York Historic Environment Record

Railway depicted on 1852 Orndance Suirvey map associated with a gravel quarry and a staithe on the River Ouse. The railway is not shown on maps after c.1890. It was located c.250m south of the Millenium Bridge, with the gravel quary located within the area that now forms Danesmead Wood and Nature Reserve. The gravel quarry was part of a wider series of gravel extraction sites located on the east bank of the River Ouse between New Walk and St Oswald's church.

The railway would probably have been an ‘edge’ railway i.e. like we use today, of narrow gauge, common for mineral extraction, and also used in construction. Probable gauge 2ft or 3ft if re-using material from railway construction elsewhere. It would likely have used man or horsepower. The NRM has a side-tipping wagon of 3Ft gauge typical of construction railways. Railways got started before locomotives as a means of moving minerals to where they could be shipped.

Information provided in correspondance with Bob Gwynne Associate Curator, NRM.