Spanish Town to Ewarton railway

Spanish Town to Ewarton
0.0 Spanish Town Station
 Parochial motorable road (gated)
Junction
Mainline from Kingston continues to Montego Bay
 A2 road (gated)
 100' contour
 Unclassified road (gated)
 Unclassified road (gated)
 1.2 St. John’s Road Halt
 Irrigation Canal~? m
 4.8 Angels Halt
 Parochial motorable road (gated)Angels
  1. 1~100 m
 9.5 Crescent Halt
 Viaduct~70 m
  1. 2~160 m
  1. 3~110 m
  1. 4~665 m
 Thomas River~15 m
 Unclassified road (gated)
 14.1 Bog Walk Station
 Rio Cobre~40 m
14.5 JunctionPort Antonio branch
 250' contour
 Parochial motorable road (ungated)
 Parochial motorable road (ungated)
 A1 road (gated)
 16.5 Michleton Halt
 Viaduct over Parochial motorable road
 Parochial motorable road (ungated)
 19.3 Linstead Station
 Rio Magno Gully~85 m
JunctionNew Works branch
 B13 road
 A1 road
 A1 road
 Byndloss Gully~20 m
 22.1 Sterling Castle Halt
 Parochial motorable road
 Unnamed Gully~40 m
 500' contour
23.7 JunctionEwarton Works branch
 750' contour
 27.8 Ewarton Terminus

The Spanish Town to Ewarton railway was a railway in Jamaica, built to serve the citrus growing regions in the interior of Saint Catherine, particularly those around the towns of Bog Walk, Linstead and Ewarton.[1] It operated from 1885 to 1992.

History

The 14 miles (23 km) of 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) track from Spanish Town to Ewarton were completed in 1885 at a cost of approximately £93,000.[1]

The section from Linstead to Ewarton was closed in 1947.[2] It was later reopened as far as the Bauxite processing plant just east of Ewarton.

The rest of the line closed to passengers in 1992 but it remains open for Bauxite traffic.[3]

The Spanish Town to Bog Walk section reopened briefly for passenger traffic in 2009/10 while the A1 road through Bog Walk Gorge was closed for major repair work.[4]

Gradients

The line climbs 700 feet (213.4 m) in 14 miles (23 km) (average gradient 1 in 106 or 0.0094%) from Spanish Town station (just under 100 feet or 30.5 metres[5]) to its summit at Ewarton (800 feet[6]).

Stations and Halts

There were 4 stations and 5 halts on the line:[3][5]

  • Spanish Town Station (Branch Terminus)
  • St. John’s Road Halt
  • Angels Halt
  • Crescent Halt
  • Bog Walk Station
  • Michleton Halt
  • Linstead Station
  • Sterling Castle Halt
  • Ewarton Station] (Terminus)

Tunnels

There are 4 tunnels,[5] from south to north:

  • Number 1 ~100 m
  • Number 2 ~160 m
  • Number 3 ~110 m
  • Number 4 ~665 m

Bridges

There are 7 significant bridges on the line:

  • Viaduct ~70 m
  • Thomas River ~15 m
  • Rio Cobre ~40 m
  • Viaduct (not visible in satellite imagery)
  • Rio Magno Gully ~85 m
  • Byndloss Gully ~20 m
  • Unnamed Gully ~40 m

Notes and references

  1. 1 2 The Jamaica Railway 1845-1945 by H R Fox, General Manager, Jamaica Government Railway in The Railway Magazine of November & December 1945.
  2. ↑ The rise and fall of railways in Jamaica, 1845-1975 - Pg11 Journal of Transport History - March 2003
  3. 1 2 Annual Transport Statistics Report: Jamaica in Figures 2003-2004 Archived 2013-03-15 at the Wayback Machine., Ministry of Transport and Works, July 2005, Table 3.5 - Mileage for JRC Stations, Halts & Sidings in relation to the Kingston Railway Terminus 2003-2004.
  4. ↑ "Jamaica Train Ride - Linstead to Spanish Town (09 AUG 2011) Pt # 2". YouTube. Retrieved 18 October 2014.
  5. 1 2 3 UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheet L (1966).
  6. ↑ UK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica Sheet G (1973).

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