LNWR GNR Joint Railway


INDEX Introduction Bottesford and Redmile The Barnstone Branch Harby & Stathern Long Clawson & Hose Scalford, Waltham on the Wolds Melton Mowbray Great Dalby John O'Gaunt, Marefield and Tilton East Norton, Hallaton and Medbourne Nottingham London Road Leicester Belgrave Road and the GNR spur The Iron Ore Branches Miscellany Links Click on pictures to expand		Great Northern Railway and London & North Western Railway Joint Line from Market Harborough to Bottesford and Saxondale via Melton Mowbray The Iron Ore Lines The writer can only hope to give the reader an awareness of the iron ore mining operations that took place on the eastern bowl rim of the Vale of Belvoir. Ironstone was discovered along the hills from Caythorpe in Lincs to Oxforshire. Mining was certainly active from 1876 through 1964. The quarry faces were linked by narrow gauge to standard gauge railheads served by both the GNR and MR. The GNR line ran from Scalford through Wycombe, where it was joined by the MR line to Holwell works, to just short of Waltham station where it turned towards the Exchange sidings, passed over the tressle viaduct and terminated at Eaton. The line turned north before reaching Waltham station. A feature of the Eaton Quarries line was a timber viaduct across the valley of a tributary stream to the River Devon. Both the Waltham Iron Company and the Holwell lron Company worked quarries here the latter gaining access to Holwell Works at Melton by the extension of their branch from the MR over Hose tunnel to Wycombe Junction, which was 1 mile 36 1/4 ch. from Scalford Junction. The MR had running powers over the GNR Eaton Branch. In 1912 the quarry on the east side of the branch called Beastall's pit was opened with tracks of standard gauge rails as opposed to the 3ft gauge used in all the previous workings. Ironstone was loaded directly into the larger wagons by a Ruston dragline excavator. These workings closed in 1928. The mineral lines were continuously moving to connect to new iron ore fields and the standard gauge was extended accordingly. A more detailed account of the iron ore lines can be found on Colin Aldworth's excellent work at http://www.nottm-melton-railway.co.uk/c17/page254.htm You will also find an excellent article and photographs from Eric Tonks book 'Twilight in Belvoir' on the following link where the end of the tramways are chronicled in detail. http://www.irsociety.co.uk/Archives/1/Ironstone_1.htm comments and feedback next page

Great Northern Railway and London & North Western Railway Joint Line from Market Harborough to Bottesford and Saxondale via Melton Mowbray