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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
Photographs of the Merchants Railway
Portland Picture Archive {{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
Merchant's Railway was a horse drawn and cable operated incline railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
on the Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. The southern tip, Portland Bill, lies south of the resort of Weymouth, Dorset, Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A barrier ...
, Dorset
Dorset ( ; Archaism, archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Somerset to the north-west, Wiltshire to the north and the north-east, Hampshire to the east, t ...
, England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, 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 The Verne (HM Prison), HMP The Verne at its northern end. On Tophill are five of the Villages of Portland, set ...
, 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 va ...
.
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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
, 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
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
TV series ''Railway Walks'' presented by Julia Bradbury
Julia Michele Bradbury (born 24 July 1970) is an English journalist and television presenter, employed by the BBC and ITV, specialising in documentaries and consumer affairs.
She is best known for presenting a series of outdoor walking progr ...
, where it was used as a continuation of the Rodwell Trail. 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
External links
Photographs of the Merchants Railway
Portland Picture Archive {{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