Editing Wagonway

{{short description|Railway using horses to pull goods wagons}}
{{see also|Tramway (industrial)|Minecart|Horsecar|List of horse-drawn railways}}
{{use British English|date=April 2022}}
[[File:Wagonway.jpg|thumb|[[Benjamin Outram]]'s [[Little Eaton Gangway]] in July 1908 with the last train of loaded coal wagons arriving.]]
A '''wagonway''' (or '''waggonway'''; also known as a '''horse-drawn railway''', or '''horse-drawn railroad''') was a method of [[rail transport|railway]] transportation that preceded the [[steam locomotive]] and used [[horse]]s to haul wagons. The terms [[plateway]] and [[tramway (industrial)|tramway]] were also used. The advantage of wagonways was that far bigger loads could be transported with the same power compared to horse haulage along roads.

== Ancient systems ==

The earliest evidence is of the {{cvt|6 to 8.5|km|mi}} long ''[[Diolkos]]'' paved trackway, which transported boats across the [[Isthmus of Corinth]] in [[Greece]] from around 600 BC.<ref name=" Verdelis, mikolaos (1950stas), 526">{{cite journal| last=Verdelis| first=Nikolaos| title=Le diolkos de L'Isthme| journal=Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique| volume=81| date=1957| pages=526–529}}</ref><ref name="Cook, R. M. (1979), 152">{{cite journal| last=Cook| first=R.M.| title=Archaic Greek Trade: Three Conjectures 1. The Diolkos| journal=The Journal of Hellenic Studies| volume=99| date=1979| pages=152–155| doi=10.2307/630641| jstor=630641| s2cid=161378605}}</ref><ref name="Drijvers, J.W. (1992), 75">{{cite journal| last=Drijvers| first=J.W.| title=Strabo VIII 2,1 (C335): Porthmeia and the Diolkos| journal=Mnemosyne| volume=45| date=1992| pages=75–76}}</ref><ref name="Raepsaet, G. & Tolley, M. (1993), 256">{{cite journal| author1-link=Georges Raepsaet| last1=Raepsaet| first1=G.| last2=Tolley| first2=M.| title=Le Diolkos de l'Isthme à Corinthe: son tracé, son fonctionnement| journal=Bulletin de Correspondance Hellénique| volume=117| date=1993| pages=233–261| doi=10.3406/bch.1993.1679| url=http://www.persee.fr/docAsPDF/bch_0007-4217_1993_num_117_1_1679.pdf}}</ref><ref name="Lewis, M. J. T. (2001), 11">{{cite book| last=Lewis| first=M.J.T.| chapter-url=http://www.sciencenews.gr/docs/diolkos.pdf| chapter=Railways in the Greek and Roman world| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721083013/http://www.sciencenews.gr/docs/diolkos.pdf| archive-date=21 July 2011| editor1-last=Guy| editor1-first=A.| editor2-last=Rees| editor2-first=J.| title=Early Railways. A Selection of Papers from the First International Early Railways Conference| year=2001| pages=8–19}}</ref> Wheeled vehicles pulled by men and animals ran in grooves in [[limestone]], which provided the track element, preventing the wagons from leaving the intended route. The Diolkos was in use for over 650 years, until at least the 1st century AD.<ref name="Lewis, M. J. T. (2001), 11" /> Paved trackways were later built in [[Roman Egypt]].<ref>{{Cite journal | last = Fraser | first = P. M. | title = The ΔΙΟΛΚΟΣ of Alexandria | journal = [[Journal of Egyptian Archaeology|The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology]]  | volume = 47 | pages = 134–138 | year = 1961 | doi = 10.2307/3855873 | jstor = 3855873 }}</ref>

