The Permanent Way of the 1805 Congleton Railway: New Evidence from Fieldwork

ABSTRACT The Congleton Railway was opened in 1805, traversing the Staffordshire/Cheshire border. Fieldwork carried out on the route in 2018 resulted in the discovery of numerous components of its early cast-iron trackwork, allowing the construction of this short colliery railway to be understood in significantly more depth than has previously been possible. Examples of two types of cast-iron rail, two types of supporting saddle, stone sleepers, track spikes and wagon wheels are described. The Congleton trackwork was based upon that used on the 1801 Penrhyn Quarry Railway, and gives an insight into some of the weaknesses of that design. Documentary research has also been undertaken, which helps to place these artefacts in context. With some notable exceptions, the permanent way utilised on early railways has seen little detailed analysis, yet the importance of recording this artefactual evidence has recently been emphasised in a report for Historic England.