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The Surrey Iron Railway (SIR) was a horse-drawn plateway of approximately standard gauge that linked the former Surrey towns of Wandsworth and Croydon via Mitcham (all now suburbs of south London). It was established by Act of Parliament in 1801, opening on 26 July 1803.


Origins

Short, publicly subscribed plateways, like that to the Caldon Low quarries and the Little Eaton Gangway, had already been built. However, they were all part of canal projects. The original plan, first mooted in 1799, had been for a canal, but to take the necessary water from the streams in the area would have deprived the many water-powered mills and factories. This was the world's first railway to be publicly subscribed by Act of Parliament as a railway throughout.


Operation

It was horse-drawn public railway, providing a track for independent goods hauliers to use their own horses and wagons. The company did not operate its own trains.

It was double track plateway throughout with a gauge of about 5 feet between the centres of the stone blocks, and 4 feet 8 inches over the outer faces of the rails. (The standard gauge adopted by modern railways is 4 feet 8.5 inches).

The rails were of the Outram pattern 3 feet 2 inches long, 4 inches on the tread except for 5 or 6 inches at the ends where they were half an inch thicker.


Route

The nine-mile route followed the shallow valley of the River Wandle, then heavily industrialised with numerous factories and mills, from the River Thames at Wandsworth southwards to Croydon, at what is now Reeves Corner. A short branch ran from Mitcham to Hackbridge. The line was subsequently extended as the Croydon, Merstham and Godstone Railway through Purley and Coulsdon to serve quarries near Merstham, opened in 1805 and closed in 1838.


History

William Jessop was chief engineer of the latter venture only and the flat alignment of his route proved more long-lasting than the railway. The advent of faster and more powerful steam locomotives spelled the end for horse-drawn railways. In 1823, William James, a powerful shareholder in the SIR, tried to persuade George Stephenson to supply a locomotive for the line. Stephenson realised that the cast-iron plateway could not support the weight of a steam locomotive and declined.

The railway was not a commercial success, and in 1844 the proprietors sold it to the L&SWR, which sold it on to the London and Brighton Railway. The L&BR obtained an Act of Parliament authorising closure in 1846. Part of the route was used for part of the West Croydon to Wimbledon Line, part of the LB&SCR from 1856, and some of the route remains in use by London Tramlink, the section of routes 3 & 4,between Waddon Park & Waddon Marsh tram stops,& route 3 at Mitcham tram stop..