== Wooden rails ==

[[File:Mining cart.jpg|thumb|left|[[Minecart]] shown in ''[[De Re Metallica]]'' (1556). The guide pin fits in a groove between two wooden planks.]]
Such an operation was illustrated in Germany in 1556 by [[Georgius Agricola]] (image left) in his work [[De re metallica]].<ref>{{cite book| first=Georgius| last=Agricola| edition=Hoover translation| title=[[De re metallica]]| year=1913| page=156}}</ref> This line used "Hund" carts with unflanged wheels running on wooden planks and a vertical pin on the truck fitting into the gap between the planks to keep it going the right way. The miners called the wagons ''Hunde'' ("dogs") from the noise they made on the tracks.<ref>{{cite book |last=Lee |first=Charles E. |title=The Evolution of Railways |edition=2 |year=1943 |publisher=Railway Gazette |location=London |page=16 |oclc=1591369}}</ref>

[[File:Berlin Technikmuseum Holzbahn.jpg|thumb|[[Minecart]] from 16th century, found in [[Transylvania]]]]
Around 1568, [[Germans|German]] [[mining|miners]] working in the [[Society of Mines Royal|Mines Royal]] near [[Keswick, Cumbria|Keswick]] used such a system. Archaeological work at the Mines Royal site at Caldbeck in the English Lake District confirmed the use of "''hunds''".<ref>{{cite book| first1=Warren| last1=Allison| first2=Samuel| last2=Murphy| first3=Richard| last3=Smith| chapter=An Early Railway in the German Mines of Caldbeck| editor-first=G.| editor-last=Boyes| title=Early Railways 4: Papers from the 4th International Early Railways Conference 2008| publisher=Six Martlets| location=Sudbury| year=2010| pages=52–69}}</ref><ref name="timeline"/>

In 1604, [[Huntingdon Beaumont]] completed the [[Wollaton Wagonway]], built to transport [[coal]] from the mines at [[Strelley, Nottinghamshire|Strelley]] to [[Wollaton]] Lane End, just west of [[Nottingham]], [[England]]. Wagonways have been discovered between [[Broseley]] and [[Jackfield]] in [[Shropshire]] from 1605, used by James Clifford to transport coal from his mines in Broseley to the Severn River. It has been suggested that these are somewhat older than that at Wollaton.<ref name="timeline">{{cite web |title=Time line for early railway developments & Wollaton Waggonway associated dates|url=http://www.stephensonloco.org.uk/time_line.htm|date=15 October 2007|publisher=Stephenson Locomotive Society & Waggonway Research Circle|access-date=1 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| first=Peter| last=King| chapter=The First Shropshire Railways| editor-first=G.| editor-last=Boyes| title=Early Railways 4: Papers from the 4th International Early Railways Conference 2008| publisher=Six Martlets| location=Sudbury| year=2010| pages=70–84}}</ref> 

In [[1610]], [[Huntingdon Beaumont|Huntingdon]] introduced wooden waggonways as a form of coal transport in [[Northumberland|South East Northumberland]], waggons with one horse were used to carry coals from the local pits to the port on the [[River Blyth, Northumberland|River Blyth]]. From [[1692]] to [[1709]], the Plessey Waggonway was constructed from [[Plessey Woods Country Park|Plessey]] to [[Blyth, Northumberland|Blyth]], following the route of Plessey Road, where it derives its name. It was constructed of a double-line of [[beech]] rails on [[oak]] sleepers. The waggons had wooden wheels with nails driven into them to reduce wear and tear.<ref>{{Cite book |title=THE STORY OF BLYTH: A SHORT HISTORY |date=c. 1957 |publisher=McCall's Bookshop |location=Blyth, Northumberland |language=English}}</ref>

The [[Middleton Railway]] in [[Leeds]], which was built in 1758 as a wagonway, later became the world's first operational railway (other than funiculars), albeit in an upgraded form. In 1764, the first railway in America was built in [[Lewiston, New York]] as a wagonway.<ref name=Porter>{{cite book| last=Porter |first=Peter |title=Landmarks of the Niagara Frontier |publisher=Privately printed |year=1914 | oclc= 1044424468}}</ref>

Wagonways improved coal transport by allowing one horse to deliver between {{convert|10|and|13|LT|t ST|1|lk=on}} of [[coal]] per run{{mdash}} an approximate fourfold increase. Wagonways were usually designed to carry the fully loaded wagons downhill to a [[canal]] or boat dock and then return the empty wagons back to the mine.

