Progress Report 5

Well, as you can see, it's been quite a while since I posted my previous Progress Report - over three years. I have been making visits to railway in that period but they have been less frequent. Partly, this is because the railways which I have yet to visit are now further away, having visited most of the railways which are within a day's travel of my home in Cheshire.

Since my last report in 2014, I have visited:

• Morwhellam Quay
• Leighton Buzzard (pictured)
• South Tynedale
• Lappa Valley
• Moseley Industrial Museum
• Toddington 
• Paradise Park
• Launceston
• Twin Lakes (though I was denied entry as I had no children with me)
• The Devon Railway Centre
• The London Museum of Steam & Water
• Ironbridge
• Steeple Grange
  
• Snaefell
• Great Laxey
• Douglas Bay Horse Tramway
• Manx Electric Railway
• Groudle Glen
• Isle of Man
• Margam Park
• Evesham Vale
• Brecon Mountain Railway

So, I've not exactly been idle.

Over the past eighteen months, health problems with various members of my immediate family have restricted my ability to travel far from home. We are hoping that these problems are now becoming resolved and so have plans to visit a few railways in the North East over the next few weeks and maybe take in a couple en route.

There are still plenty of railways on the list which need to be visited, scattered widely across the country from the South West (eg Seaton Tramway and Bicton) to the far North (eg the Alford Valley Railway in Aberdeenshire) and, of course, we've not yet touched any in Ireland.

At least two of the railways on the list seem to have closed but I will leave them in place just in case they are resurrected, as has happened with the Teifi Valley Railway, which is now one of the last railways to be visited on my Welsh list.

I was disappointed that I was denied access to the TwinLakes Leisure Park - because I was a lone adult male unaccompanied by children. Even when I explained that I wanted only to travel on the railway and would be happy to be chaperoned, I was told it was company policy. It does seem to be a sad reflection of our times (and especially galling as I was a primary school teacher for many years). I may have to reconsider visiting the miniature railways which are located inside other leisure parks - or maybe await the arrival of a grandchild .......... !!

Apedale Valley

I am in no mad rush (as yet) to complete my quest - I am presently around 1/3 of the way down the list.  I am still enjoying visiting parts of the country which I might otherwise have never visited ..... and we now have a small caravan, which might help ease the cost of more distant visits.

As indicated, the rate of visitations is inevitably slowing as the unvisited railways become more distant and geographically diverse. In the meantime, I have actually re-visited some of the railways and updated their entries accordingly (eg  Apedale Valley, Ffestiniog, Talyllyn).

I will keep you posted!

Lappa Valley Steam Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:         15"

Length:      1 mile

Opened:      1974 (Original railway opened in 1905)

Location:   

Lappa Valley Steam Railway & Leisure Park

St Newlyn East

Newquay

Cornwall

TR8 5LX

Web:      http://www.lappavalley.co.uk/

Email:    info@lappavalley.co.uk
Tel:        01872 510317 

 

Date of visit:     12 June 2015

 

Key Facts

• The Lappa Valley Steam Railway is built on the trackbed of the Treffry Tramways branch line which ran to East Wheal Rose
• The first tramway from East Wheal Rose operated from 1849 using horse-drawn wagons. 
• In 1874 the tramway was taken over by the Cornwall Minerals Railway and steam locomotives ran on the railway for the first time
• The railway was acquired by the Great Western Railway in 1896, and re-opened in 1905.
• The branch was closed on 4 February 1963 as part of Beeching's 'reorganisation' of British Railways.
• In the early 1970s, the trackbed was acquired by Eric Booth who cleared the thick undergrowth and laid the 15" (381 mm) gauge track between Benny Halt and East Wheal Rose. 
• Zebedee, the line's first steam locomotive, was built by Severn Lamb in early 1974 and the railway opened to the public on 16 June 1974 with four locally built coaches. 
• In 1975 the East Wheal Rose area was landscaped and the boating lake was dug to help drain the land. 
• In 1976, the line acquired some locomotives from Longleat with more carriages also being built at the time. 
• During the 1970s, a 7¼" (184 mm) gauge railway was laid around a smaller lake
• In May 1995 10¼" (260 mm) gauge railway was constructed for half a mile along the next length of the old tramway trackbed.
• In 2014 the Lappa Valley Railway was bought by Keith Southwell who aims to continue the work which Eric Booth started
• The railway presently has two 15" gauge steam locomotives (Severn Lamb 0-6-4T Zebedee and Berwyn Engineering 0-6-0 Muffin), one 15" gauge diesel loco (0-4-0 Arthur), two 10¼" gauge diesel locos (Alan Keef 0-4-0 Eric, Severn Lamb 4-4w Duke of Cornwall) and one 7¼" gauge train (a representation of an APT built by Mardyke Miniature Railway)
• UPDATE: A third 15" gauge steam loco (Exmoor Steam 0-4-2T Ruby) was added to the roster in July 2015
• In addition to the two other railways at East Wheal Rose, there are two lakes (one for boating and the other for wildlife), a crazy golf course, children's play areas, a gift shop, a café, and a series of walks through the valley.

