Gradient profiles of Heritage Railways - List in Post 1

Following on from a discussion in the Bluebell thread got me thinking about gradient profiles of preserved lines ... and what I found was they are actually surprisingly difficult to find online!

I've listed a few publicly available below from a quick Google search. Does anyone have any more, or more "official" versions than these? If so, feel free to post below, and I'll keep this list up-to-date as new ones emerge. Please consider copyright before scanning and uploading any images from physical publications; and remember that links to private forums, FaceBook etc won't necessarily be available to all.

Bluebell Railway
https://www.bluebell-railway.com/bluebell-railway-map/

Bo’ness and Kinneil
Courtesy @Glenmutchkin
https://www.national-preservation.com/attachments/img_20180417_100901867_hdr-jpg.36095/

Bowes Railway courtesy of @Robkitchuk
No diagram - but a description: https://www.national-preservation.c...f-heritage-railways.95457/page-4#post-1321226

Churnet Valley Railway - Cauldon Lowe Branch courtesy @lil Bear
http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/cauldon-lowe-branch
"Not got one for the CVR line itself though it is fairly flat with the biggest gradient being 1in200 IIRC."

Dartmouth Steam Railway
http://ftp.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=240&t=42783

East Lancashire Railway (courtesy @rhf19)
http://www.elrdiesel.info/documents/ELR-Gradient-Profile.pdf

East Somerset Railway (courtesy @pwsw5054 )

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway (Courtesy @martinr1)
https://www.national-preservation.c...f-heritage-railways.95457/page-4#post-1560557

Epping & Ongar Railway



Foxfield Railway
http://album.atomic-systems.com/showPic.php/22993/foxfield2.jpg

Great Central Railway (courtesy @pmh_74)

GWSR (courtesy @frazoulaswak)
https://www.gwsr.com/planning_your_visit/finding_us/Map_of_the_Line.html

Isle of Wight Steam Railway (courtesy @cav1975 )

Keighley and Worth Valley Railway (courtesy @Sheff)
http://www.lostrailwayswestyorkshire.co.uk/images/donations/Paul Holroyd/KWVR/kwvr 2/gradient profile.jpg

Kent and East Sussex Railway (courtesy @Jack Enright)
http://www.kesr-mic.org.uk/resources/Gradient+Profile.pdf

Leighton Buzzard Railway (courtesy of @tony51)
http://www.buzzrail.uk/your-visit/our-route/

Llangollen Railway
http://www.llangollen-railway.org.uk/tripupthelinepage1.html (Courtesy @RA & FC)

Mid Hants Railway
http://www.national-preservation.co...f-heritage-railways.95457/page-3#post-1280321 (Courtesy @LC2 )
Edited: http://preservation.watercressline.co.uk/about/view/gradient-profile (courtesy @Hurricane)

Nene Valley Railway


North Norfolk Railway

(courtesy @SteveA)

North Yorkshire Moors Railway
http://www.mikebarnard.co.uk/maps/grad_NYMR2.JPG

Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway
http://pbrly.co.uk/#/page?id=27 (Courtesy @mattuk1980)

Severn Valley Railway
https://www.svrwiki.com/mediawiki-1.28.2/images/7/78/SVR_Gradient_Profile.jpg (courtesy @Robin )

Spa Valley Railway
https://www.spavalleyrailway.co.uk/shopimages/SVR MAP 2012 - portrait - colour - DPP.pdf (Courtesy @Jonnie)

Strathspey Railway


Swanage Railway
Courtesy @Mogul
Посмотреть вложение 32809
A clearer view of the Swanage Railway profile all the way from Wareham, courtesy of @Mogul
https://www.national-preservation.com/attachments/sr_map_gradientprofile-pdf.32810/

Welsh Highland Railway (courtesy robpalmer)
http://www.isengard.co.uk/images/JPEGS/Gradient profile.JPG
http://web.bethere.co.uk/steven.harris/gradient/area.htm
The second one has considerable detail if you click through the map to the individual sectional profiles.

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (courtesy @Robin)

A second version is included in this blog post, which is marginally different:

https://fifteenflatout.wordpress.com/2019/09/29/loco-crew-familiarisation/

Wensleydale Railway

No data


West Somerset Railway
http://www.wsr.org.uk/r-gradients.htm (Courtesy @West Somerset Wizard)

Tom

 

Isle of Wight Steam Railway:

http://www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk/ima...SR_Gradient_Profile/iwsr_gradient_profile.jpg

 

I have one for the Swanage Railway from the tour booklet of the first mainline steam trip down the branch, but I do not know if it is subject to copyright. Past Rail Rail who ran the trip are no longer in business but i do not know where they go it from.

 

Besides the Gradient Profile does any website list the Curve Radius along its line?

 

The Isle of Wight profile does (and thanks to Islander for the profile, which I've added to my list in the first post). I've not seen any other railway that does that, but at the moment there aren't even many profiles out there!

Surprised there isn't a publicly available profile for the MHR, especially as one of their main marketing pitches (for enthusiasts) is on the steepness of their gradients.

