Metropolitan Water Board Railway
Encyclopedia
The Metropolitan Water Board Railway was a narrow gauge industrial railway
built to serve the Metropolitan Water Board's pumping station at Kempton Park
near London
. The line was opened in 1916 and closed shortly after the Second World War.
at Kempton, three miles from the River Thames
at Hampton
. The Kempton engine houses contained a set of massive steam engines that drove the pumps which together consumed about 110 tons of coal a day. The cost of transporting and handling this amount of coal from the wharves at Hampton to the Kempton pumping station was significant.
A narrow gauge railway was proposed to ease the cost of supplying the Kempton engines. Construction had begun by May 1914 and by the end of 1915 the railway was ready to be opened.
Coal was brought to Hampton by barge, loaded into a large hopper by a high level crane, and then taken by the railway, in tipper wagons, to the pumping houses.
Motive power was provided by three steam locomotive
s, built by Kerr Stuart
& Co Ltd. These were 0-4-2
T
side-tank engines, named: Hampton, Kempton and Sunbury. They were painted a lined dark green livery, with much polished brasswork, including the prominent dome cover. Photographs indicate that the engines were maintained in immaculate condition.
The railway fulfilled its function until after the Second World War when, after a working life of 32 years, the quantity of coal transported fell dramatically and it was decided to shut the railway down. The locomotives were scrapped and most of the track was removed in 1947, although some was covered over to form a new roadway and is still in situ in 2006.
The Metropolitan Water Board Railway Society was formed with a view to the complete restoration of the line, to provide a visitor attraction and an alternative means of transport to the Kempton Park Great Engines.
features an extensive display of photographs and some artefects from the Metropolitan Water Board Railway. The museum's own steam railway, which was inspired by the Hampton to Kempton Park line, incorporates some recovered parts of the original trackwork.
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
built to serve the Metropolitan Water Board's pumping station at Kempton Park
Kempton Park Steam Engines
The Kempton Park Steam Engines are two large triple-expansion steam engines, dating from 1926–1929, at the Kempton Park waterworks, Middlesex, London. Each engine is of a similar size to that used in RMS Titanic and rated at about 1008 hp...
near London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The line was opened in 1916 and closed shortly after the Second World War.
History
In 1903, three private water companies in and around London came under the control of the newly formed Metropolitan Water Board. Included was the pumping stationPumping station
Pumping stations are facilities including pumps and equipment for pumping fluids from one place to another. They are used for a variety of infrastructure systems, such as the supply of water to canals, the drainage of low-lying land, and the removal of sewage to processing sites.A pumping station...
at Kempton, three miles from the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at Hampton
Hampton, London
Hampton is a suburban area, centred on an old village on the north bank of the River Thames, in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in England. Formerly it was in the county of Middlesex, which was formerly also its postal county. The population is about 9,500...
. The Kempton engine houses contained a set of massive steam engines that drove the pumps which together consumed about 110 tons of coal a day. The cost of transporting and handling this amount of coal from the wharves at Hampton to the Kempton pumping station was significant.
A narrow gauge railway was proposed to ease the cost of supplying the Kempton engines. Construction had begun by May 1914 and by the end of 1915 the railway was ready to be opened.
Coal was brought to Hampton by barge, loaded into a large hopper by a high level crane, and then taken by the railway, in tipper wagons, to the pumping houses.
Motive power was provided by three steam locomotive
Steam locomotive
A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...
s, built by Kerr Stuart
Kerr Stuart
Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner...
& Co Ltd. These were 0-4-2
0-4-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
T
Tank locomotive
A tank locomotive or tank engine is a steam locomotive that carries its water in one or more on-board water tanks, instead of pulling it behind it in a tender. It will most likely also have some kind of bunker to hold the fuel. There are several different types of tank locomotive dependent upon...
side-tank engines, named: Hampton, Kempton and Sunbury. They were painted a lined dark green livery, with much polished brasswork, including the prominent dome cover. Photographs indicate that the engines were maintained in immaculate condition.
The railway fulfilled its function until after the Second World War when, after a working life of 32 years, the quantity of coal transported fell dramatically and it was decided to shut the railway down. The locomotives were scrapped and most of the track was removed in 1947, although some was covered over to form a new roadway and is still in situ in 2006.
The Metropolitan Water Board Railway Society was formed with a view to the complete restoration of the line, to provide a visitor attraction and an alternative means of transport to the Kempton Park Great Engines.
Kew Bridge Steam Museum
The historic steam pumping station and museum at Kew BridgeKew Bridge Steam Museum
Kew Bridge Steam Museum houses a museum of water supply and a collection of water pumping steam engines. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage...
features an extensive display of photographs and some artefects from the Metropolitan Water Board Railway. The museum's own steam railway, which was inspired by the Hampton to Kempton Park line, incorporates some recovered parts of the original trackwork.
See also
- British industrial narrow gauge railwaysBritish industrial narrow gauge railwaysBritish industrial narrow gauge railways are narrow gauge railways in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man that were primarily built to serve one or more industries. Some offered passenger services for employees or workmen, but they did not run public passenger trains...
- Kempton Park Steam EnginesKempton Park Steam EnginesThe Kempton Park Steam Engines are two large triple-expansion steam engines, dating from 1926–1929, at the Kempton Park waterworks, Middlesex, London. Each engine is of a similar size to that used in RMS Titanic and rated at about 1008 hp...
- Kew Bridge Steam MuseumKew Bridge Steam MuseumKew Bridge Steam Museum houses a museum of water supply and a collection of water pumping steam engines. The museum is an Anchor Point of ERIH, The European Route of Industrial Heritage...
Further reading
- Hampton Waterworks and its Railway System, by Ron Howes and Ann Grant (from Kew Bridge Steam Museum),
Archive Magazine (March 1998), the Quarterly Journal for British Industrial and Transport History, published by Lightmoor Presshttp://www.hamptonkemptonrailway.org.uk/railway/membership.html
External links
- History of the railway
- Map of original route
- Metropolitan Water Board Railway Society – Site devoted to restoring the railway