== Metal rails ==

Until the beginning of the [[Industrial Revolution]], rails were made of wood, were a few inches wide and were fastened end to end, on logs of wood or "sleepers", placed crosswise at intervals of two or three feet. In time, it became common to cover them with a thin flat sheathing or "plating" of iron, in order to add to their life<ref name=EB1911>{{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Railways |volume=21 |pages=819–820 |first=Hugh Munro |last=Ross}}</ref> and reduce friction. This caused more wear on the wooden [[Roller (machine part)|rollers]] of the wagons and towards the middle of the 18th century, led to the introduction of iron wheels. However, the iron sheathing was not strong enough to resist buckling under the passage of the loaded wagons, so rails made wholly of iron were invented.<ref name=EB1911/>

<!-- {{convert}} does not always give a happy level of precision in the next few paras, 1mm is too fine & 10mm too coarse -->
In 1760, the [[Coalbrookdale]] Iron Works began to reinforce their wooden-railed tramway with iron bars,<ref name="PMEM1844">{{cite magazine| title=Historical Notes on Railways| magazine=The Practical Mechanic and Engineers Magazine| date=November 1844| pages=57–60}}</ref> which were found to facilitate passage and diminish expenses. As a result, in 1767, they began to make [[cast iron]] rails. These were probably {{convert|6|ft||sigfig=4|abbr=on|round=5}} long, with four projecting ears or lugs {{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on|round=5}} by {{convert|3+3/4|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} to enable them to be fixed to the [[Railroad tie|sleepers]]. The rails were {{convert|3+3/4|in|mm|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} wide and {{convert|1+1/4|in|mm|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} thick. Later, descriptions also refer to rails {{convert|3|ft|mm|sigfig=3|abbr=on|round=5}} long and only {{convert|2|in|mm|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} wide.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Lewis|first=Michael Jonathan Taunton|title=Early Wooden Railways|year=1970|publisher=Routledge & K. Paul|location=London|isbn=0-7100-6674-0|oclc=138270|pages= 160–65}}</ref>

=== Plateways, flangeways ===
{{main|Plateway}}
[[File:Little Eaton Tramway Replica Wagon small.jpg|thumb|right|A replica of a "Little Eaton Tramway" wagon, the tracks are plateways]]
A later system involved [[Cross section (geometry)|L-shaped]] [[Rail profile#Flanged rail|iron rails or plates]], each {{convert|3|ft|mm|abbr=on|0}} long and {{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} wide, having on the inner side an upright ledge or flange, {{convert|3|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} high at the centre and tapering to {{convert|2|in|mm|abbr=on|0}} at the ends, for the purpose of keeping the flat wheels on the track. Subsequently, to increase strength, a similar flange might be added below the rail.<ref name=EB1911/> Wooden [[Railroad tie|sleepers]] continued to be used{{mdash}}the rails were secured by [[Rail spike|spikes]] passing through the extremities{{mdash}}but, circa 1793, [[Rock (geology)|stone blocks]] began to be used, an innovation associated with [[Benjamin Outram]], although he was not the originator. This type of rail was known as the plate-rail, tramway-plate or way-plate, names that are preserved in the modern term "[[platelayer]]" applied to the workers who lay and maintain the [[permanent way]].<ref name=EB1911/> The wheels of flangeway wagons were plain, but they could not operate on ordinary roads as the narrow rims would dig into the surface.

