The Piel & Walney Gravel Co. railway (abbreviated as P&WGC) was 3ft (narrow gauge) industrial railway that ran on the Isle of Walney near Barrow-in-Furness that operated from 1880 to 1962.
History[]
The 3 ft. gauge railway at the Walney gravel pits was originally built in about 1880, to serve the Barrow salt works. Although large deposits of salt lie beneath Walney, the Company found itself unable to compete with the Cheshire salt interests. As a result, the salt extraction plant was removed at about the time of the First World War, and a new firm, the Piel and Walney Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd., was formed. It appears that a certain amount of gravel was worked under Salt Co. ownership, as the 25" map of 1913 shows both gravel pit and salt plant.
The railway was about half a mile long, from pit to pier. It began at a dead-end in the pit, and ran for a distance on a bank between old flooded workings. The line passed behind a row of workmens' cottages, and turned sharply to the left, across the road to Walney lighthouse. The single track then branched to form a group of sidings. A double track, later singled, continued from the sidings onto the pier. A siding trailed in from the left from the engine shed, which in salt works days was a three-road structure near the pier. This shed was later replaced by a two-road one further south. A large balloon loop, apparently used for turning vehicles, was lifted in about 1930. The track, of 3 ft. gauge throughout, initially consisted of double-headed rail of about 50 lb, per yard, chaired to wooden sleepers. This was gradually replaced by flat-bottom rail of various weights, spiked down. At the closure of the railway in 1963, a few short lengths of chaired rail were still in use, mainly on the pier. The points were operated by weighted levers supplied by White of Widnes, although in later years a few home-made levers were used.
There were in all, eight locomotives on the railway, not at the same time however. Probably the first of these was "Vanguard", a small 0-4-0ST without side cylinders, built at some unknown date by Falcon or Hughes of Loughborough. Since "Vanguard" was scrapped at the relatively early date of 1923, one can assume that it was worn out before the others, through being the first. Although scrapped in 1923, the frames and a few odd bits and pieces lay around until about 1960. "Vanguard" was followed in 1886 by "Express", a Grant Ritchie 0-6-0ST of typical Kilmarnock design, with square tank and "piano" cab with front bunkers and shunter's steps. "Express" was the main working loco until 1903, when "Wadham" was supplied, again by Grant Ritchie of Kilmarnock. The two Grant Ritchie locos, known as the "big engines" were substantially similar, except that "Wadham" had a larger cab than "Express", with a flush front. The last two members of the original locomotive stock were a pair of vertical-boilered 0-4-0s built in about 1876 by Balmforth Bros. of Rodley. Both locos were obtained second-hand in about 1896 from an unknown source. These locos were never officially named, and were distinguished from each other by minor detail differences, the major difference being in the arrangement of the steam pipes to the cylinders. Both were fitted with very rough corrugated iron cabs, and were, inevitably perhaps, known by the men as "the Coffeepots". In 1956, the original vertical boilers were replaced by normal traction engine boilers, which gave the locos a very strange appearance as they overhung the front bufferbeam by about a foot. All the original locos except "Vanguard" had small sprung side buffers. In 1958, the opportunity was taken to purchase another locomotive. This was an Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-0WT of typical OK design, built in 1930, and carrying the name "Vyrnwy". It was renamed "Gannet" in about 1959. This loco had previously worked with Balfour Beatty and Co. Ltd., North Burray, Orkneys; Lehane Mackenzie and Shand, Orkneys; and J. C, Staton and Co. Ltd., Tutbury, Staffordshire. "Gannet" was used as the main loco, replacing "Wadham", which was banished, together with the "Coffeepots", to a siding near the engine shed, all three being scrapped in 1959. It seems strange that "Wadham" was scrapped and not "Express", as the former was in much better condition and had had a boiler renewal in about the 1930s. "Express" was kept as a standby for "Gannet" and was only steamed occasionally as the boiler was in poor condition. In 1959, shortly after the demise of "Wadham" and the "Coffeepots", two Hudswell Clarke diesels were obtained second-hand from Davyhulme Sewage Works, Manchester, to which they had been supplied new in December 1934. These were christened "Tern" and "Teal", and were fitted with the buffers off the scrapped "Coffeepots". Like "Gannet" they were painted green, unlike all the other locos which were black, originally lined out but later painted plain black all over. The named locos carried their names on a brass plate, but "Express", "Wadham" and "Vanguard" lost their plates at some unknown date. It appears to have been the normal practice to have the two big engines on the right-hand track in the shed, and the two little ones on the other. After 1959, however, "Express" was left on a siding outside the shed which did nothing to improve her condition.
