Surrey Iron Railway
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The Surrey Iron Railway (SIR) linked Wandsworth in south London and Croydon in Surrey via Mitcham. It was constructed in the early years of the 19th century, opening on 26 July 1803.
Short publicly subscribed plateways, like that to the Caldon Low quarries, and the Little Eaton Gangway, had been built in the past. However, they were all part of canal projects. The original plan, first mooted in 1799 had, in fact, 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, then, was the world's first railway to be publicly subscribed by Act of Parliament, as a railway throughout.
It was horse-drawn and entirely dedicated to bulk freight.
The nine-mile route followed the shallow valley of the River Wandle, then heavily industrialised with numerous factories and mills, running from the River Thames in the north southwards to Croydon (a short branch also ran from Mitcham to Hackbridge). The line was subsequently extended through Purley and Coulsdon to serve quarries near Godstone and Merstham (known as the Croydon Merstham and Godstone Railway: opened 1805, closed 1838).
Engineer William Jessop was chief engineer and the flat alignment of his route proved more long-lasting than the Surrey Iron Railway itself. The advent of faster and more powerful steam locomotives spelled the end for horse-drawn railways, and the SIR closed in 1846. The route, however, was reopened in 1855 by the Wimbledon & Croydon Railway, which was later absorbed by the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway. Much of the route remains in use, largely by the Croydon Tramlink service.
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