=== Edgeways ===
[[File:Cromford and High Peak Railway cast-iron fishbelly rail.png|thumb|left|220px|Cast iron fishbelly edge rail manufactured by Outram at the [[Butterley Company]] ironworks for the [[Cromford and High Peak Railway]] (1831). These are smooth edgerails for wheels with flanges.]]
Another form of rail, the [[edge rail (rail profile)|edge rail]], was first used by [[William Jessop]] on a line that was opened as part of the [[Charnwood Forest Canal]] between [[Loughborough]] and [[Nanpantan]] in [[Leicestershire]] in 1789.<ref name=EB1911/> This line was originally designed as a plateway on the Outram system, but objections were raised to laying rails with upstanding ledges or flanges on the [[turnpike trust|turnpike]]. This difficulty was overcome by paving or "causewaying" the road up to the level of the top of the flanges.<ref name=EB1911/> In 1790, Jessop and his partner Outram began to manufacture edge-rails. Another example of the edge rail application was the [[Lake Lock Rail Road]] in the [[West Riding of Yorkshire|West Riding]] of [[Yorkshire]] (now [[West Yorkshire]]) used primarily for coal transport. The railway charged a toll and opened for traffic in 1798, making it the world's oldest public railway. The route started at Lake Lock, [[Stanley, West Yorkshire|Stanley]], on the [[Aire & Calder Navigation]], running from [[Wakefield]] to [[Outwood, West Yorkshire|Outwood]], a distance of approximately {{convert|3|mi|km|1}}. Edge-rails (with a side rack) were used on the nearby [[Middleton Railway|Middleton-Leeds rack railway]] (a length of this rail is on display in [[Leeds City Museum]]). The wheels of an edgeway have flanges, like modern railways and tramways. Causewaying is also done on modern [[level crossing]]s and tramways.

These two systems of constructing iron railways continued to exist until the early 19th century.<ref name=EB1911/> In most parts of England the plate-rail was preferred.<ref name=EB1911/> Plate-rails were used on the [[Surrey Iron Railway]] (SIR), from [[Wandsworth]] to [[West Croydon station|West Croydon]].<ref name=EB1911/> The SIR was sanctioned by Parliament in 1801 and finished in 1803.<ref name=EB1911/> Like the [[Lake Lock Rail Road]], the SIR was available to the public on payment of tolls; previous lines had all been private and reserved exclusively for the use of their owners.<ref name=EB1911/> Since it was used by individual operators, vehicles would vary greatly in wheel spacing ([[Rail gauge|gauge]]) and the plate rail coped better. In South [[Wales]] again, where in 1811 the railways were connected with canals, collieries, ironworks, and copper works, and had a total length of nearly {{convert|150|mi|km|0}},<ref name="PMEM1844"/> the plateway was almost universal.<ref name=EB1911/> But in the North of England and in Scotland the edge-rail was held in greater favor, and soon its superiority was generally established.<ref name=EB1911/> Wheels tended to bind against the flange of the plate rail and mud and stones would build up.

[[File:Chpr rail.jpg|thumb|220px|Lengths of fishbelly rail on stone support blocks. These are edgerails for wheels with flanges.]]
The manufacture of the rails themselves was gradually improved.<ref name=EB1911/> By making them in longer lengths, the number of joints per mile was reduced.<ref name=EB1911/> Joints were always the weakest part of the line.<ref name=EB1911/> Another advance was the substitution of wrought iron for cast iron, though that material did not gain wide adoption until after the patent for an improved method of rolling rails was granted in 1820 to [[John Birkinshaw]], of the [[Bedlington Ironworks]].<ref name=EB1911/> His rails were wedge-shaped in section, much wider at the top than at the bottom, with the intermediate portion or web thinner still. He recommended that they be made {{convert|18|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} long, suggesting that several might be welded together end to end to form considerable lengths. They were supported on sleepers by chairs at intervals of {{convert|3|ft|mm|sigfig=3|abbr=on|round=5}}, and were fish-bellied between the support points. As used by [[George Stephenson]] on the [[Stockton and Darlington Railway|Stockton & Darlington]], and [[Canterbury and Whitstable Railway|Canterbury & Whitstable]] lines, they weighed {{convert|28|lb/yd|kg/m|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name=EB1911/> On the [[Liverpool and Manchester Railway]] they were usually {{convert|12|or|15|ft|m|2|abbr=on}} long and weighed {{convert|35|lb/yd|kg/m|1|abbr=on}} and were fastened by iron wedges to chairs weighing {{convert|15|or|17|lb|kg|1|abbr=on}} each. The chairs were in turn fixed to the sleepers by two iron spikes, half-round wooden cross sleepers employed on embankments and stone blocks {{convert|20|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} square by {{convert|10|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} deep in cuttings. The fish-bellied rails were found to break near the chairs and starting in 1834, they were gradually replaced with [[Rail profile#Vignoles rail|parallel rails]] weighing {{convert|50|lb/yd|kg/m|1|abbr=on}}.<ref name=EB1911/>

