Long forgotten tramway unearthed after 150 years

A section of a historic tramway, which has lain buried for nearly 150 years, has been unearthed.

The track is believed to be part of a line between Castle Cary and Somerton in Somerset which was commissioned in the 1880s to transport stone away from local quarries but was never completed.

The short section was discovered outside the Cross Keys pub near East Lydford during recent roadworks on the B3153.

Archivists from the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York have confirmed that the rail could be a type of rack rail, most commonly used for steep gradients.

Local historian, David Lawson, from Barton St David, said the discovery of the metre-long section was intriguing.

"Once the track was exposed, it was fascinating, as it was right in the position where the line should have been," he told BBC Somerset.

"But strangely enough the track was laid at 90 degrees to the way it should be laid and was lined up with the old cellar door.

"We drew the conclusion that that the former publican had stolen some rail and made himself a little run to get his barrels into his pub," he said.

The tramway was designed by the Somersetshire Tramway Company to take stone to Castle Cary railway station, a job previously done by horse and cart.

One of the stops on the tramline was Keinton Mandeville - a village known for its history of quarrying Blue Lias stone, which was used for paving and other building work in the 18th and 19th Centuries.

An ordnance survey map of 1895 shows sections of the rail round East Lydford, some of which were used, but the archive appears to confirm that the full track was never laid and the company eventually went bankrupt.

"Great Western Railways was able to step in, rip up the track, and apply to put their own track in the area as it was actually a very attractive shortcut for them.

"The tramway has since become a cause celebre for railway buffs as it was a ghost railway that was never fully built," Lawson added.

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