Exbury Gardens Steam Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:         12¼"

Length:       1½ miles

Opened:      2001

Location:    

Exbury,
Southampton,
SO45 1AZ

Web:         https://www.exbury.co.uk/

Email:      https://www.exbury.co.uk/Contact
Tel:           023 8089 1203

Date of visit:     25 September 2018

Key Facts

• The railway was inspired by Leopold de Rothschild's passion for model railways which was spawned when, as a child, he was not allowed a train set.
  
• After an initial planning application for a two foot gauge railway was rejected in 1994, a further submission in 2000 was successful with the proviso that railway travellers must be visitors to the gardens
• The line took almost a year to construct, partly during one of the wettest winters on record, and officially opened in August 2001.
• Part of the route was constructed through what was once a landfill site, specially landscaped for the railway. The rest of the railway meanders through the existing gardens.
• The railway has three steam tender locomotives, two 0-6-2s and a larger 2-6-2, all constructed by the Exmoor Steam Railway Company. It also has an 0-4-0 diesel loco.
• The queen is a regular visitor to the gardens and has ridden in the cab of one of the line's steam locomotives.
• The coaches are wheelchair accessible and there is a well stocked restaurant where a good range of refreshments can be purchased.

Route

 

My Impressions

After enjoying a good quality snack and cup of tea in the well appointed cafe, I made my way into the gardens. It's not possible to ride on the railway without visiting the gardens and so the combined price is a little more than I would expect to pay just to travel on the train. However, this requirement was a stipulation of the planning permission for the railway and so there is no alternative, though it is possible to view the station, sheds and workshops from the car park for free.

The train was almost ready for departure, but there was an opportunity to watch the loco (0-6-2 Naomi), joining the front of the train.

Within a couple of minutes we were off.

After initially climbing away from the station through the first bank of trees .......

..... we passed over the girder bridge which took us over the lower track.

The train then wound its way back on itself to pass beneath the girder bridge ......

...... and then back out into the open, heading back towards the main part of the gardens. This stretch of railway was constructed on what used to be a landfill tip.

Source: Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway

It has been landscaped beautifully with a lake and plenty of interesting plantlife.

The train now wound its way through more mature trees, passing by the largest artificial rock garden in Europe.

We then passed over the junction for the reverse loop .........

 ..... before looping around another lake .........

...... and passing Dragonfly Halt.

The line then passed through a rhododendron plantation, which gives the railway its name, .......

.... before reaching the half-way point, where we paused.

 Our guard gave us a short talk about the history of the gardens and shared some of her personal recollections, including those of visitations from royalty. We then resumed our journey.

Passing back over the junction for the reverse loop, we once more made our way through the mature woodland, .......

...... and passed over a double junction, leading to each arm of the section on the reclaimed refuse tip.

We then arrived back at the main station (Exbury Central).

 After disembarking, I was able to watch the loco refuelling and running around the train, ready for the next departure.

I then retraced the route of the railway and took a few lineside photos. Here, the train is passing the lake on the reclaimed section.

And here, the train is passing by the rockery.

The train has negotiated the reverse loop and is now heading back towards the station.

After arriving at the station, .......

...... the loco was detached ........

....... and turned, before being made ready for the shed.

In the meantime, the line's diesel loco was used ...........

....... to shunt the carriages into the shed.

I spent a short while in the carriage shed, reading up on the history of the railway and watching the video of its construction.

It's certainly an interesting little railway and it has clearly been well financed - a contrast to some enthusiast-run lines which struggle to raise funds for repairs and maintenance.

It was well worth the visit I made. During this part of the season, just one train was running, but at the height of the summer, two trains work in tandem to ferry passengers around the line. A lot of thought and planning has been put into the route, to ensure it is interesting and varied. It is very picturesque and I imagine the scenery will be stunning at the start of the summer when the rhododendrons are in flower.

