Jersey Eastern Railway
49°10′55″N2°06′25″W/ 49.182°N 2.107°W
 Jersey Eastern Railway on a map of former railways of Jersey | |
 Plaque at the former Snow Hill terminus in St Helier | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | St. Helier |
| Locale | Jersey |
| Dates of operation | 1873–1929 |
| Successor | Abandoned |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm(4 ft8+1⁄2in) |
| Length | 6.75 mi (10.86 km) |
TheJersey Eastern Railwaywas a standard gaugerailwaythat began operations on 6 August 1873 inJersey.The line closed on 21 June 1929.[1]
History
[edit]
TheLoi pour l'établissement d'un Chemin de Fer entre la Ville de St.-Hélier et Goreywas approved on 16 March 1871 (confirmed by Order in Council 19 March 1872), with 68 articles of theprojetin the name of the Jersey Eastern Railway Company Limited. The law (repealed by theStatute Law Revision (No. 3) (Jersey) Law, 1966) authorised the railway from Snow Hill in St Helier, to Gorey and from there to St Catherine's Bay inSt Martin,although the latter route was never begun. There was no mention of gauge. Article 54 of the project was significant in stating that any disagreement with property owners must be resolved by the Royal Court for consideration and decision, and the claimant could not cause work to cease by raising theclameur de haro(as had happened with the Jersey Railway construction).
On 15 May 1871, the committee appointed by the States met to consider objections by landowners; the majority were satisfied that they had received fair compensation.
The first turf was dug by Mrs Mourant, wife of Edward Mourant, the chairman of the Board of Directors, at a private ceremony on 17 September 1872. The line was opened on 6 August 1873, with a train of six carriages taking theStatesMembers and their wives along the track to Grouville Station in 15 minutes.
The official opening of Gorey station was on 25 May 1891, to coincide withQueen Victoria’s birthday. The journey of just over six miles from St Helier cost 9d (old pence) first class return, 6d second class return.
In 1923 the Jersey Motor Transport Company started a bus service carrying passengers all over the Island. The Jersey Eastern Railway tried to counter the fierce competition by running their own bus service in 1926, but this was not much of a success, and declining profits led to termination of both the bus and train services on 21 June 1929. The company itself wasliquidatedin 1932.
Most of the land was sold to adjacent landowners, but part of the route can be seen near Fauvic (at the southeastern tip of the island), where it has been preserved as a footpath.[2]
TheJersey Eastern Railway Terminus Hotelat Snow Hill remains, and is on the Register of Historic Buildings.[3]
Route
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The line began atSaint Helier,with intermediate stations located at Georgetown,Samarès,Le Hocq,Pontac,La Rocqueand Fauvic, with the eastern terminus inGrouville,originally opposite the Wimbledon Hotel, later extended toGoreyand then to Gorey Pier.[4]
Locomotives
[edit]
- North Western2-4-0T Built bySharp Stewartin 1870, (Works No. 2047). Locomotive was purchased from the Jersey Railway in 1878 and was withdrawn in 1898 and eventually sold to a Scottish Quarry.
Messrs.Kitson & Co.ofLeedsbuilt all four of the following 0-4-2T engines:
- Caesarea,1872. (Works No. 1832)
- Calvados,1872. (Works No. 1833)
- Mont Orgueil,1886
- Carteret,1898. (Works No. 3800)
Railcars
[edit]- Normandy
- Brittany
Both were built bySentinel Waggon Worksand purchased in 1927. Both were withdrawn on 21 June 1929 when the line closed, withNormandybeing regauged and sold to theJersey Railway.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^"Jersey Heritage Trust"(PDF).Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 28 September 2007.Retrieved20 March2007.
- ^BBC Jersey - Nature - Times, Tides and Towers
- ^Jersey Government (website)[permanent dead link]
- ^49°11′56″N2°01′37″W/ 49.199°N 2.027°WGorey Pier
Bibliography
[edit]- Balleine, G. R.; Stevens, Joan (1970).The Bailiwick of Jersey(New rev. and reset ed.). London: Hodder & Stoughton.ISBN0340002670.
- Bonsor, N. R. P. (1986).Jersey Eastern Railway and the German Occupation Lines in Jersey.The Railways of the Channel Islands, vol. 2; The Oakwood Library of Railway History, 58 A (2nd rev. ed.). Headington, Oxford: Oakwood Press.ISBN0853613451.
- Mollet, Ralph (1954).A Chronology of Jersey(4th ed.). Jersey:Société Jersiaise.OCLC43181706.
- Paye, P. (2007).The Jersey Eastern Railway.Oakwood Library of Railway History, 143. Usk, Monmouthshire, Wales: Oakwood Press.ISBN9780853616641.
- Syvret, Marguerite; Stevens, Joan; Balleine, G. R. (2011).Balleine's History of Jersey.Andover, Hampshire: Phillimore & Co.ISBN9781860776502.