The Kingston to Montego Bay railway was the main railway in Jamaica, which from 1845 to 1992 linked the capital Kingston with the second city Montego Bay, passing en route most of the major towns.
Construction, operation and closure The first of (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 extension from Spanish Town to Old Harbour was added in 1869 at a cost of £60,000.The Jamaica Railway 1845-1945 by H R Fox, General Manager, Jamaica Government Railway in The Railway Magazine of November & December 1945.
A further extension from Old Harbour to Porus was added in 1885 at a cost of around £187,000.
The final from Porus to Montego Bay was completed in 1895.1866 to 1913 Crown Colony Government discoverjamaica.com
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 alumina 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 of sea level, for about before starting a gentle climb over from Bodles to near Lancaster Halt. From here there was a plateau for about to the Milk River and the start of the climb through Scotts Pass and Porus to just north of Kendal.
Between Kendal and Mile Gully the line reaches its summit at around ; in this section the ruling curvature was and the ruling gradient was 1 in 30 (3.33%).The Jamaica Railway 1845-1945, H R Fox (General Manager, Jamaica Government Railway), The Railway Magazine Volume 91 Number 560 November and December 1945, pages 313-317.
From Mile Gully there was a gentle descent over to near Raheen. From here the line ran on the level across the Appleton Plain to Maggotty and the start of a climb to near Stonehenge. From here to Catadupa the line ran on the level then descended to 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:Annual Transport Statistics Report: Jamaica in Figures 2003-2004 , Ministry of Transport and Works, July 2005, Table 3.5 - Mileage for JRC Stations, Halts & Sidings in relation to the Kingston Railway Terminus 2003-2004.
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 HaltUK Directorate of Overseas Surveys 1:50,000 map of Jamaica sheet D, 1959. 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)
Tunnels There are 13 tunnels on the line:Annual Transport Statistics Report: Jamaica in Figures 2003-2004 , Ministry of Transport and Works, July 2005, Table 3.6 - List of JRC Railway Tunnels by Line 2003-2004. No. Name Distance from Kingston Parish Length miles km feet metres 1 Scotts Pass 71.2 Clarendon 70 21.3 2 Scotts Pass 71.6 170 51.8 3 Comfort Hall 105.4 St. Elizabeth 688 209.1 4 Balaclava 70 112.6 348 106.1 5 Highworth 84 135.2 182 55.5 6 Y S 136.0 218 66.4 7 Ipswich 138.8 855 260.6 8 141.2 St. James 555 164.6 9 Merrywood 142.4 362 115.8 10 Anchovy 168.2 102 31.1 11 Ramble 108 173.8 182 55.5 12 Bogue Hill 174.6 1,276 388.9 13 Bogue Hill 175.0 458 139.6
Bridges There were 51 significantIn this context, significant means mapped on the Directorate of Overseas Surveys 50K series of maps: 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 blocksVolume 6 Number 7 , Monthly Comments, Ansell Hart, 1968-06. 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 three branch line junctions, three railway works junctions and four 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
Notes and references
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. Advertisement for shares in the railway published in the Railway Register in Britain in 1845