Video

[In preparation] 

Hythe Pier Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:         2' (610mm)

Length:       700 yards (640 m)

Opened:     1922

Location:    

 

Blue Funnel Ferries Ltd,
Hythe Ferry Office,
Prospect Place,
Hythe,
Southampton
SO45 6AU

Web:           http://hytheferry.co.uk/

Email:        ticketoffice@hytheferry.co.uk
 

Date of visit:     25 September 2018

Key Facts

• The railway is the oldest continuously operating pier railway in the world
• The pier was opened in 1881 and the first railway along it was constructed in 1909. However, the wagons on it, which were used carry passengers' luggage, were propelled by hand
• The present railway was constructed in 1922. It was and always has been electrically powered. 
• The 250v to power the line's two power cars is supplied via a third rail which runs alongside the track, on the seaward side.
• The four-wheeled power cars were built by Brush in 1917
• There are no passing loops but there is a non electrified siding at the landward end of the pier leading to the railway's workshops.
• The line has four passenger carriages, two of which have a driving compartment at their seaward end. A train usually comprises two normal carriages plus one with a driving compartment. The power car is positioned at the landward end of the train.
• A four wheeled luggage wagon is usually marshalled at the seaward end of the train.
• The line also has a four wheeled tanker wagon used to carry fuel for the ferries.
• The ferry carries passengers across Southampton water to Southampton. The journey takes ten minutes.

Route

 

My Impressions

Hythe itself is a pleasant little town with a couple of good places to enjoy a decent cup of coffee or tea. After parking in the main car park, we wandered along the main street to the pier.

The entrance is quite unimposing, considering it houses the world's longest running pier railway. After purchasing a ticket, we made our way along the platform to one of the carriages.

We noted that one of the compartments included a small plaque to commemorate a journey made by King George VI.

Before taking our seats, I had took a quick look at the power car on our train.

It was certainly not built for comfort, the driver having to perch on a wooden seat above the electric motor which takes up most of the floor space.

The seating for the passengers is similarly Spartan - wooden slatted seats. But then the journey is fairly short and the rolling stock has been unaltered since it was built in the early 1920s. And authenticity is a watchword for this historic railway.

Before long, more passengers joined us and the train set off along the pier.

Trains are scheduled to coincide with the arrival of the ferry at the pierhead, but there was sufficient time to take stock of the station as one set of passengers disembarked and the new passengers boarded the ferry. The line's tanker wagon was parked at the end of the line, ready for refuelling the ferry boat.

The luggage wagon was also in view, in front of the driver's compartment at the end of the train.

The power car was also more readily accessible for scrutiny. There can't be many narrow gauge locomotives which are equipped with a life belt in case of emergencies.

Ere long, we commenced our return journey.......

.... and arrived back at the main station.

There was an opportunity to watch a couple more trains come and go, .......

...... clanking their way methodically up and down the pier.

Everything seemed so orderly and constrained. The rolling stock did appear to be slightly dog-eared and timeworn - but then, salt-sea air is not kind to ageing infrastructure and the railway is certainly nothing but utilitarian. It bears its place in history with a quiet and unassuming dignity - and left me with warm and abiding memories.

If you are in this part of the country, then a visit should surely be obligatory - your fare will help to keep this admirable piece of living history alive.

Video

[In preparation] 

Bursledon Brickworks - Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust

In a nutshell

Gauge:         2'

Length:      1/3 mile (475m)

Opened:     1994

Location:   

Bursledon Brickworks Industrial Museum
Coal Park Lane
Swanwick
Southampton,
SO31 7GW

Web:      http://www.hngrt.org.uk/index.php
               https://www.bursledonbrickworks.org.uk/index.php

Email:   http://www.hngrt.org.uk/contact.php

 

Date of visit:     23 September 2018

 

