The Haytor Granite Tramway

The Haytor Granite Tramway

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To the north of Haytor Rocks, on the eastern edge of Dartmoor in the English county of Devon, are the disused remains of an old granite quarry and a granite tramway built to move stones from the quarry down to the Stover Canal, from where it was shipped to different parts of England. The tracks of the tramway were built out of the same material it was designed to carry —granite.

The trackway was built in 1820 and remained operational until 1858. During those times, granite from the quarries near Haytor Rock was in much demand for construction work in cities across England. But the transport of this heavy and bulky commodity was a significant problem. In the absence of railways and reliable roads, the granite had to be carried by horse drawn carts which was both costly and time consuming. George Templer, the owner of the Haytor quarries, became impatient and needed a more efficient method to move the rocks because he had just won the contract to supply stones for the building of the new London Bridge.

photofun4ucom Pada June 15, 2016 Komentar

Quincy Granite Railway: America’s First Commercial Railroad

Quincy Granite Railway: America’s First Commercial Railroad

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When architect Solomon Willard arrived in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1825, and discovered a granite ledge in a wooded area, he knew he had found the perfect raw material for what would become his most famous building, and the first monumental obelisk erected in the United States — the Bunker Hill Monument. Willard envisioned a 221-foot tall obelisk with a 30 feet square base that would require some 6,700 tons of granite. Transporting the massive blocks of granite from the quarry to the site of construction presented a challenge.

Quincy was separated from Charlestown, where the monument would be erected, by 12 miles of swamp, forest, and farms. The granite needed to be delivered to Neponset River, four miles north, from where a barge would transport the stone through Boston Harbor to Charlestown. Willard wanted to move the stones to the Neponset River on sledges during winter, but Gridley Bryant, an engineer, suggested a more efficient method — a railroad.



The Incline portion of the Granite Railway, Pine Hill Quarry to Neponset River, Quincy. April 1934. Photo credit: Arthur C. Haskell/Library of Congress

photofun4ucom Pada May 27, 2016 Komentar