BTW we have benchmarks 217ft to 230ft along Mount Road and 184 ft at line level where it crosses Rest Hill Rd which taking about 12ft off for drop from mount rd to quarry edge level gives about 27 ft which agrees with your last post. So it looks like the north part of the northern quarry dropped on average from 25ft deep to 80ft deep over a distance of about 650ft which equates to an average incline of 1:8 so if it was 1:20 incline from turntable then nearly two thirds of the north part of the northern quarry could be at 80ft deep.
Always worries me that they are blasting the face that the cranes stand on.
Last edited by diggingdeeper; 15th Mar 20094:56pm. Reason: forgot I was just talking about north part (above turntable) of north quarry
The (up to)1:20 incline refers to the track from the Mount Rd. tunnel to the river. I believe that, because of the use of horses, the line in & from the quarry to Mount Rd. tunnel was essentially level. Incidentally, to dump 453,000 tons of sandstone from the tunnel would need a volume of about 238,000 cu. yds., allowing 1.9 tons/cu.yd.
Yep, that ties up very nicely, if the quarry was an average of 40 yds wide and 500 yds long it would need and average depth of 35ft to do that. So the figures are cetainly in the right order. The southern part of the north quarry and the south quarry couldn't have an average depth as deep as the northern part of the north quarry.
I'm still wondering if they do slope, the horses only pulled empty waggons/trams on line to/from river because it was all down hill when laden and a number of places mention free-wheeling.
I have seen some quarries with overhead tracks on wooden frames/trellis. If they are loaded by crane it wouldn't matter.
We don't do charity in Germany, we pay taxes. Charity is a failure of governments' responsibilities - Henning Wehn
I've now found some height figures in my book "The Storeton Tramway" by R.C.Jermy. Heights are in feet. North quarry wagon turntable 200 Start of Storeton woods embankment 199 Rest Hill crossing 184 (As your benchmark) Mount Rd. tunnel (end) 204
So the hardest part for the horses was between Rest Hill & the Mount Rd. tunnel; a climb of 20ft. through Hancock's Wood. When I was a child, the Mount Rd. tunnel was only half filled in & you could get inside. The tunnel was approached through a cutting. At some time, the first half of the tunnel collapsed; this can still be seen, in the woods, right next to the Mount Rd. wall. Grid Ref. SJ315842 Now that your interest in the quarry has been aroused, you may want R.C.Jermy's book "The Storeton Tramway". It's usually available on Amazon.
A bit more history of the rails. As we know, they were probably bought secondhand from the Liverpool & Manchester Railway when they upgraded theirs to heavier type. This is a description of the original L & M R rail, and how it is retained in the chair. (It's from Hebert's Encyclopaedia of the Machinery, dated 1836, Vol.2.) Would it be possible for some kind local 'addict' to do a close-up photo of the end of the rail and the chair with the wedging pin fitted, to prove the connection with the L & R rails. (A light wire brushing would be usefull!) I've cropped a bit of diggingdeeper's photo of March 09 to show where I mean, unless there is a better example elsewhere.
I've only just discovered this thread after reading about the Storeton quarries on another site. Some great research here, what a fantastic place it must have been at the height of it's activity. It's a real shame that a lot more of the tramway couldn't have been preserved.
Do we know if the railway tracks were removed at some stage after the quarries were closed down or are they still buried under the woods? Similarly, what happened to the tracks for the part of the line from the quarry on the east side of Mount Road to the river near Port Sunlight? I've tried to order "The Storeton Tramway" book but unfortunately it's not available on Amazon at the moment. It's a fascinating subject. I've had a good look around and am still trying to locate where the cutting was made to start the tunnel that ran underneath Mount Road. I think I've found the collapsed part of it which is right up against the wall on Mount Road, near a couple of rope swings, about 50 yards south of the TV mast, but can't find the start of it.
a bit off topic but has anyone know what bunker in bunker hill would be on the map
1. a. A bin or tank especially for fuel storage, as on a ship. b. Fuel, such as coal or fuel oil, used especially in ships. Often used in the plural. 2. An underground fortification, often with a concrete projection above ground level for observation or gun emplacements. 3. Sports A sand trap serving as an obstacle on a golf course. tr.v. bun·kered, bun·ker·ing, bun·kers 1. To store or place (fuel) in a bunker. 2. Sports To hit (a golf ball) into a bunker.