== Steam power ==
[[File:TrevithicksEngine.jpg|thumb|A replica of Trevithick's engine at the [[National Waterfront Museum]], [[Swansea]]]]

In 1804, [[Richard Trevithick]], in the first recorded use of steam power on a railway, ran a high-pressure [[steam locomotive]] with smooth wheels on an 'L' section plateway near [[Merthyr Tydfil]], but it was more expensive than horses.<ref name=EB1911/> He made three trips from the iron mines at Penydarren to the Merthyr-Cardiff Canal and each time broke the rails that were designed for horse wagon loads. There was general doubt at the time that smooth wheels could obtain traction on smooth rails. This resulted in proposals using rack or other drive mechanisms.

[[File:Blenkinsop's rack locomotive, 1812 (British Railway Locomotives 1803-1853).jpg|thumb|left|The ''Salamanca'' locomotive]]
Mr Blenkinsop of Middleton Colliery patented the use of cogged wheels in 1811 and in 1812, the [[Middleton Railway]] (edgeway, rack rail) successfully used twin cylinder steam locomotives made by [[Matthew Murray]] of [[Holbeck]], [[Leeds]]. [[George Stephenson]] made his first steam locomotive in 1813 (patented 1815) for the [[Killingworth]] colliery,<ref name="PMEM1844"/> and found smooth wheels on smooth rails provided adequate grip. Although he later recounted that they called this locomotive 'My Lord' as it was financed by [[Thomas Liddell, 1st Baron Ravensworth|Lord Ravensworth]], it seems that it was known at the time as [[Killingworth locomotives#Blücher|Blücher]]. In 1814 William Stewart was engaged by Parkend Coal Co in the [[Forest of Dean]] for the construction of a steam locomotive, which when trialled was reported to be successful.<ref name="PMEM1844"/> Stewart did not receive his expected reward and the two parties parted on bad terms. Stewart was 'obliged to abandon the engine to that Company'.<ref>{{cite magazine| title=Inventors and Capitalists| first=William| last=Stewart| magazine=The Practical Mechanic and Engineer's Magazine| date=October 1844| page=24}}</ref> In 1821 when a wagonway was proposed to connect the mines at [[Durham, England|West Durham]], [[Darlington]] and the [[River Tees]] at [[Stockton-on-Tees|Stockton]], [[George Stephenson]] successfully argued that horse-drawn wagonways were obsolete and a steam-powered railway could carry 50 times as much coal. {{citation needed|date=May 2012}} In 1825 he built the locomotive ''[[Locomotion No 1|Locomotion]]'' for the [[Stockton and Darlington Railway]] in England's northeast, which became the world's first public steam railway in 1825, via both horse power and steam power on different runs.

Stationary steam engines for mining were generally available around the middle of the 18th century.{{fact|date=May 2019}} Wagonways and steam-powered railways had steep uphill sections and would employ a cable powered by a stationary steam engine to work the inclined sections. British troops in Lewiston, New York used a cable wagonway to move supplies to bases before the [[American Revolutionary War]]. The Stockton and Darlington had two inclined sections powered by cable. The transition from a wagonway to a fully steam-powered railway was gradual. Railways up to the 1830s that were steam-powered often made runs with horses when the steam locomotives were unavailable. Even in the steam age, it was convenient to use horses in station yards to [[Shunting (rail)|shunt]] wagons from one place to another. Horses do not need lengthy times to raise steam in the boiler, and can take shortcuts from one siding to another. At [[Hamley Bridge]] tenders were called for the supply of horses, in part because normal railway staff lacked horse handling skills.

