situations where a goods yard was shared with something like a dairy, timber yard, etc.

    A couple of examples:

    Sheffield Park
    https://maps.nls.uk/view/103669459 (south edge of map) and https://maps.nls.uk/view/103669501 (north edge of map)

    Crawley
    https://maps.nls.uk/view/103667218

    Tom
     
    Jamessquared, Apr 3, 2019
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  7. MrDibbs

    MrDibbs New Member

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    Looking at the 1907 25" Maps there may have been more than that, all over the shop! But I suspect they mightn't have lasted very long.
     
    MrDibbs, Apr 25, 2019
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