Wisbech and Upwell Tramway
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Die Wisbech & Upwell Tramway war eine normalspurige Dampfstraßenbahn durch ein ländliches Gebiet in East Anglia.
Geschichte
Die Wisbech & Upwell Tramway wurde von der Great Eastern Railway zwischen Wisbech in Cambridgeshire und Upwell in Norfolk vor allem für den landwirtschaftlichen Verkehr gebaut. Obwohl sie Tramway genannt wird, handelt es sich eher um eine gewöhnliche Kleinbahn als um eine Straßenbahn.
Ihr Erfolg war die Grundlage für die Schaffung des Light Railways Act von 1896. Täglich verkehrten sechs Personenzüge hin und zurück. Für die einfache Strecke benötigten sie eine Stunde. Bis Oktober 1884 wuchs das Transportaufkommen auf 3000 Fahrgäste pro Woche an mit bis zu 2000 pro Tag bei Festen oder besonderen Veranstaltungen. Anfangs konkurrierte die Bahn mit dem Güterverkehr auf einem bestehenden Kanal, der durch die Bahnlinie aber unrentabel wurde und außer Betrieb genommen wurde.[1] Der Personenverkehr wurde wegen der zunehmenden Konkurrenz durch Busse 1927 eingestellt, aber der Güterverkehr hatte noch bis zum Beeching-Axt-Projekt 1966 Bestand.
Die ursprünglich eingesetzten zweiachsigen GER Class G15/LNER Class Y6 0-4-0T Kastenlokomotiven hatten Bedienhebel auf beiden Seiten sowie die in den Board-of-Trade-Richtlinien geforderten seitlichen Abdeckungen und Kuhfänger. Sie wurden später durch die leistungsstärkere dreiachsige 0-6-0T GER Class C53/LNER Class J70 ersetzt und noch später durch Drewry 0-6-0DM (Class 04) Diesel-Rangierloks. Ein Personenwagen ist noch erhalten.
Für eine kurze Zeit wurden 1930–1931 zwei LNER Class Y10 Sentinel Getriebedampflokomotiven eingesetzt.
Streckenverlauf
Die 7,9 km (4 Meilen 72 Chains) lange Strecke verlief in der Nähe mehrerer Farmen und kleinerer Ortschaften, deren landwirtschaftliche Produkte über die Trambahn und Hauptstrecke in Wisbeach in dichter besiedelte Gebiete gebracht werden sollten, um sie dort zu vermarkten.
Die Bahnlinie hatte 11 Abstellgleise, auf denen während der Erntezeit mehr als 100 Wagen abgestellt werden konnten. Zwei Gleise waren ursprünglich dem Personenverkehr vorbehalten.[1]
Das Depot in Upwell hatte eine Rinderverladestation, ein Depotbüro, einen Warteraum für Personen und ein Kohlenhändlerbüro am Kohlehafen des Kanals. Es gab eine Aschegrube und ein alter GER-Tender wurde bis 1953 als Wasserturm eingesetzt.[1]
Vom Depot in Upwell, das das südliche Ende der Bahnstrecke bildete, fuhren die Züge nach Norden in Richtung Outwell. Sie überquerten den Small Lode und fuhren an einer Farm vorbei, bevor sie in Low Side, der ersten Bedarfshaltestelle ankamen. Heute verläuft ein Feldweg auf der ehemaligen Eisenbahntrasse.[1]
Die Strecke verlief parallel zum Well Creek, dem ehemaligen Flussbett des River Nene, und dann auf einer grasbewachsene Böschung entlang dem Creek, bevor sie die Bedarfshaltestelle Goodman’s Crossing erreichte, ab der sie als Straßenbahn auf der Straße weiterfuhr.[1]
Das Outwell Village Depot lag zwischen dem ehemaligen Flussbett des River Nene und der St. Clement’s Kirche. Dort gab es ursprünglich vier Abstellgleise und Kohlenrutschen, mit denen Kohle auf Lastkähne umgeladen werden konnte, um sie im Fenland zu verteilen. Es gab ein kleines aus roten Ziegeln errichtetes Büro und einen ausrangierten Güterwagenaufbau als Lager. Das historische Ziegelsteingebäude steht noch, aber der Rest des Depotgeländes wurde mit modernen Wohnhäusern überbaut. Der Straßenname The Tramway einer Sackgasse erinnert an die frühere Nutzung.[1]
Thomas, die kleine Lokomotive
Der Kinderbuchautor Rev. W. Awdry ließ sich von der Dampfstraßenbahn für The Railway Series inspirieren, die durch die Fernsehserie Thomas, die kleine Lokomotive bekannt wurde. In seinem Buch Toby the Tram Engine basieren Toby und dessen Wagen Henrietta auf den Originalen in Wisbech.[2]
Weblinks
Einzelnachweise
- ↑ a b c d e f Evelyn Simak: Wisbech & Upwell tramway - Outwell Village depot. The Geograph (T 5103).
- ↑ The Wisbech and Upwell Railway: Introduction
Koordinaten: 52° 38′ 42,4″ N, 0° 11′ 0,8″ O
Auf dieser Seite verwendete Medien
Kopfdienststelle (Betriebsbahnhof), ex Strecke nach rechts
(c) Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0
Wisbech & Upwell tramway - Outwell Village depot The small brick building once used to be the office of the Wisbech & Upwell tramway's Outwell Village depot.
