Surrey Iron Railway

The Surrey Iron Railway (SIR) linked Wandsworth in south London and Croydon in Surrey via Mitcham. It was constructed in the early years of the 19th century (opening on 26 July 1803), and was the world's first public railway. It was horse-drawn and entirely dedicated to bulk freight. The nine-mile route followed the shallow valley of the River Wandle, then heavily industrialised with numerous factories and mills, running from the River Thames in the north southwards to Croydon (a short branch also ran from Mitcham to Hackbridge). The line was subsequently extended through Purley and Coulsdon to serve quarries near Godstone and Merstham (known as the Croydon Merstham and Godstone Railway: opened 1805, closed 1838). Engineer William Jessop was chief engineer and the flat alignment of his route proved more long-lasting than the Surrey Iron Railway itself. The advent of faster and more powerful steam locomotives spelled the end for horse-drawn railways, and the SIR closed in 1846. Jessop's route, however, was retained for use by the London and Brighton Railway and much of it remains in use, largely by the Croydon Tramlink service.

See also

External links

 

<< PreviousWord BrowserNext >>
eighteenth air force
nineteenth air force
brian clevinger
twentieth air force
twenty first air force
twenty second air force
louis iii of east francia
earl of mayo
voortrekker monument
tigranes
sangokujin
c. wright mills
indo pakistani war of 1971
uss pompano (ss 181)
hair follicle
sebaceous gland
vericon
vetluga river
ostrava
hms hermione
hms hibernia
hms hornet
hms hurricane (h06)
hms hyacinth
hms hyperion (h97)
hms icarus
belaya vezha
lord lovat
jonathan mccully
professional video camera
ned mcwherter
socialist alternative
guntram
encyclopdie:the tree of diderot and d'alembert
nathaniel cook
the bad news bears
earl of listowel
spencer gifts
lord napier of merchistoun
rock 'n' roll ralphs
earl of normanton
adrien arcand
pluvial lake
earl of norbury
Copyright 2005-2009 OnPedia.com. All Rights Reserved