Archaeologists looking for Roman remains have stumbled across an even more historic find - a wooden railway which was instrumental in the development of the Industrial Revolution.
An excavation on the banks of the Tyne unearthed a stretch of waggonway which is more than 200 years old, making it the earliest surviving example of the standard-gauge railway.
The discovery was originally part of a network which linked the ports of the North East with collieries in Tyneside and Northumberland in the late 18th century.
An excavation on the banks of the Tyne unearthed a stretch of waggonway which is more than 200 years old, making it the earliest surviving example of the standard-gauge railway.
The discovery was originally part of a network which linked the ports of the North East with collieries in Tyneside and Northumberland in the late 18th century.
Photo from The Daily Mail, 26 July 2013.
The waggonway is made up of a heavy duty 'main way' with two sets of rails laid on top of each other to preserve their longevity, with a loop from the main line descending into a dip.
That depression would have been filled with water where coal wagons' wooden wheels were rested to stop them drying out and cracking. In the middle of the loop is a stone elevation where the horse pulling the waggon would have stood. It is the first time such a 'Watering Pond' has been recorded, although previously known from maps.
That depression would have been filled with water where coal wagons' wooden wheels were rested to stop them drying out and cracking. In the middle of the loop is a stone elevation where the horse pulling the waggon would have stood. It is the first time such a 'Watering Pond' has been recorded, although previously known from maps.
 Still photo from ITV News report, 26 July 2013. |  Still photo from ITV News report, 26 July 2013. |
The find was made by Alan Williams and Richard Carlton of Newcastle-based The Archaeological Practice digging on the site of the former Neptune shipyard, just west of Benton Way in Walker, which is being developed by Shepherd Offshore for a Wind Power Blade Production Facility.
. The site is also near the Swan Hunter yard and Segedunum Roman fort in Wallsend.
. The site is also near the Swan Hunter yard and Segedunum Roman fort in Wallsend.
Photo from The Journal, 27 July 2013.
Dating from around 1790, it is one of the oldest and best preserved waggonways in the world. The 25m long stretch of wooden waggonway is being hailed by archaeologists as one of the most significant finds in decades.
Unlike other waggonways in the area which used a variety of gauges ranging from 3’10″ to 5’0″, that excavated at Walker was built to 4' 8".
The waggonway was a timber track for horse-drawn carts (chaldrons) transporting coal from Willington and Bigges Main collieries in Wallsend to the banks of the River Tyne, where the coal would be tipped directly into collier brigs bound for London.
Unlike other waggonways in the area which used a variety of gauges ranging from 3’10″ to 5’0″, that excavated at Walker was built to 4' 8".
The waggonway was a timber track for horse-drawn carts (chaldrons) transporting coal from Willington and Bigges Main collieries in Wallsend to the banks of the River Tyne, where the coal would be tipped directly into collier brigs bound for London.
Portion of map by John Gibson (1788).
The Kenton and Coxlodge waggonway was built over this stretch of the Willington waggonway between 1808 and 1813, and the coal unloaded onto boats at the Coxlodge staithes. Wooden rails were eventually replaced with the much more efficient iron rails used by flanged iron wheels on the coal waggons.
Portion of map by John Bell (1847).
George Stephenson worked among the maze of inter-connected colliery waggonways to the north and east of Wallsend. Under his influence, the 4' 8" gauge (with another 1/2" added to ease running of the Liverpool to Manchester Railway in the 1830s) became standard for the steam locomotives which eventually replaced the former horse-drawn waggons. The map above shows how quickly railway transport had developed.
Photo by Steve Ellwood (2013).
Links
The Wooden Waggonways
The Pont Valley Network
Wooden waggonway built more than 200 years ago discovered near former colliery is 'oldest example of standard gauge railway ever found'
Daliy Mail - 26 July 2013
200-year-old railway discovered along banks of River Tyne
The Journal - 26 July 2013
18th c. wooden railway found in Newcastle shipyard
The History Blog - 26 July 2013
Historic waggonway uncovered next to the Tyne
Tyne-Tees News - 26 July 2013
Historic Railway Unearthed in Newcastle
Newcastle City Council - 26 July 2013
Race is on to preserve historic wood track found in Newcastle
The Journal - 27 July 2013
Photos by Steve Ellwood
SkyscraperCity - 27 July 2013
Ex-Toon chief Freddy Shepherd's plan to rescue 18th Century wooden track
Newcastle Chronicle - 4 August 2013
The Wooden Waggonways
The Pont Valley Network
Wooden waggonway built more than 200 years ago discovered near former colliery is 'oldest example of standard gauge railway ever found'
Daliy Mail - 26 July 2013
200-year-old railway discovered along banks of River Tyne
The Journal - 26 July 2013
18th c. wooden railway found in Newcastle shipyard
The History Blog - 26 July 2013
Historic waggonway uncovered next to the Tyne
Tyne-Tees News - 26 July 2013
Historic Railway Unearthed in Newcastle
Newcastle City Council - 26 July 2013
Race is on to preserve historic wood track found in Newcastle
The Journal - 27 July 2013
Photos by Steve Ellwood
SkyscraperCity - 27 July 2013
Ex-Toon chief Freddy Shepherd's plan to rescue 18th Century wooden track
Newcastle Chronicle - 4 August 2013
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