The World's Oldest Working Railway!

Middleton Railway in Leeds is the oldest working railway in the world, founded in 1758. Now run by a volunteer organisation and open to the public, we take a look at how it began as a wagonway and developed through the years to the present day.
We take a ride on the steam train along it's entire route, and explore what remains of the rest of the route from Hunslet to the top of Middleton Park.
The Middleton Steam Railway built for the Middleton Colliery was the first railway to be authorised by Act of Parliament in 1758. It was built to a gauge of 4 ft 1 in to carry coal from the pits owned by Charles John Brandling to Leeds. Not all the land belonged to Brandling and the Act gave him power to obtain wayleave. Otherwise the line was privately financed and operated, initially as a wagonway using horse-drawn vehicles.
Around 1807 the wooden tracks began to be replaced with edge rails.
In 1812 the Middleton Steam Railway became the first railway to commercially use steam locomotives. John Blenkinsop the colliery's viewer, or manager, decided that an engine light enough not to break the track would not have sufficient adhesion. Accordingly he re-laid the track on one side with a toothed rail, which he patented in 1811, and approached Matthew Murray of Fenton, Murray and Wood to design a locomotive with a pinion which would mesh with it.

VIDEO INFORMATION CREDITS & THANK YOU'S
Middleton Railway
Friends of Middleton Park
Kris Ward
Ian Smith
Leeds Library & Information Services
Sheila Bye
Steve Sainsbury - Rail Thing

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