== Pole road ==
<!-- linked from redirect [[Pole road]] -->
[[File:"Perdido", a pole road locomotive.jpg|thumb|''Perdido'', a steam pole road locomotive]]
Wooden rails continued to be used for temporary railroads into the twentieth century. Some timber harvesting companies in the southeastern [[United States]] created pole roads using unmarketable logs, which were effectively free, to create tracks at a cost of between $100 and $500 per mile. Permanence was not an issue, as the [[lumberjack]]s moved on to other stands of [[Tree|timber]] as each area was cleared.<ref name="Trains_1948">{{cite magazine| title=Pole Road Locomotives of the Early Days| magazine=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]]| date=February 1948}}</ref> At least one such pole road system reportedly extended some {{convert|20|mi|km}}.<ref>[http://www.escohis.org/atmore_alabama (untitled)] {{dead link|date=March 2018}}</ref>

Typically the pole rails were [[Trunk (botany)|logs]] of {{convert|8 to 12|in|cm}} diameter, laid parallel directly on the ground without [[railroad tie|cross-ties]], and joined end-to-end with [[lap joint]]s and [[wood]]en [[wikt:peg|peg]]s. [[Rolling stock]] typically had wheels either with concave rims that hugged the top of the pole rails, or un-flanged wheels with separate guide wheels running against the side of each rail. Steam [[traction engine]]s and some purpose-built locomotives were successfully used for hauling trains of logs. For example, ''Perdido'' was built by [[Adams & Price Locomotive and Machinery Works]] of [[Nashville, Tennessee]] in 1885 for the [[Wallace, Sanford and Company]] sawmill at [[Atmore, Alabama|Williams Station, Alabama]], where it hauled up to seven cars of 3 or 4 logs each. This was a geared engine (4.5 to 1 [[gear train|gear ratio]]), driving four individually-rotating concave-rim wheels on stationary axles via chain drives; powerful but running less than {{convert|5|mph|km/h}}.<ref name="Trains_1948"/> Still later, modified [[semi-trailer truck|semitrailer tractors]] have been used.<ref>{{cite video| url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-ScI_Gve0w| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/2-ScI_Gve0w| archive-date=2021-12-11 | url-status=live| title=A Pole Road in use: A logging engine moves on tracks made from logs of wood in A...HD Stock Footage| date=June 21, 2014| publisher=CriticalPast| website=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

==Decline==

As steam power gradually replaced horse power throughout the 19th century, the term "wagonway" became obsolete and was superseded by the term "railway". {{As of|{{CURRENTYEAR}}}}, very few horse or cable freight railways are operating, notable examples being the cable-hauled [[St Michael's Mount Tramway]] and the [[Reisszug]], which has been in continuous operation since around 1900. A few passenger lines continue to operate, including the horse-hauled [[Douglas Bay Horse Tramway]] and the cable-hauled [[San Francisco cable car system|San Francisco cable cars]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Trains}}
{{div col}}
* [[Barlow rail]]
* [[Granite Railway]]
* [[Guide rail]]
* [[Hay Railway]]
* [[Holy Island Waggonway]]
* [[Horsecar]]
* [[Mine railway]]
* [[Rail profile]]
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1=Smiles|first1=Samuel|last2=Stephenson|first2=George|title=The life of George Stephenson, Railway Engineer |url=http://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/the_life_of_george_stephenson_railway_engineer-1858.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150703205749/http://www.survivorlibrary.com/library/the_life_of_george_stephenson_railway_engineer-1858.pdf |archive-date=2015-07-03 |url-status=live|year=1857|location=London|oclc=162233825}}
* {{cite book|last1=Westwood|first1=John Norton|title=The Pictorial History of Railways|year=1988|publisher=Bison Books|location=London|isbn=0-86124-446-X|oclc=34774624|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/pictorialhistory0000west}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110613005054/http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=1747 Description and photographs of the archaeological excavation of a wooden waggonway on the site of Lambton Coke Works in North East England.]
* [https://archive.today/20130804150108/http://www.llanellich.org.uk/Files/st-davids-railway.html The two and a half mile long Dafen (Llanelli) railway opened in 1833.]

[[Category:History of rail transport]]
[[Category:Horse-drawn railways]]