Continuous mixed-feed (so-called Brockham-type) kilns eventually replaced flare kilns in the eastern battery. Betchworth railway station Betchworth railway station serves the village of Betchworth in Surrey, England.It is on the North Downs Line, 27 miles 17 chains measured from London Charing Cross via Redhill.All trains serving it are operated by Great Western Railway. The industrial railway was once a ubiquitous feature of quarries, mines, and manufacturing sites, facilitating movement of minerals and goods to and from main railway systems, canals, rivers, and processing plants. It is on the North Downs Line, 27 miles 17 chains measured from London Charing Cross via Redhill. Collectables:Transportation Collectables:Railwayana:Photographs:British Rail (1948-1997) – Railway Slide . Free step-by-step journey directions and updated timetables for Bus or Train in Mole Valley. : 2073, 2159, 2274, 2497, 2632, 4099, 4105, Ac1053, Ac1110, Ac1373, Ac1418, and 7628 (henceforth abbreviated as DGLC papers). Last updated: 2020-11-13. 18. It was 18 feet, 6 inches long; wheels were 3 feet, 6 inches in diameter; boiler pressure was 150 pounds per square inch; and the tractive effort was 8,740 lbs. 20. The locomotive was moved to Thornaby where it joined the two re-purchased Seaham Harbour engines (Works No 21 & … The North Downs beauty spot known as Box Hill in Surrey overlooks an escarpment that to the east is soon interrupted by a massive, stark white scar. the standard-gauge works railway that descended by means of a steep switchback arrangement to the sid-ings at Betchworth station, which was adjacent to the works (Figure 1). 15. [9] In 1867, the first of six conical flare kilns was erected, the start of what became known as the southern battery for production of white lime. We were free to wander the paths to the quarries, which included crossing the track of the ancient Pilgrim’s Way, and follow the rails that crossed the quarry floors. [2][3], The typical off-peak service on the North Downs Line is one train every two hours in each direction between Reading and Redhill (extended to Gatwick Airport on Sundays, expect a one train each way Monday to friday ).[4]. Originally, the Grey Chalk was quarried and used in production of grey lime. Betchworth quarry had a moderate narrow gauge network until the early 60s and the trackbeds are still visible and walkable on the hills above the station. Whether you’re planning a trip or getting ready for your commute, find out everything you need to know about Betchworth station facilities here before you travel. In 1871, the typical Fletcher, Jennings four-wheel locomotive was described by engineer Zerah Colburn as follows: While these machines were not designed for high speeds, some were employed by Danish Railways in passenger service. The great limestone quarry of Dorking Greystone Lime Company stood to the north of the Southern Railway line at Betchworth, Dorking. Address 1 The Quarry, RH3 7BY, United Kingdom. The standard gauge part had a junction with the main line that passed close to Betchworth station, before reversing to run to the Eastern and Southern Kiln Batteries. The station’s two platforms see regular trains along the North Downs Line, with one train departing in each direction approximately every two hours. The quarry railways had four different track gauges. Moreover, in winter months, particularly following prolonged heavy rain, the quarries would have been unworkable without railed transport. 321 of 6 February 1864. Betchworth train station serves the village of Betchworth in Surrey via Great Western Railway trains. At the entrance to the shed stood the one other standard gauge locomotive, no. 25. An advert which appeared in the Northampton Mercury newspaper, August 17th, 1839: Lime and building stones are always in readiness to be forwarded by canal or otherwise at 1/8d per ton, lime at 2/3d per qtr. Industrial railways displayed a great deal of individuality and diversity, using various kinds of wagons, locomotives, and track gauges to suit a particular location or type of operation. Limestone burning and slaking of the resulting lime are among the oldest chemical manufacturing processes. Because of their historical interest, including as examples of technology transfer from mainland Europe and adaptation from cement to lime manufacture, the remaining kilns at both Betchworth and nearby Brockham are undergoing conservation by the Surrey Archaeological Society’s Surrey Industrial History Group in collaboration with the Surrey County Council. Baxter had now finished work for the day. In 1967, Quentin Crisp starred in the sixteen-minute film, 'The Even Tenour of her Ways', ( watchable on the British Film Institute's' Website), which was shot at this railway station. (London: William Collins, Sons and Co., 1871) 1: 282. The Betchworth Quarry Railways Baxter at Sheffield Park station on the Bluebell Railway The station was particularly significant for the divergence of the Betchworth Quarry railway system, which was built to serve the Dorking Greystone Lime Company's three pits that lay north of the station. This building is the former engine shed and workshop, … J. L. Townsend, Townsend Hook and the Railways of the Dorking Greystone Lime Co. Ltd. (Betchworth, Surrey: Brockham Museum/London: Narrow Gauge Railway Society, 1980). Betchworth Quarry is a stunning chalk downland site set within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of the North Downs. Ian Kyle, Steam from Lowca: A History of the Rise and Fall of Locomotive Building at Lowca Foundry, 1840–1921 (Moresby: Ian Kyle, 1974). On 11 June 2005, at an auction of railwayana in Sheffield, a nameplate and a builder’s plate from Townsend Hook fetched 2,600 pounds sterling. 1. The station was particularly significant for its connection with the Betchworth Quarry railways, which were built to serve the Dorking Greystone Lime Company's three pits north of the station. The printed coverage of these systems by railway historians, particularly since the 1960s, has been voluminous, which might, ironically, tend to reduce their attractions as topics of research by other historians of technology. This article is not another history of the site and its railways; rather, it revisits, through notes made in 1958, the natural habitat of these machines. Then Baxter moved the empty wagon to the kiln shed, where it was deposited to await loading with the next rail-borne shipment. We moved to the area a couple of years ago and I was looking at a few old maps the other day, and one from 1914 showed not only the quarry rail network, but three very long sidings to the south serving the sandpits near Old Reigate Road. The records are unusually comprehensive and represent the best historical documents on a lime-making facility in southeast England.[7]. 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