Meldon Quarry

It was developed from 1897 to supply track ballast and other stone products for the London and South Western Railway (LSWR).

The quarry was considerably developed in 1897 to provide the majority of the track ballast requirements of the LSWR, which at the time amounted to about 100,000 tons per annum.

After nationalisation, the ballast quality was considered to be superior to the more conveniently available limestones, but the cost of haulage from the westerly location counted against it, and in the 1980s it proved commercially viable to bring good quality stone from Scotland by coastal shipping to Tilbury, substituting for some of the Meldon output.

Positioning and marshalling of a large flow of mineral wagons was achieved by horse power at first, but in 1927 a Manning Wardle 0-4-0ST locomotive was provided.

A replacement locomotive was required, and after trials with a B4 0-4-0T and an O2 0-4-4T, a SECR class T 0-6-0T no 1607 became the regular power unit, being renumbered 500S; it worked there from September 1938 until 1948.