Tom

 

Just looked at the SVR profile and noticed the climb out of Highley northbound marked as 1/100. Going back a long while but I clearly recall it being quoted as 1/50 so somebody got it wrong somewhere.

 

On the Bluebell motive power thread, Kje7812 suggested parts of it were 1:88. 1:50 sounds improbable given the locos the SVR uses and the loads.

http://www.national-preservation.com/threads/bluebell-motive-power.33437/page-40#post-614137

Tom

 

I wonder what the gradient posts say.

 

Welsh Highland Railway:

http://www.isengard.co.uk/images/JPEGS/Gradient profile.JPG

http://www.whrsoc.org.uk/WHRProject/maps/long.gif

http://web.bethere.co.uk/steven.harris/gradient/area.htm

 

There is a copy of the EOR gradient profile in our informative and comprehensive Guide Book, only £2.50 (with 40 odd colour pages and rare never before published photographs) available from EOR Ticket Offices and via mail order (cheque to EOR for £4 to inc P&P, c/o Ongar Station, Station Approach, Ongar).
All profits from the sales of this and our useful walks booklet goes towards the upkeep and preservation of Essex's premier heritage railway

 

The gradient post says 1:100.

 

KWVR

http://www.lostrailwayswestyorkshir...Paul Holroyd/KWVR/kwvr 2/gradient profile.jpg

 

That settles it then. Will have to change my recording notes now.

 

Thanks to everyone who has supplied profiles so far. A few more:

Dartmouth Steam Railway
http://ftp.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=240&t=42783

Llangollen railway
http://llangollen-railway.co.uk/page.php?id=2 (scroll down to bottom of page).

Foxfield Railway
http://album.atomic-systems.com/showPic.php/22993/foxfield2.jpg

Any others?

Tom

 

I used to have one for the route from Ambergate Junction to Peak Forest - and then I lent it to someone. The book "Through Limestone Hills" has the gradient profile for the Peak Line

 

http://www.churnet-valley-railway.co.uk/cauldon-lowe-branch
Cauldon branch gradient profile on Churnet Valley website. Not got one for the CVR line itself though it is fairly flat with the biggest gradient being 1in200 IIRC.

 

I seem to remember that a few years back (which probably means about 20 years ago) the Railway Magazine did a series of pull-out supplements giving maps of most of the, then, major preserved lines and I'm sure they had gradient profiles as well. Now, did I pack them when I moved house and, if so, where are they now? Maybe someone should suggest to RM that they're due a reprint.


ADDITION

Found them - and in the first box into which I looked!

It was called the Atlas of Heritage Railways and was published by the Railway Magazine in 11 parts between August 1998 to June 1999, so only 14-15 years old, not 20. It covered:

Avon Valley Railway
Bala Lake Railway
Battlefield Line
Bluebell Line (map to Kingscote, gradient profile to EG)
Bodmin & Wenford Railway
Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway
Bowes Railway
Brecon Mountain Railway
Caledonian Railway (Brechin-Bridge of Dun)
Chinnor & PR Railway
Cholsey & Wallingford Railway
Churnet Valley Railway (Leekbrook Junc-Kingsley & Froghall)
Dean Forest Railway (Parkend-Lydney Junc)
East Lancashire Railway (Heywood-Rawtenstall)
East Kent Railway
East Somerset Railway
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway
Great Central Railway plus Ruddington
Gwili Railway
Isle of Man Steam Railway
Isle of Wight Steam Railway
Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Kent & East Sussex Railway (Bodiam-Tenterden)
Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway
Launceston Steam Railway
Leighton Buzzard Railway
Llangollen Railway
Llanberis Lake Railway
Mid-Hants Railway
Mid-Norfolk Railway (Wymondham-County School)
Middleton Railway
Midland Railway Centre (Hammersmith-Riddings Junc)
Nene Valley Railway
North Norfolk Railway
North Yorkshire Moors Railway
Northampton & Lamport Railway
North Tyneside Railway
Paignton & Dartmouth Railway
Peak Rail
Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway
Severn Valley Railway
Spa Valley Railway
Strathspey Railway (Aviemore-Broomhill)
Swanage Railway
Swansea Vale Railway
Talyllyn Railway
Tanfield Railway
Vale of Rheidol Railway
Welsh Highland Railway (Dinas-Caernarfon only)
Welshpool & Llanfair Railway
West Somerset Railway

I cannot find a gradient profile for the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, but the line fell at 1 in 50 towards Aspall (the recreated section).

 

There certainly is a gradient profile for the MHR in the public domain. It's in Roger Hardingham's book on the Mid-Hants Line and no doubt elsewhere. I don't think it's on the current website, though. I'll see if I can get it posted.

 

Fascinating stuff. I had no idea that the steepest part of the Foxfield was 1:19

Now a question. It would appear that very few of the profiles ever display an altitude which I would have thought was certainly worth having on the gradient chart. The surveyors when they mapped the line would have had this information, so why is it so rarely shown ? Is it just tradition or was there another reason ?