Stony Marl Moor Ganister Quarries

Located at NZ 950 004 are the old Ganister Quarries opened by Pickford, Holland and Co. of Sheffield during the First World War.

Ganister found in the Jurassic rocks of the Moors is a type of sandstone which has a very high silica content and is thus resistant to oxidisation. It was used to line blast furnaces, mixed with clay to make the fire bricks, or crushed for use in pig-iron casting moulds. The stone was blasted from the quarry face then loaded into the horse drawn wagons of a narrow guage railway.

The worked face is to the right in the above picture, and the overburden backfilling to the left.

Some remains of the track and pressed steel sleepers can be seen on the Moor today.

The track climbed 360 feet, across Ralph Bog to the top of Stoupe Brow, about one and a half miles away, crossing the road near Beacon Howe (NZ 96938 01305). The track bifurcated (NZ 96970 01345) and drum and cable were then used to lower the wagons down Rock Head a steep incline, about 350 feet over 0.2 mile, to the Brick Works sidings on the Scarborough and Whitby Railway Line. (NZ 97108 01655) The weight of the laden wagon would have pulled up the returning empty wagon.

Part of the way down there is a small bridge where the bridleway crosses the track.(NZ 97070 01470)

Near the Brick Works Quarry the track can be seen bridging a small walled gap. Wooden railway sleepers are used at this point. The rails are spaced about 2' 4" apart.(NZ 97177 01608)

The narrow guage line was dismantled in the 1930's and road transport used until the Quarries closure in 1965.

Section of track and a wagon wheel near the incline.