randyrippley
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- 21 Feb 2016
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Carnforth originated as an ironworks, and for years the furnace slag was dumped at the east end of Morecambe Bay in an attempt to narrow the River Keer estuary and reclaim an area of salt marsh. The result is a lime-rich hybrid sea wall / cliff structure made of what looks like concrete but is actually furnace slag, some dumped cold, some seemingly still molten.
Local tradition has it that a light railway carried the waste the near two miles from ironworks to dumping ground, but until recently there has been no visible trace.
However a recent trip showed that winter storms had cleared a "beach" made of slag "pebbles" exposing a cement/slag trackway which showed evidence of having carried a narrow gauge line with seemingly iron rails and sleepers. It looked as if the sleepers had been pressed into the wet cement, later being lifted or more likely rusting away leaving rust marks.
I can only assume this was part of the ironworks system, but the location is curious being more suitable for a very shallow draft wharf.
If anyone is interested in seeing this oddity, it could vanish soon - a couple of heavy storms could wash what remains away
I've dropped some photos onto Flickr at
www.flickr.com
just remember - everything that looks like rock, stone, pebbles or hills is furnace slag
Local tradition has it that a light railway carried the waste the near two miles from ironworks to dumping ground, but until recently there has been no visible trace.
However a recent trip showed that winter storms had cleared a "beach" made of slag "pebbles" exposing a cement/slag trackway which showed evidence of having carried a narrow gauge line with seemingly iron rails and sleepers. It looked as if the sleepers had been pressed into the wet cement, later being lifted or more likely rusting away leaving rust marks.
I can only assume this was part of the ironworks system, but the location is curious being more suitable for a very shallow draft wharf.
If anyone is interested in seeing this oddity, it could vanish soon - a couple of heavy storms could wash what remains away
I've dropped some photos onto Flickr at
Carnforth Ironworks slagheaps tramway
Explore this photo album by randy rippley on Flickr!
www.flickr.com
just remember - everything that looks like rock, stone, pebbles or hills is furnace slag