Jump to content
 

Swinden Quarry


Recommended Posts

Hi,

Has anyone ever tried to model Swinden Quarry in North Yorkshire, or scratch-build the site shunter, 'Cracoe'? Looking for some inspiration, tracks plans and photos for a planned project but it seems to be hard to come by!


Thanks in advance.

Edited by alexl102
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

The only layout design that springs to mind is the one done by Paul Lunn in Santona's 'Model Railway Planning and Design Handbook' which is for a 6'×4' proposed double sided '00' layout, the same design possibly was featured in the Dec 1997 Railway Modeller.

 

Paul suggests 'The Yorkshire Dales Railway - The Grassington Branch by D. Binns as one source of information plus several issues of Rail Magazine which give minor references.

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Have just had a look at my copy of the Donald Binns book and can recommend this as a good source of information; 40pp, several track layouts for different periods up to 1985 (two of the quarry sidings in 1909 and 1985) are drawn plus history and many photos along the line with a few of the quarry terminal.

 

Published in 1990, so that's the limit of any info and photos, my copy cost £6 s/hand from one of the dealers at a show so shouldn't break the bank.

 

Regards,

Ian.

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...
  • RMweb Gold

I do have some shots of Cracoe, back on prints taken around 1998/1999 in Tilcon livery. You need me to dig them out, I can, but it was Co-Co shunter built at Doncaster if I remember rightly by what was then RFS?

 

Rich

Link to post
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...
  • RMweb Premium

Hi Alex,

I found the photos and plans I have from my A level geography project I did in 1994/5. There aren’t really any of the rail operations in the quarry but there are a few bits you might find useful. I’ll get them scanned and added over the week. 
In the meantime here’s a line drawing of the crushing plant I did for the report cover:

1F4FF443-F505-445A-821F-DDD9BEAEE142.jpeg.f94f35f12747330ea17fbab6fb8851d9.jpeg

Edited by MrTea
Extra spaces
  • Like 6
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Firstly, here are a couple of shots of an architectural scale model from the 1990s planning application to extend the quarry workings. 


B8A96773-16D1-4A31-94D4-8CC8F28067B7.jpeg.2eb72d2494721debd42b3e4d3e6b9bad.jpeg

Model showing the landform to be left if the planning permission was not to be extended. Tilcon (the operators at the time) had minimal obligations with regards to the restoration. The quarry walls are approximately 78m high at the western end of Swinden Hill. You can see the course of the Grassington branch curving in from the left and sitting between the main road and the original road line in front of the quarry. 
 

99D2C5F3-7226-4E32-B23D-D46D99B89100.jpeg.5d7f5d0537f3675afb581f5ed998a5de.jpeg

The 1990s proposal made provisions for a lake in the extended (deepened) quarry workings. Tilcon also proposed lowering the slopes of Swinden Hill to create a lower overall profile. 


Planning permission was refused by the National Park authority although the company submitted a revised application in early 1994.

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

In terms of the rail operations I didn’t find any detailed photos of the site but I do remember seeing the new 100 tonne shunting locomotive ‘Cracoe’ on a number of occasions. 
 

I did find some images of Tilcon’s related operation in Cross Green near Leeds. As I understand it, this is where a considerable proportion of the quarry’s output was sent by rail. 
 

D85B863A-1E68-4F1D-B8D3-2B84CD4B7B91.jpeg.85453393a1a6e6c65a43d81695fb14df.jpeg

The new Parker asphalt and macadam plant at Cross Green. ‘It is estimated that the development of the rail facilities at Cross Green and Swinden will allow a reduction of around 105 HGV movements per day on the B6265’.

 

CD1AC538-9C16-4509-9C4B-CD68B8252CBA.jpeg.d9c9107a6fd5cdfade86fd3282daa9d3.jpeg

One of the fleet of new 90 tonne Powell Duffryn aggregate wagons unloading at the Cross Green complex hauled by a Trainload Freight class 60 locomotive no. 60003. 

  • Like 1
Link to post
Share on other sites

  • RMweb Premium

Here are the maps I have:
246950387_Quarrymap.jpeg.8ce8dd3805a7670c18bfb906c663568d.jpeg

 

28966948_Quarrymap2.jpeg.fd1687665e1c1cbb16b56117151d97a1.jpeg

This is a more detailed version showing the contours of the hill and the railway sidings on the right.

 

Hope these are of interest.

 

While I was looking around to see what had changed since I did my report I came across this article from 2012:
https://www.aggbusiness.com/ab1/ab2/ab3/feature/tarmac-wins-public-support-expansion

It includes a photo of the sidings.

e.g.

71513.jpg

 

 

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Alex not sure how far you've got with planning, but this is an end view with a rare special arriving at the quarry in March this year.  It gives some idea of track plan at North end.  I have a few more shots of Cracoe which I'll load in next couple of days.  24240954_DSCN1199(1).JPG.ab78b0af92bd277861f11e2f79e768eb.JPG

  • Like 3
Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...