Key Facts

• The railway at Bursledon originated with the formation of the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Society in 1961. It's main purpose was to purchase and rescue and rebuild a Bagnall saddle tank locomotive from a slate quarry in Blaenau Ffestiniog, and to set up a narrow gauge railway in Hampshire.
• The society transformed into the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust in 2006, based at the Bursledon Brickworks Museum, where it now has a collection of locomotives and equipment rescued from various industrial locations around the country.
• The Bursledon Light Railway has four operational locomotives; two steam - Wendy (the original Bagnall loco), Cloister (a quarry Hunslet loco from Dinorwic Quarry in North Wales); and two Simplex Motor Rail internal combustion locos - Agwi Pet (from a refinery in Fawley) and Brambridge Hall (used on the construction of Winchester Bypass).
• The railway also has a miscellaneous collection of goods rolling stock and a couple of passenger carriages.
• The railway operates during special events through the year coincidental with events organised by the Bursledon Brickworks Museum. See http://www.hngrt.org.uk/events_bbim.php or http://www.bursledonbrickworks.org.uk/events.php
• There are refreshments available at the adjacent Brickworks Museum cafe and ample parking. The trains are wheelchair accessible.

Route

 

My Impressions

My visit to the railway coincided with a WW1 re-enactment day at the Brickworks Museum and so there were soldiers in WW1 uniforms wandering around together with a pipe band performing at regular intervals (you will be able to hear some of their music in the background on the video).

After parking and paying our modest entry fee, we spent an hour or so looking around the Brickworks museum, which is fascinating as it is the only steam powered brickworks still operational in the UK. I had no prior conception of the brick-making process and so by the end of my wanderings, I was considerably wiser and much impressed.

The machinery was powered by a horizontal mill engine built in 1885 by Woods & Sons of Wigan and is very much in working order. This is one of four working stationary steam engines at the site - only two of which were operating when I visited.

 This engine powered one of the brick clay rolling and extruding machines - the clay would have been loaded in through a hopper at the top of the machine and fed through the rollers .......

..... to be extruded as a rectangular block which was then sliced with cheese wires into individual bricks. These were taken by barrow to be stacked in the drying rooms and then on to the kilns. And, basically, that was the brick-making process.

Another machine was used to press clay into wooden moulds, for decorative or shaped bricks ....

.... and there were some really impressive educational exhibits, such as this model of the mill engine which allows children (and adults) to figure out the the role of key components needed to make the valves operate the piston, which in this case is powered with compressed air.

There were many other artefacts on display, including demonstrations of brick-making by hand ...

..... and of various tools of the trade.

But of course, what really interested me was the railway - which would, of course, originally have been used (together with an aerial ropeway) to transport raw clay from the quarries to the brickworks. Some of the sheds and workshops for the railway were adjacent to the museum and gave a tantalising glimpse of the equipment owned by the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Trust.

I made my way to the station where the loco and coach were sitting awaiting passengers. Unfortunately, the line's principal Simplex loco was experiencing a few technical problems at that moment, ......

...... and so, the slightly less powerful alternative Simplex loco was pressed into service.

The rain stopped and the passenger trains resumed service as the sun broke through the clouds. We were taken firstly up the line ......

..... and were then propelled back down past the station, before heading up the other arm of the U-shaped track. We then returned to the station where another enthusiastic group of passengers were waiting.

I then spent another hour or so, watching further trains taking delighted passengers back and forth; the original loco having been repaired.

The Trust has made the most of the site, squeezing the maximum amount of track into the available space. A spur, running alongside one of the arms of the passenger track is used mostly by goods traffic to display some of the railway's freight stock.

The right-hand section of the 'main line' meanders through the trees and past some of the workshops behind the car park, so there is plenty to see on the short journey.

I really enjoyed my morning at the Bursledon Brickworks. The museum itself is very well laid out with a good range of exhibits and plenty of well informed and helpful staff on hand to explain the brick making process and the role of various bits of machinery and architecture.

The railway itself is of extreme interest to anyone who is enthusiastic about industrial narrow gauge railways. The combination of a passenger train ride, together with an opportunity to see freight trains in operation, makes for a pleasant and informative experience. The staff were extremely welcoming and helpful, answering every question with enthusiasm and knowledge.

There is also a passenger carrying 7¼" gauge railway for the young and the young at heart.

Video

[In preparation]