Gradient profiles of Heritage Railways - List in Post 1

I can offer you a map of the branch but not the gradient profile.

Happy to draw one if someone has the data.

Robin

 

Klaus Marx' book gives the following description:

"Railway No. 3 left Horsted Keynes on a curve of 32 chains radius, gently falling southwest at 1 in 500 for half a mile to cross a tributary of Cockchaise Brook and New Lane. This was achieved at one stroke by building the 117yd six-arch Sheriff Mill Viaduct [...] The line crossed [Cockchaise Brook] and fell at 1 in 70 to a level which allowed for a possible station at Lywood [...]. It then rose at 1 in 132 towards the 216yd Lywood Tunnel. [...] Leaving the tunnel the grade changed to fall at 1 in 100 through the land of William Dixon, past Great Lywood Farm and under its occupation bridge on a section of light embankment. [More description of farms, but no notes of change of gradient until ...] at the east end of which the platforms at Ardingly station commenced.

The level section through the station continued until the Ouse was crossed just beyond the limits of the goods yard headshunt. The line then rose at 1 in 70, 109 and 70 again onto a 32-chain, left-hand curve past the Rivers Farm [...] to gain the main line at Copyhold Junction."
​

Unfortunately the same source doesn't give distances, except to note that Ardingly is 1 mile from Copyhold Junction, and Horsted Keynes is 3m4ch.

Make of that what you will!

Tom

 

Well, that's quite helpful.

Most of the data is there for the closed section and Copyhold to Ardingly is still part of the national network, so that part of the data should be public access, which should help define the 70-109-70 bit. Can someone with appropriate access to the profile for Copyhold to the Stone terminal help?

And then I will get my drafting pen out.

Robin

 

OK all, I have all the necessary data. Give me a day or two.

Robin

 

While I am here, can I gently advertise the Rail 200 talk that railway author Paul Stanford and I will be giving by video on 24 September on behalf of the South West and Wales Area Council of the Chartered Institute of Railway Operators of which we both have the honour of being members.

https://www.ciro.org/events/200-years-of-railways-from-paddington-to-penzance/

My contribution is 21 slides showing the flow and ebb of railways in the south west from 1825 to 2025.

The 1825 slide was fairly easy to draw, the later ones are taking a bit more time…

 

Well the last picture is definitely NOT the Portishead to Waterloo via Templecombe through coaches.

Very light rail as well

 

I thought these days Portishead were better known for “Roads”?



Tom

 

Does anyone have a gradient profile for the South Devon Railway from Buckfastleigh to Totnes (Ashburton Junction) as I have been looking for one for quite some time but cannot find one anywhere. Thank you in advance.

 

Fantastic thank you, not as steep as I was expecting it always feels like more of a drag when leaving Bishops Bridge loop heading towards Buckfastleigh. The section from the River Bridge to Paper Mill bridge always feels steeper than 1:110.

Thank you, much appreciated.