The wagon stock consisted originally of about forty inside-framed opens, tipping to one side only and of five tons capacity, of the familiar "Manchester Ship Canal" or "contractors" type. The inside frames were extended at the ends to form small dumb buffers, and the wheels, of 1 ft. 9 in. diameter, were at three-foot wheelbase. The overall length was eight feet, and coupling was by the usual hook-and-three-links. The wheel patterns varied - most were discs with five or six holes, while a few had about six curly spokes. The bodies tipped by means of curved trunnions on the underside, rocking on cast-iron tipping blocks on the chassis. The door on one side consisted, on most wagons, of two sections which were hinged independently and locked by a catch at each end. These wagons were numbered on small metal plates on the frame. When the gravel company took over the works, the original wagons were fitted with "shirt-necks", which were wooden boards arranged at an angle around the top of the body, to catch stray gravel from the grab of the steam navvy which was used for loading. The original wagons were joined over the years by various "oddment" wagons obtained from various places, either new or second-hand. These were all of the M.S.C. type, and a few had metal bodies as opposed to the usual pitch-pine ones. In addition to the above wagons, and a small number of home-made ones, there were about twenty u-shaped side-tippers which came from Davyhulme with the diesels in 1959, These could tip in either direction, but were very rarely used owing to their limited capacity and the poor discharge qualities of the u-shaped body. They were never fitted with "shirt-necks". During the later years of the railway, a small maintenance bogie was flung together on a spare pair of wheels. Many wagons lay out of use or semi-dismantled, and a few chassis were used for transporting grabs and items of machinery to and from the pit. The maximum number of wagons owned was between fifty and sixty, although these were probably not all railworthy at the same time.
Repairs were carried out in a workshop adjoining the loco shed. All locos ran chimney-first to the pier, in order to keep the crown sheets covered when running up the steep incline out of the pit. In the case of the "Coffeepots", "forwards" is assumed to mean tank-first, (see photograph). The balloon loop on the old layout was probably used for turning wagons rather than engines, so that they could tip either way when two boats were in, one on each side of the pier. The normal method of operation was to have one of the "big engines" at the pit with about eight wagons (carrying about forty tons of gravel), the loading being carried out by a steam navvy. The loaded wagons were taken as far as the wagon sidings, where one of the smaller engines took over and pulled the train onto the pier. This change of engines was necessary, because "Express" and "Wadham" could not traverse the sharp curve leading onto the pier. The small engine would then reverse its train onto the small "spur pier", pushing all the wagons past the chute. The wagons were then pulled back one by one, and tipped into the hold of the ship. If the gravel was good, it would slide right out, but if it was sticky, digging would have to be resorted to, and this would greatly slow down the loading of the ship. Each time a train arrived on the pier, a long chain was threaded through eyes on the wagon bodies and attached to the pier decking at each end, to prevent the wagon bodies rocking right off the chassis. Apparently this happened occasionally, despite the chain. One or two trains were kept ready-loaded on the sidings, so that the loading of a ship could be maintained when good gravel was proving hard to find, or when the pit track was being slewed across to a new working face. No doubt many of these wagons sported a good head of grass by the time they eventually got unloaded. After 1959, trains were probably taken straight onto the pier by the same engine, as both "Gannet" and the diesels could traverse the curve. About this time, there was a severe storm which damaged the pier considerably and the company was put to considerable expense to have it repaired. By 1962, "Express" was very much a spare loco, and most of the train working was done by the diesels.
The railway ceased to operate in late 1962 when the company got into financial difficulties. The firm sold up to the Roose Gravel Co. Ltd., and the new company was named the Roose and Walney Gravel Co. Ltd., which still operates today. The railway was dismantled in March - April 1963, and the locos and remaining wagons were scrapped. One or two bits and pieces off "Gannet" were sold, including the injectors, and the nameplates were kept by the company. All the track was lifted, and all the ironwork was removed by some very thorough scrap metal merchant. Today, the shed area is still much as it was in 1962, although the course of the line to the pit has been largely-obliterated by new workings. The loco shed is only partially standing, although the lifting beam still exists. The pier is gradually collapsing due to the absence of the rails to hold it together. Sleeper marks and old sleepers are plentiful, and a few small bits of rail and point levers still exist. About twenty wagon frames lie around, these being the property of the bird warden, who is gradually chopping them up for firewood. The two bufferbeams off "Express" still survive, as being wooden they were no use to the scrap merchant. These bufferbeams have been measured up and have provided the key to certain measurements of "Express", in due course a drawing may be made. The remains of the line will probably stay in this state for quite a while, as the gravel pit is situated within a seabird reserve and access is controlled by permits.[1]
Locomotive Roster[]
Interestingly unlike most railways the Locomotives were named rather than numbered. There were in all, eight locomotives on the railway, However not all were present at the same time.
- Vanguard Built sometime during the 1880's. likely the first locomotive to arrive and operate as well Scrapped in 1923.
- Express Built in 1886 Second Locomotive to arrive Scrapped in 1963.
- The First Balmfourth Coffeepot Built in 1876 arrived in 1896 Scrapped 1959.
- The Second Balmfourth Coffeepot Same as above
- Wadham Built in 1903 Scrapped in 1959.
- Gannet Previously named Vyrnwy Built by Orenstein and Koppel previously worked with Balfour Beatty and Co. Ltd., North Burray, Orkneys; Lehane Mackenzie and Shand, Orkneys; and J. C, Staton and Co. Ltd., Tutbury, Staffordshire. Scrapped in 1963.
- Tern Built in December 1934 purchased from Davyhulme Sewage Works. Scrapped in 1963.
- Teal Same as above