Railways of Jamaica: Kingston to Montego Bay

Kingston to Montego Bay

Legend 0.0 Kingston to goods yard and railway piers 1, 2 & 3 to engine sheds to turntable, workshops & PWD to locomotive works Trench Town Gully Shoemakers Gully Greenwich Town Halt Marcus Garvey Drive Halt Unclassified road (gated) Hunts Bay Halt Cockfight Bridge Salt River to sugar estate light railway Rio Cobre 10.5 Gregory Park Station x20px 50' contour 14.5 Grange Lane Station Irrigation canal 18.9 Spanish Town Station 18.9 Spanish Town Junction Irrigation canal Town Gully Track 20.5 Horizon Park Halt Irrigation canal 24.1 Hartlands Halt Estate light railway crossing x20px 50' contour Cut Throat Gully Spring Garden River x20px 50' contour Irrigation canal Irrigation canal Coleburns Gully 32.2 Bushy Park Halt Church Pen Gully east Church Pen Gully west Stony Gully Fraser's Gully 36.5 to works 36.6 Old Harbour Station Old Harbour(?) River Bowers Gully 39.8 Bodles Junction Sandy Bay Halt x20px 100' contour x20px 100' contour Palmetto Gully x20px 100' contour Bushy Park or Inverness Halt x20px 250' contour Lancasters Halt Hunts Pen road x20px 250' contour A2 road Rio MinhoCombined A2 road and rail 52.3 May Pen Station 52.3 May Pen Junction Jacks Gully #1 Jacks Gully #2 55.4 Logans Junction Halt 55.5 Logan's Junction 56.3 Denbigh Siding Jacks Gully #3 56.7 Jacob’s Hut Jacks Gully #4 59.5 Four Paths Station 63.2 Rock Halt Flemings Gully east Flemings Gully west 68.4 Clarendon Park Station x20px 250' contour Milk River 70.8 Scott’s Pass Halt 71.2 No. 1 Scotts Pass Tunnel21m 71.6 No. 2 Scotts Pass Tunnel52m Milk River (seasonal) 75.2 Porus Station x20px 500' contour Unnamed Halt Track x20px 750' contour x20px 1000' contour x20px 1250' contour 85.3 Williamsfield Station 88.1 Kendal Station Kendal - Mandeville road x20px 1500' contour x20px 1500' contour x20px 1500' contour 93.3 Grove Place Halt 98.2 Greenvale Station (Mile Gully) x20px 1500' contour x20px 1250' contour x20px 1250' contour x20px 1250' contour 105.4 No. 3 Comfort Hall Tunnel209m 105.8 Comfort Hall Siding & Halt x20px 1000' contour 109.0 Duck Pond Halt x20px 750' contour 111.0 Oxford Siding 112.6 No. 4 Balaclava Tunnel106m x20px 750' contour 113.4 Balaclava Station B6 road x20px 750' contour x20px 500' contour Estate light railway crossing Raheen Halt 121.9 Siloah Halt 123.5 Appleton Station Appleton estate light railway 124.7 Appleton Tourist Halt Black River #1 Black River #2 128.3 Maggotty Station Black River #3 and Maggoty Falls road x20px 500' contour x20px 750' contour 135.2 No. 5 Highworth Tunnel56m 136.0 No. 6 YS Tunnel66m 138.0 Ipswich Station Ipswich - Merrywood road 138.8 No. 7 Ipswich Tunnel261m x20px 750' contour x20px 750' contour 140.8 Breadnut Walk Halt 141.2 No. 8 Unnamed Tunnel165m 142.4 No. 9 Merrywood Tunnel116m x20px 1000' contour 146.0 Stonehenge Station 151.3 Catadupa Station x20px 1000' contour Richmond Hill road B6 road x20px 750' contour 157.3 Cambridge Station Seven River #1 Seven River #2 x20px 500' contour Fifth Bridge (Seven River #3) Seven River #4 Seven River #5 Browns River 165.7 Montpelier Station Anchovy Gully x20px 500' contour B6 road 168.2 No. 10 Anchovy Tunnel31m 170.2 Anchovy Station 171.8 Ailford’s Halt 173.8 No. 11 Ramble Tunnel56m x20px 500' contour 174.6 No. 12 Long Hill Tunnel389m x20px 500' contour 175.0 No. 13 Bogue Hill Tunnel140m Viaduct over dry valley x20px 250' contour 177.0 Gordon’s Halt x20px 100' contour x20px 50' contour Montego River to engine sheds to sidings 181.4 Montego Bay

The Kingston to Montego Bay line was Jamaica's main railway. It linked the capital Kingston with the second city Montego Bay, passing en route most of the major towns.

Construction, operation and closure

The first 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm) (standard gauge) track were laid from Kingston to Angels (just North of Spanish Town) in 1845 at a cost of £222,250, or £15,377 per mile against a budgeted cost £150,000.

An 11-mile (18 km) extension from Spanish Town to Old Harbour was added in 1869 at a cost of £60,000.

A further 24½ mile extension from Old Harbour to Porus was added in 1885 at a cost of around £187,000.

The final 62 miles (100 km) from Porus to Montego Bay was completed in 1895.

Much of the line closed in October 1992 when all passenger traffic on Jamaica's railways abruptly ceased. Some sections remain in use for bauxite and aluminium freight while the section from Montego Bay to the Appleton Estate remained open for a while as a tourist attraction.

