English: Former engine shed and workshop, Betchworth Quarry The former Betchworth Quarry was once served by an extensive industrial railway network, linked to the main railway network at Betchworth Station. [5] A fifth, a vertical-boiler machine, has been restored by the descendant of the original maker, and another, a standard-gauge larger version of the two tank engines, is at the Bluebell Railway in Sussex. 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. The disc wheels were a distinctive feature and fitted to many Fletcher, Jennings locomotives. The kilns are expected to be classified as Scheduled Ancient Monuments under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The other gauges serving the works were the 19 in (483 mm) gauge line that ran from a standard gauge siding to the Hearthstone Mine, and a short 2 ft (610 mm) gauge section of track that ran exclusively between the Eastern and Southern Kiln Batteries. The other prominent reminders of past activity are a tall brick kiln, the gantry from the former ropeway, and a few buildings close to the site of the recently demolished standard gauge locomotive shed. This was especially the case for the network that served the collieries connecting with Seaham and other harbors in Durham on the northeast coast of England. The Sentinel locomotive Gervase also survives in preservation, on the Kent & East Sussex Railway, where it arrived in 1962. It is managed by Great Western Railway. 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. Andrew Neale, “Locomotive Preservation: (2) Brockham Narrow Gauge Museum,” Industrial Railway Record 1, no. Baxter slipped violently on the wet grass, with smoke and ash flying from the chimney, and steam seemingly leaking from everywhere, as it climbed toward and past its shed with flanges squealing on the sharp curve leading to the eastern battery. This historical connection contributed to the fact that the railway system, by the 1930s, was attracting those interested in industrial railways and their locomotives. In 1960, as a member of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society, I helped in the acquisition of Townsend Hook, which on 10 April was taken by road to Sheffield Park. Industrial railways attracted railway enthusiasts who, often in meticulous detail, recorded their activities, a fact that today helps compensate for the lack of historical source material on many industrial sites. 15. Michael Bailey and John Glithero, The Stephensons’ Rocket: A History of a Pioneering Locomotive (London: Science Museum/York: National Railway Museum, 2002). Betchworth railway station At most train stations you’ll find ticket machines to buy or collect tickets, as well as customer help points if you need a helping hand. For a discussion of industrial railways, see Michael J. T. Lewis, “The Railway in Industry,” The History and Practice of Britain’s Railways: A New Research Agenda, ed. At most train stations you’ll find ticket machines to buy or collect tickets, as well as customer help points if you need a helping hand. 29. The upper quarry was 200 feet higher than the railway that brought the greystone to the batteries, and connection had once been made by means of inclines. There are extensive sidings in the immense white pit of the quarry, while terrace working goes on at a considerable elevation above them. 3, a little younger in years, and the one that we had come to see at work. Chimney pieces, paving, Baxter went by road to the Bluebell Railway in October 1960, where it was steamed on one or two occasions. Flare kilns were last used at the southern battery in 1924 when an adjacent hydrator plant was installed. Until around 1960, transport invariably meant the industrial railway. After Smith reappeared, Baxter set out on the steep, unbroken climb to the eastern battery. 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. The first engine to shunt on the standard gauge portion, Engine No. (London: Amalgamated Press, 1935–1936) 2: 1015–22. During the following year and a half, we made several other visits to Betchworth and on one occasion donned overalls to clean Baxter. Discover Betchworth Rail Station. 18. Four of the eight were of standard gauge. This sanding was intended to aid the next downward journey. A standard gauge line connects the kilns with the Southern Railway's siding at Betchworth, while the narrow-gauge railway shown runs up to the working face. Address 1 The Quarry, RH3 7BY, United Kingdom. R. W. Ambler (Aldershot, England: Ashgate, 1999), 77–95, and in Industrial Railway Record 14, no. They were worked extensively during 1930–60. The cost of industrial narrow-gauge locomotives purchased a decade later by individuals, preserved railways, and museums had grown more than tenfold. 14. [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]. The path led to a cluster of buildings similar in outward appearances to those found in farmyards and stables. W.V. Betchworth railway station is a very small unstaffed station on the Redhill - Guildford Line in Betchworth, Surrey. The author thanks the referees and editor for stimulating criticisms and suggestions. Townsend Hook, is at Amberley Chalk Pits Museum, undergoing reconstruction (as of October 2010) to become a static exhibit. 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. Additional lime kilns were developed and extraction increased. The locomotives made the numerous industries that they had served, particularly in Britain, attractive as places to study just before they also disappeared. All trains serving it are operated by Great Western Railway. 7. Hardly slowing down, Baxter pushed the empty wagon right off the rails into the undergrowth beyond before jolting to a halt. 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 preservation efforts took place around 1960, just as the historical significance of these machines and the industries that they had served came to be appreciated. Observable from as far away as Lewes Castle, the scar stands out against the surrounding green hills and provides evidence of the chalk base upon which Box Hill stands. The effort required was hardly surprising; “Coffeepot” had last worked in 1952. Betchworth quarry was used as the location for an episode of Dr Who called The Genesis of The Daleks. All trains serving it are operated by Great Western Railway. The third locomotive, no. All trains serving it are operated by Great Western Railway . From 1945, the previously horse-worked, high-level eastern pit railway was worked by a Montania-type Orenstein & Koppel diesel locomotive that arrived from William Jones Ltd. of London, the former agent for the German firm. Reflecting the cultural change in attitude fostered by the decline in steam traction and enhanced by sentimentality, maybe it was no accident that the downcast shunting engine Victoria—to the untrained eye very similar to two of those illustrated here—was one of the stars in J. Lee Morgan’s 1959 movie North West Frontier. Zerah Colburn, Locomotive Engineering and the Mechanism of Railways: A Treatise on the Principles and Construction of the Locomotive Engine, Railway Carriages, and Railway Plant, with Examples, 2 vols. Betchworth railway station is the railway station that serves the village of Betchworth in Surrey, England. Betchworth railway station serves the village of Betchworth in Surrey, England. 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). 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 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. Narrow gauge locomotives, particularly if they were to be operable, had the advantage of taking up very little space, which explains why initially the main emphasis was on the 2-foot gauge. One Saturday morning in September 1958 two school friends and I were at the works entrance of the Dorking Greystone Lime Co. Ltd. At the entrance to the shed stood the one other standard gauge locomotive, no. It is on the North Downs Line, 27 miles 17 chains measured from London Charing Cross via Redhill. We are proud to open our beautiful woodland and lake to the public to enjoy. They included the carpentry and fitters shop. Historical interest lay in the fact that the Betchworth machine was the very first locomotive that the firm had manufactured, although it was then owned by Thomas Head. Betchworth Quarry is a stunning chalk downland site set within the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and part of the North Downs. Its earthworks were still clearly visible. 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