On the trail of Samson…
Below: Looking left (or east) from the previous scene, the trackbed of the tramway is visible. It follows the line where the change in vegetation appears.
Below: Though the tramway was contour hugging, there were a number of locations where it required widening and embankments creating, such as this example made of stone waste laid at angles.
Below: A view from the mouth of Cornish Hush mine. To the right is a spoil heap that has eroded and slipped. The Howden Burn (stream) runs to the bottom of this and down towards (and under) the road, which can be seen curving then running into the distance. The route of the tramway can be followed from the top of the waste, along the hilldise and then defined by the previously seen change in vegetation.
Below: This is the tramway’s equivalent of the Ffestiniog Railway’s Cei-Mawr embankment! A substantial and now quite precarious tipped embankment straddling a tributury, the Hawkwood Burn, and associated side valley. A culvert runs through the base, but the recent rains have caused this land slip which has also covered the access road. The burn can be seen running through the base of the embankment – surely now only a matter of time before it has a major failure?
Below: The stormwaters brought about a rather nice discovery. This ‘T’ section of rail had been left projecting from a slipped waste tip at the point the tramway arrives at the mine entrance. Some other rails were evident but were of ‘I’ section and in once case were of the Hudson Jubilee type of track – much later in date than the tramway (which is presumed to have closed around 1900). This rail is wrought iron, as the laminations in the structure reveal. It is therefore almost certainly contemporary with the original tramway.
Below: Even better – the rail still had a chair attached, which after cleaning up looked like this… Another, wider, chair was encrusted to one end of the rail and showed the method of joining rails by placing the corresponding ends into a common chair. Given the location on the route of the tramway it seems highly likely that Samson itself ran over this rail…
Below: Walking back along the tramway, the route is clear to see. It is of simple and cheap construction, with scattered waste being used to form embankments where needed – this one being the one shown earlier, but seen here from the tramway’s aspect, looking south.
Below: This is the sort of view that makes the observer want to relay the tramway and run a replica of Samson along it! Typical of much of the route, it has been softened by over a century of weathering, but is still clear to see.
Below: Back at the bottom where the crushing plant and flats were located, with waste tips in the background and a parking area to the left. The tramway came in on the contour above the tips – so presumbably the rocks were tipped and worked their way through the processes by gravity? The road passes through this spot, enabling onward distribution of the lead. A building, apparently the remains of a blacksmiths, remains above this view, to the right, along with a row of stone cottages.
A well executed survey of the remains of a very old industrial railway. In such beautiful surroundings, I can see the desirable dream of rebuilding the line, just like so many others in similar country.
Many thanks
Alan
While doing research on the mining history of the Weardale, I stumbled upon your contribution on the tramway at Cornish Hush Mine and was quite thrilled. Thanks for the many photos and explanations – they make it easy for other than locals to find and understand the location and, who knows, next time I visit the Weardale, I might have a look at the place myself!