UPPER WRITHLINGTON TRAMWAY AND INCLINES
(Radstock)
(From a visit on the 4th of November 2020)
The Writhington Colliery Tramway was a 2 feet 8 and a
ahalf inch branch that connected with the Bristol & North Somerset
Railway
via Upper Writhlington Colliery, an incline up to the Depot and HQ
buildings on Frome Road then another incline dropping down to
the North Somerset Railway. (NLS Maps).
The tramway triangle junction when both Foxcote and Upper Writhlington
Collieries were open. The Upper
Writhlington spur went south westwards. (NLS Maps).
At the Closure of Writhlington Colliery in 1973 only the
Foxcote spur track remained in this concrete based section albeit
Foxcote closed in 1931. I believe this remained because lorries also
used this road too and from the Batch site.
The remains of the tramway as it runs up to the junction at Lower
Writhington Coal Mine site and turned westwards
towards Upper Writhlington Colliery site.
/3511WrithlingtonRadstock26thAug2002.jpg
This is where the three-way triangle junction was. After Upper
Writhlington a colliery closed it was reduced to just a single
line too and from Foxcote Colliery until 1931 when Foxcote colliery
closed.
Where the south facing spur curved off and turned westwards to the coal
depot on Frome Road. This track would have gone
soon after Upper Writhlington Colliery closed.
The way is blocked by the over growth.
As far as you can get on the Upper Writhlington branch from the junction.
As I couldn't walk the track bed towards
Upper Writhlington Colliery site I had to walk back along the S&D
track bed
towards Radstock up to an ajoining path at Hillside that took me along
the south side of the Sewage Plant onto Mill Lane
where I joined another pth that btook me mto the site of te bottom of
the incline up to Frome Road Coal Depot. I could
only walk a short nway alngbthismpath before it became too
overgrown but was able to find the base of the incline.
This meant a walk back along the Ex
S&D track bed towards Radstock up to the south end of the sewage
works where
a path leads you through to Mill Lane. A path continues off Mill Lane
to the bottom of the Upper Writhlington incline
turned 90% too and from the three-way junction at Lower Writhlington.
The 90 degree turn at the base of the incline with
the spur into the coal mine. (NLS Maps).
At the base of the incline where the line does a 90 degree turn. I am
standing at the knuckle of the curve looking up the
incline. that was double track at this point. It looks impassable at
this point but may have another try the next time I
visit this area. Just up ahead a trailing spur led into the colliery
while the line continued to the top of the incline.
From the base of the incline the tramway ran eastwards to the
Lower Writhlington Colliery site. From the 90 degree
turn off the incline the loop ran a short distance where it became
single again The track bed ran to the left of the
footpath and the path veres off to the right and away from the track
bed as it heads for Church Road. I would think
the track bed is impassable from here to the Lower Writhlington
colliery site. I may check this out another time.
My aim for this visit is to check out
the two inclines to where the tramway met the Bristol & North
Somerset Railway.
I next returned to the Hillside Lane and the steep path up past
Upper Writhlington Colliery to Frome Road.
Back on Mill Lane you pass the main entrance into Upper
Writhlington Colliery that is now a private dwelling.
Mill Lane towards Radstock. Just ahead of the cyclist the steep
lane at Hillside begins sharp left to take you up to
Frome Road.
The second entrance on Hillside Lane into the mine site but again, it
is a separte private dwelling to the Colliery site
but had been part of it.
Hillside lane is about the same gradient % as the incline was. Around
1 in 8.
The bottom of the incline up to the new housing estate. You can see
where there was a footpath bridge
over the track bed.
The incline was quite steep as is seen in this photo taken where it
came out of the coal depot, passing the end of
Magdalene Road which is part of the new housing estate.
Looking directly down the incline track bed. Nothing remains but as it
dropped under a foot path bridge just to the
right of the tree it suggests that the incline was in a low
cutting all the way down to the bottom. There is no sign of
this bridge today.
Lower end of the field beyond where the footbridge was. Up ahead
within the trees was the spur off the incline into the colliery.
It was unusual in that the incline track dropped below a bridge just
prior to the spur into the colliery and on a different level.
View north eastwards. The Horse keeps a beady eye on me. Even when I
moved down to the tree line out of it's sight
it walked up to see where I was. Thankfully he, or the other two
Horses moved from that distance from me. The houses
in the hillside are those on the first level above the Lower Writhligton
sidings where the Braysdown Colliery Incline came
down from the mine.
From the bottom of the field looking up the Incline
track bed towards
the coal depot.
The track bed passed the western end of what is now Magdalene Road, a
housing estate off the Frome Road.
It was too overgrown to take a reasonable photo from Magdalene Road
but grabbed this view from Google Earth that was taken when the
way was a lot clearer.
Nearing the top of the incline. The track split into two lines forming
a loop. One leading into the coal depot and the
other carrying straight on across Frome Road and to the next incline
down to the Bristol & North Somerset Railway.
Hanover Court is behind these trees.