Gradients and curvature

From Kingston the line ran west along the coastal plain, within 50 feet (15.2 m) of sea level, for about 40 miles (64 km) before starting a gentle climb over 5.25 miles (8.45 km) from Bodles to 250 feet (76.2 m) near Lancaster Halt. From here there was a plateau for about 24.25 miles (39.03 km) to the Milk River and the start of the 20 miles (32 km) climb through Scotts Pass and Porus to 1,500 feet (457.2 m) just north of Kendal.

Between Kendal and Mile Gully the line reaches its summit at around 1,700 feet (518.2 m); in this section the ruling curvature was 300 feet (91.4 m) and the ruling gradient was 1 in 30 (3.33%).

From Mile Gully there was a gentle descent over 17 miles (27 km) to 500 feet (152.4 m) near Raheen. From here the line ran on the level across the Appleton Plain to Maggotty and the start of a climb to 1,000 feet (304.8 m) near Stonehenge. From here to Catadupa the line ran on the level then descended to 500 feet (152.4 m) at Seven River. Another level section brought it to Long Hill Tunnel and the final descent into Montego Bay.

Stations and Halts

There were 22 stations and 17 halts:

Kingston (Terminus) Greenwich Town Halt Marcus Garvey Drive Halt                  Hunts Bay Halt Gregory Park Station Grange Lane Station Spanish Town Station Horizon Park Halt Hartlands Halt Bushy Park Halt Old Harbour Station May Pen Station Jacob’s Hut Four Paths Station Rock Halt Clarendon Park Station Scott’s Pass Halt Porus Station Williamsfield Station Kendal Station Grove Place Halt Greenvale Station Comfort Hall Halt Duck Pond Halt Oxford Halt Balaclava Station Siloah Halt Appleton Station Appleton Tourist Halt Maggotty Station Ipswich Station Breadnut Walk Halt Stonehenge Station Catadupa Station Cambridge Station Montpelier Station Anchovy Station Ailford’s Halt Gordon’s Halt Montego Bay (Terminus)

Gregory Park railway station c1980. File:Montego Bay railway station c1905.jpg Montego Bay railway station c1905.

Tunnels

There are 13 tunnels on the line:

No.	Name	Mi from Kingston	Km from Kingston	Parish	Length feet	Length meters
1	Scotts Pass	44.25	71.2	Clarendon	70	21.3
2	Scotts Pass	44.50	71.6	Clarendon	170	51.8
3	Comfort Hall	65.50	105.4	St. Elizabeth	688	209.1
4	Balaclava	70.00	112.6	St. Elizabeth	348	106.1
5	Highworth	84.00	135.2	St. Elizabeth	182	55.5
6	Y S	84.50	136.0	St. Elizabeth	218	66.4
7	Ipswich	86.25	138.8	St. Elizabeth	855	260.6
8	Unnamed	87.75	141.2	St. James	555	164.6
9	Merrywood	88.50	142.4	St. James	362	115.8
10	Anchovy	104.50	168.2	St. James	102	31.1
11	Ramble	108.00	173.8	St. James	182	55.5
12	Bogue Hill	108.50	174.6	St. James	1276	388.9
13	Bogue Hill	108.75	175.0	St. James	458	139.6

Bridges

There were 51 significant bridges and one viaduct on the line

• Trench Town Gully
• Shoemakers Gully
• Cockfight Bridge (gully)
• Salt River
• Rio Cobre
• Irrigation canal east
• Irrigation canal west
• Creek Town Gully
• Track (rail over)
• Irrigation canal
• Cut Throat Gully
• Spring Garden River
• Irrigation canal east
• Irrigation canal west
• Coleburns Gully
• Church Pen Gully east
• Church Pen Gully west
• Stony Gully
• Fraser's Gully
• Old Harbour(?) River
• Bowers Gully
• Palmetto Gully
• Hunts Pen road (rail over)
• A2 road (rail under)
• Rio Minho - originally completed in 1874, it was completely rebuilt during the second decade of the twentieth century by Hewson (of the Jamaica Government Railway) using the then new method of concrete blocks
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #1
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #2
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #3
• Jacks or St Annes Gully #4
• Flemings (sic) Gully east
• Flemings (sic) Gully west
• Milk River
• Milk River (seasonal)
• Track (rail over)
• Kendal - Mandeville road (rail over)
• B6 road, Balaclava (rail under)
• Black River #1
• Black River #2
• Black River #3
• Ipswich - Merrywood road (rail under)
• Richmond Hill road (rail under)
• B6 road, Jubilee (rail under)
• Seven River #1
• Seven River #2
• Seven River #3
• Seven River #4
• Seven River #5
• Browns River
• Anchovy Gully
• B8 road, Mount Carey (rail under)
• Bogue Viaduct
• Montego River

Junctions

There were 3 branch line junctions, 3 railway works junctions and 4 estate railway junctions on the line:

Branch lines

• Spanish Town Junction to Bog Walk, Ewarton, New Works and Port Antonio.
• May Pen Junction to Frankfield.
• Logans Junction to Fort Simmonds.

Railway works

• Kingston railway workshops.
• Kingston permanent way department.
• Kingston engine sheds.

Estate railways

• Caymanas estate.
• Bridge Pen.
• Raheen.
• Appleton.

Bauxite lines

• Bodles.

Piers

• Kingston railway piers numbers 1, 2 & 3.

External links

• Montego Bay to Williamsfield, Jamaica, 7 minute black and white silent film shot from the rear of a moving train, SINTZENICH, Hal & WEDDUP, Charlie, Kineto, 1913, Colonial Film: Moving Images of the British Empire.