Railways of Jamaica: Spanish Town to Ewarton
Encyclopedia
The Spanish Town to Ewarton line was built to serve the citrus growing regions in the interior of Saint Catherine, particularly those around the towns of Bog Walk
, Linstead
and Ewarton
.
All external links below are to WikiMapia.
to Ewarton
were completed in 1885 at a cost of approximately £93,000.
The section from Linstead to Ewarton was closed in 1947. It was later reopened as far as the Bauxite processing plant just east of Ewarton.
The rest of the line closed to passengers in 1992 but it remains open for Bauxite traffic.
Bog Walk
Bog Walk is a town in the parish of Saint Catherine, Jamaica...
, Linstead
Linstead
Linstead is a town in the parish of St. Catherine, Jamaica in the West Indies. In 1991 its population was 14,144. It is located 12 mi/19 km NNW of Spanish Town.-Description:...
and Ewarton
Ewarton
-History:The name is most likely a compound of the surname "Ewart" and the suffix -ton, meaning town.The town's economy prospered particularly from 1957 when ALCAN established a bauxite plant nearby...
.
All external links below are to WikiMapia.
Construction, operation and closure
The 14 miles of standard gauge track from Spanish TownSpanish Town
Spanish Town is the capital and the largest town in the parish of St. Catherine in the county of Middlesex, Jamaica. It was the former Spanish and English capital of Jamaica from the 16th to the 19th century...
to Ewarton
Ewarton
-History:The name is most likely a compound of the surname "Ewart" and the suffix -ton, meaning town.The town's economy prospered particularly from 1957 when ALCAN established a bauxite plant nearby...
were completed in 1885 at a cost of approximately £93,000.
The section from Linstead to Ewarton was closed in 1947. It was later reopened as far as the Bauxite processing plant just east of Ewarton.
The rest of the line closed to passengers in 1992 but it remains open for Bauxite traffic.
Gradients
The line climbs 700 feet in 14 miles (average gradient 1 in 106) from Spanish Town station (just under 100 feet) to its summit at Ewarton (800 feet).Stations and Halts
There were 4 stations and 5 halts on the line:- Spanish Town Station (Branch Terminus)
- St. John’s Road Halt
- Angels Halt
- Crescent Halt
- Bog Walk Station
- Michleton Halt
- Linstead Station
- Sterling Castle Halt
- Ewarton Station (Terminus)
Tunnels
There are 4 tunnels, from south to north:Bridges
There are 7 significant bridges on the line:- Viaduct ~70m
- Thomas River ~15m
- Rio Cobre ~40m
- Viaduct (not visible in satellite imagery)
- Rio Magno Gully ~85m
- Byndloss Gully ~20m
- Unnamed Gully ~40m