Wisbech & Upwell tramway's Upwell depot > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241222 was 5 miles 72 chains distant from Wisbech. The line had eleven sidings, with two originally allocated for passenger traffic. During the fruit season the sidings could hold more than a hundred vans. The depot had a cattle dock, a depot office, a passenger waiting room, and a coal merchant's office and staithes. There was also an ash pit, and an old GER tender was used for a water tower until 1953 when it was removed. http://www.lner.info/co/GER/wisbech/route.shtml
From the Upwell depot, which was the southern terminus of the tramway, the trains headed northwards > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241251 to the village of Outwell, crossing Small Lode > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241268 and passing a farm before emerging on Low Side > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241442 which was the final request stop. A farm driveway now runs where the railway trackbed used to be > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241431.
Outwell Village depot was located by the old course of the River Nene and adjoined by St Clement's church on the other side. It originally had four sidings and was equipped with coal chutes to transfer coal to barges for distribution through the Fens. The depot had a small office building built from red brick and an old van body for storage. The brick office still stands, but most of the depot site has since been built over by modern housing > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241458. The name of the cul-de-sac/access road is called "The Tramway".
When during the 13th century the estuary silted up, the fens surrounding the market town and port of Wisbech were reclaimed for agricultural use. The new agricultural prosperity soon attracted railways such as the Eastern Counties Railway which opened a branch in 1847. In 1848 the East Anglian Railway built a branch from Watlington. A third line was built by the Peterborough, Wisbech & Sutton Bridge Railway (later the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway) which opened a station on the other side of the River Nene in 1866. The trains carried fruit and vegetables to markets as far afield as London. In addition, the construction of a tramway line connecting the villages Upwell and Outwell with Wisbech commenced in 1882. Board of Trade's tram restrictions resulted in the unusual-looking locomotives which not only had speed restrictions but controls at both ends and wooden cowcatchers and skirts over the wheels. Six trams a day in each direction provided passenger services, with the full one way journey taking one hour. By October 1884 traffic had grown to 3000 passengers per week, with peaks of 2000 in a day for fetes and other special events. The tram competed with a canal that ran between Wisbech and Upwell and with the canal being in a poor financial condition the tram eventually finished it off. When motor omnibuses started to appear, however, passenger numbers declined drastically and passenger services were withdrawn in 1927, whereas freight traffic continued to flourish. With the introduction of two Drewry Shunters (BR Class 04) in 1952, Wisbech & Upwell became Britain's first all-diesel line. The line closed in March 1966. http://www.lner.info/co/GER/wisbech/history.shtml
ex ABZweig quer rechts (+) von rechts (mit exakten Kreisen)
(c) Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0
Wisbech & Upwell tramway - Outwell Village depot Wisbech & Upwell tramway's Upwell depot > 1241222 was 5 miles 72 chains distant from Wisbech. The line had eleven sidings, with two originally allocated for passenger traffic. During the fruit season the sidings could hold more than a hundred vans. The depot had a cattle dock, a depot office, a passenger waiting room, and a coal merchant's office and staithes. There was also an ash pit, and an old GER tender was used for a water tower until 1953 when it was removed. http://www.lner.info/co/GER/wisbech/route.shtml
From the Upwell depot, which was the southern terminus of the tramway, the trains headed northwards > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241251 to the village of Outwell, crossing Small Lode > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241268 and passing a farm before emerging on Low Side > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241442 which was the final request stop. A farm driveway now runs where the railway trackbed used to be > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241431.
Running parallel with Well Creek (the old course of the River Nene) the tramway then ran along the grassy verge beside the creek before reaching the final section of reserved track at Goodman's Crossing request stop > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241525.
Outwell Village depot was located by the old course of the River Nene and adjoined by St Clement's church on the other side. It originally had four sidings and was equipped with coal chutes to transfer coal to barges for distribution through the Fens. The depot had a small office building built from red brick > https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1241479 and an old van body for storage. The brick office still stands, but most of the depot site has since been built over by modern housing. The name of the cul-de-sac/access road is called "The Tramway" (seen here).
When during the 13th century the estuary silted up, the fens surrounding the market town and port of Wisbech were reclaimed for agricultural use. The new agricultural prosperity soon attracted railways such as the Eastern Counties Railway which opened a branch in 1847. In 1848 the East Anglian Railway built a branch from Watlington. A third line was built by the Peterborough, Wisbech & Sutton Bridge Railway (later the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway) which opened a station on the other side of the River Nene in 1866. The trains carried fruit and vegetables to markets as far afield as London. In addition, the construction of a tramway line connecting the villages Upwell and Outwell with Wisbech commenced in 1882. Board of Trade's tram restrictions resulted in the unusual-looking locomotives which not only had speed restrictions but controls at both ends and wooden cowcatchers and skirts over the wheels. Six trams a day in each direction provided passenger services, with the full one way journey taking one hour. By October 1884 traffic had grown to 3000 passengers per week, with peaks of 2000 in a day for fetes and other special events. The tram competed with a canal that ran between Wisbech and Upwell and with the canal being in a poor financial condition the tram eventually finished it off. When motor omnibuses started to appear, however, passenger numbers declined drastically and passenger services were withdrawn in 1927, whereas freight traffic continued to flourish. With the introduction of two Drewry Shunters (BR Class 04) in 1952, Wisbech & Upwell became Britain's first all-diesel line. The line closed in March 1966. http://www.lner.info/co/GER/wisbech/history.shtml
Wisbech and Upwell Tramway Class J70 locomotive number 68225 running without sideplates.