Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum
Vorlage:Use dmy dates Vorlage:Use British English Vorlage:Heritage Railway The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum is a museum about the history of ball clay mining in the Isle of Purbeck. The museum is based at Norden and is open April-May, and October at weekends and June-September, Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 5pm (last entry at 4:30pm). on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from 11.00AM to 4.00PM. Closed during Winter Months
At the site the group has relocated a redundant mine to Norden and built a railway around the site with a new engine shed and the restoration of wagons that worked on the lines around Norden. It is planned to extend the line over the other side of the Swanage Branch line to land owned by the group via Bridge 15. In 2010 a structural engineer surveyed bridge 15 "Skew Bridge" over the Swanage Railway. The condition of the bridge was good for a "temporary" bridge built in 1885.
History
Middlebere Tramway
The railway was built to remove a "bottleneck" to Staffordshire potteries by building a line from Norden to Middlebere Tramway which was opened in 1806 to a 3ft 9in gauge for 3.4 miles long. The rails were cast iron, L-shaped 3ft long and weighing 40lb, the horse-drawn clay wagons had flangeless wheels, and the sleepers were simply stone blocks (60-70lb) numbering well in excess of 10,000. (some of the sleepers remain in place today, complete with holes where the rails used to be fixed. Others have been used as paving stones at Langton Wallis Cottage.) The cast iron rails secured to stone blocks (with metal spike and oak dowel) set in the ground.[1] In 1807 the line was extended south under the Wareham to Corfe road. The tunnel exists and is grade listed however it is blocked,[2] a second tunnel was built in 1825 east of the first tunnel but is now blocked and is not grade listed. In 1881 when the LSWR built the Swanage line the line was extended east parallel to the line and Eldons Sidings were built to transfer clay to the standard gauge network. In 1907 Middlebere plateway was abandoned but had been in continual use for 101 years, The quay at Middlebere creek has fallen into disrepair and almost vanished. Some of the stone sleepers remain in place today, complete with holes where the rails used to be fixed, whilst others have been reused as paving stones at various locations. Others can be found in the walls at Middlebere farm. In many places the route across Hartland moor can be traced.
Fayles Tramway
In 1905 construction commenced of a link from Norden to the Goathorn Railway and was completed in 1907. This line was known to the company as the Norden & Goathorn Railway (N&G Railway). Today many refer to it as Fayles Tramway. The line was abandoned in 1937 and clay then left by lorry or via the Swanage Branch Line. In 1948 the complex at Norden was regauged to Vorlage:RailGauge.
Future
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In 2014 the Purbeck and Mineral and minning museum set up a plan in conjunction with its governing body the Swanage railway trust for a forward plan for the future. The plan involved opening the museum on more days to boost numbers and increase access to areas of the museum previously restricted. Its first priority is to improve interior displays, and to restore the winch and hopper in the mine building to working order which as completed by 2015 and is used for special events.
One of its main priorities is to restore skew arch bridge over the Swanage Railway and to enable access to Norden South, this will allow the Museum with the possibility of expanding the 2ft gauge railway and operating a passenger service and demonstration clay trains on special event days. The museum also wants to develop a building for Secundus and wagon 28 and moving them from Corfe Castle Station.[3]
Rolling Stock
[4] All 2ft gauge unless otherwise stated.
Steam locomotives
| Number and name | Wheel arrangement |
Class | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 'Secundus' | 0-4-0 | Bellis & Seekings Ltd 0-4-0 | 2ft 8in gauge, Not operational, at Corfe Castle Station Goods shed. | .jpg?lang=de)
|
| 542 'Cloister' | 0-4-0 | Quarry Hunslet | Operational [5] | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=117> |
Diesel locomotives
| Number and name | Wheel arrangement |
Class | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 283871 'Snapper' | 0-4-0 | 48DL Ruston Hornby Diesel | Operational but requires work to bodywork.[6] | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=42> |
| 392117 | 0-4-0 | 48DL Ruston Hornby Diesel | Operational, on loan to museum.[7] |
Carriages
| Number | Type | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | 8 seater passenger carriage | Restored. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=152> |
| - | 12 seater passenger carriage | Restored. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=63> |
Goods wagons
| Number | Type | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|
| - | 1ft 10in gauge Underground mine tubs | 12 in total, Currently being restored. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=39> |
| 28 | 2ft 8in 4 wheeled wagon | Built for the Furzebrook Railway, Awaiting restoration. | |
| - | Goathorn Wagon Flat | Operational. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=43> |
| - | Cement Mixer Wagon | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=44> |
| 140 | Hudson Skip | Currently being Scrapped. [8] | |
| 16 | Hudson Skip | Awaiting Restoration. | |
| 41 | Allens Skip | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=46> |
| - | Allens Skip | Under Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=47> |
| 31 | Flatbed | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=48> |
| 38 | Flatbed | Restored. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=49> |
| - | Hudson Skip Chassis | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=50> |
| - | Hudson Skip Chassis | Restored. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=51> |
| - | Small V skip | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=52> |
| - | Ballast forward tipper | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=54> |
| - | Drop sided wagon | Restored. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=55> |
| - | Hudson Skip | Under Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=56> |
| - | Small V skip | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=58> |
| - | Wide chassis wagon | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=59> |
| - | Wide chassis wagon | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=59> |
| - | Wide chassis wagon | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=60> |
| - | Wide chassis wagon | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=61> |
| - | Ex RN Trecwn Explosive Wagon (Converted to PW van) | Restored. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=153> |
| - | Hudson skip | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=110> |
| - | Lister bogie flatbed | Awaiting Restoration. | <http://srstock.co.uk/getfile.php?mode=view&id=194> |
References
- Fayle's Tramways: Clay Mining in Purbeck by Chris Legg 2014 ISBN 978-0-906294-79-6
- Railways of Dorset J.H.Lucking Railway Correspondence and Travel Society 1968 (No ISBN)
- The Railways of Purbeck R.W. Kidner The Oakwood Press 1973 (reprinted 1979, reprinted & enlarged 1988) ISBN 0-85361-372-9
- The Swanage Branch Then and Now Andrew P.M. Wright Ian Allan 1992 ISBN 0-7110-2046-9 (Amazon)
- Branch Line to Swanage revised edition to 1992 Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith Middleton Press 1992 ISBN 0-906520-33-9
Notes
External links
- Swanage Railway website
- Swanage Railway Trust website
- Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum website
- History of Ball Clay extraction in Purbeck
Vorlage:Heritage railways in England
- ↑ Fayles Tramway. In: Webarchive.org.uk. Abgerufen am 21. April 2016. Fehler beim Aufruf der Vorlage:Cite web: Archiv im Parameter URL erkannt. Archive müssen im Parameter Archiv-URL angegeben werden.
- ↑ MIDDLEBERE TRAMWAY TUNNEL PORTAL - 1390910. Historic England, 7. April 2004, abgerufen am 21. April 2016.
- ↑ [1] (Seite nicht mehr abrufbar, festgestellt im April 2016.)
- ↑ SRStock Public View. In: Srstock.co.uk. Abgerufen am 21. April 2016.
- ↑ Cloister. In: Festipedia.org.uk. Abgerufen am 21. April 2016.
- ↑ Snapper (ex Lynton and Barnstaple. In: Srstock.co.uk. Abgerufen am 21. April 2016.
- ↑ An exciting day at the museum! Our new... - The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum. Facebook, 17. März 2016, abgerufen am 21. April 2016.
- ↑ Update from today. The biggest change... - The Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum. Facebook, 17. April 2016, abgerufen am 21. April 2016.