Views from the top of the incline. The houses are at Whitelands.
Ex Tyning Miner's Homes at Whitelands.
More to the east. The houses seen on the left are on the level below
Braysdown Colliery. You can just make out where
the incline came out of Braysdown mine above the houses, on
Woodborough Lane, dropping down to
Lower Writhlington Colliery.
The gate on the Hillside path where I was able to climb over to get
into the field where the incline ran.
From the fence. The incline ran down the brow of the hill from
the trees at top right. You can just make out the
footpath that crosses this field.
At the path way summit on Frome Road.
=============================================================================
MOUNT PLEASANT COAL DEPOT (Frome Road)
From Hillside lane, overlooking the Mount Pleasant Coal Depot site.
Nothing remains but there are tell-tail signs in the houses
where original building remain but have had numerous modern
extensions. The house on the left and the shed-like building on the
right. You can see that it has had two extension but that the window
and the stone work are from the original building. Likewise
the left side stone work is original. These are the remains of the row
of buildings seen on the right in the NLS map below. The
road far right is the present Hillside lane. The present road
Maple Rise did not exist then. The house seen behind is
where the
actual coal depot stood and where the branch line from Ludlow
Colliery terminated.
The coal depot detail is from the NLS Map set.
============================================================
Back up Frome Road for a short way and we come to where the Upper
Writhlington branch crossed the road.
Having come up te incline from Upper Writhlington Colliery it crossed
the road where the next incline too the
railway down to meet the Bristol &North Somerset Railway close to
the Kelmerdon Incline.
Upper Writhlington Coal Depot overview from Google Earth.
The coal depot layout. The track bed here is now Hanover Court. (NLS
Maps)
The track crossed Frome Road out of the coal depot on the right and
onwards to the summit of the incline at Mells
Lane down to the North Somerset Railway.
Opposite view looking down Frome Road.
Hanover Court, a Care Home stands on the site of the Coal Depot and HQ
buildings and the track bed itself.
Right: Looking at what would have been inside the coal depot.
The tramway came in from the summit along what is now Hanover Court.
It went directly across the road but there was a spur off to the right
and into
the Coal Depot site where
The tramway is blocked off at this point. The house up ahead is at the
spot where I took my photos by Magdalele
Road.
The southern side of Frome Road and the track bed through to Mells
Lane.
Opposite view where the track crossed the road and into the coal
depot. The track was at this angle over the road.
Hanover Court across Frome Road from the tramway track bed.
The way is blocked after a few yards and I had to walk through the
housing estate on Sycamre Road for a way before I
could get back onto the track bed again.
Back on the track bed again with just a short walk to where it crossed
Mells Lane where the next incline dropped
down to the Radstock-Frome main line.
Cropped image from the photo above. The blockage towards the depot at
Frome Road.
Left: By the road crossing on Mells Lane. looking southwards. Right:
From the road crossing looking back towards Frome Road.
Where the track crossed Mells Lane.
The way is blocked but this is where the cable wheel house stood for
the incline.
Not being able to get onto the incline from here I walked down Mells
Lane to the site of Ludlow Colliery and to the
bottom of the Writhlington tramway. However, didn't find
anything to photograph and completed my day's outing
with a walk up the Kelmersdon incline to the mine site, which is my
next web page.
=========================================================
To Tyning Colliery & Incline Radstock
8mm
colour cine film by Bob Bishop. Interesting scenes of shunting at
the Colliery and road crossing as well as running ver the level
section to the Incline summit.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDsvm0-iDYg
A PDF giving a descripton of the
mine, incline layout and working.
http://www.coalcanal.org/wh/backissues/74imposed.pdf
To: Kelmersdon Colliery &
Incline. (Radstock)
The
Dundee & Newtyle Rlwy Walks Opened
in 1831 the route had three incline planes. The first was from
the terminal station on Ward Street, up the Dundee Law, where there was
also a tunnel. The second was the Balbeuchley incline at
Rosemill and the third at Hatton that ran down to Newtyle station.
It was also the very first passenger train service in Scotland.
Worked by Horse over the levels until the first steam engine was
purchased in 1833. Came under the Caladonian Railway with it's terminal moved to
Dundee West station. Passengers
service ended in 1952 and the line totally closed in the mid 60's.
The inclines were by-passed in the 1860's.
The Cromford & High Peak Incline railway in Derbyshire has been luckier in having much of it's buildings, including an Engine House preserved. This is what could have happened with
the D&N, indeed, should have happened with at least one of the D&N inclines. However, the C&H gives an excellent comparison of what the D&N would have looked like, albeit the
inclines were only single track.Boddam To Ellon Branch (Walks) By Bill Reid. Ex GNSR branch line.
Dyce To Fraserburgh and Peterhead Walks. Ex GNSR
Bath To Wellow Rlwy Walks Ex Somerset & Dorset Rlwy.
The Test Valley Railway Walk. (New Mills To Hayfield).
Hosted by www.theatreorgans.com