Route

 

My Impressions

When I arrived at the main car park for the Lappa Valley Steam Railway, the sun was occasionally finding its way between the clouds and the weather was reasonably warm.

After buying my ticket in the shop and ticket office, there was time to take a few snaps of the station area before the train arrived.

One of the line's two steam locomotives (0-6-0 Muffin) was sitting outside the main engine shed, waiting to be admired (another steam loco arrived in July, shortly after my visit) .......

..... and the lie's 0-4-0 diesel was sitting on a siding.

Before long (trains run every 40 minutes), the line's other steam loco (0-6-2T Zebedee), hove into view with its impressive train of five bogie coaches.

There was time to admire the diminutive loco.......

.... as she was turned ........

..... before running round the train.

 The mile long journey to the other end of the line at East Wheal Rose took us through mature woodland, .....

...... running for a short distance beside the parallel track from the reverse loop ........

......... before swinging round the boating lake, to pull into the station.

By the time the train had discharged its passengers and the loco taken on board more water, the heavens had opened.

I decided to take the train back to the main station, to fetch my waterproof from the car.

The train negotiated the reverse loop and then rejoined the main line back down to Benny Halt.......

..... where we pulled into the main platform once more.

 On my second journey down the line, the loco experienced some wheel-slip as she climbed the gradient on the approach to East Wheel Rose. The driver coaxed her over the summit ........

 ..... and we arrived once more at the station, where quite a large crowd of slightly damp visitors was waiting to make the journey back back to their cars.

 I took the opportunity to explore the visitor attractions at the site. The 7¼" railway which winds its way around the smaller of the two lakes ........

..... and the 10¼" gauge railway which runs for a further half a mile along the trackbed of the original railway.

 From the cafe, it was possible to get an elevated view of the site. The rain was easing by this time ......

 ...... but I decided I had exhausted the supply of attractions. It would have been different if I had been accompanied by children - there was plenty to keep them entertained and interested. The distant whistle announced the approach of Zebedee with another trainload of visitors ........

....... and so I climbed aboard once more, taking a quick look back over the boating lake as we negotiated the reverse loop.

There was time to shoot the departure of the next Down train, before browsing through the books and nick-knacks in the shop. I decided against having a Cornish Ice Cream, the rain having decided to teem down once more.

I enjoyed my visit to the Lappa Valley Steam Railway, but then I have a particular soft spot for 15" gauge railways since learning about their history (see A brief chronology of minimum gauge railways). There seemed to be plenty of attractions for younger visitors and for those who might want to explore the various nature trails and walks in the area. It was a pity that the weather was so unpredictable - the rain had not been forecast - and it was as much an irritation for the railway staff as for the visitors.

It was certainly well worth the visit - and when the grandchildren appear on the scene ........

Video

Paradise Park - Jungle Express

In a nutshell

Gauge:         15"

Length:      250yd (one ride = two circuits)

Opened:     1976

Location:   

Paradise Park,
16 Trelissick Road,
Hayle,
Cornwall,
TR27 4HB 

Web:      http://www.paradisepark.org.uk/

Email:   info@paradisepark.org.uk
Tel:        01736 751020

 

Date of visit:     12 June 2015

 

Key Facts

• Paradise Park opened in 1973 as a small family business.
• The late Mike Reynolds created the park as a home to his growing collection of birds.
• Paradise Park has become the country's leading centre for the promotion of parrot welfare and is the base for the World Parrot Trust.
• The line has one locomotive, a diesel mechanical Lister, built in 1938.
• It has three open coaches
• The Jungle Express Train operates throughout the summer months (weather permitting). 
• There is an additional charge of £1 per person for a ride twice around the track.

 

Route

My Impressions

Before paying my entrance fee to the Park, I checked that the railway would be running as the website indicated that it was dependent on weather. On entering the park, I went immediately to the railway station (which is not far from the entrance) and awaited the arrival of the train.

Within five minutes or so, the train appeared. The steam locomotive inspired superstructure did not hide the fact that beneath was an interwar Lister locomotive with, by the sound of it, the orginal diesel engine.

The train of three open carriages, did a circuit of the track to warm up and then the driver brought her to a halt in the station area.

I paid my fare of £1.00 and spent a couple of minutes admiring the loco.....

.... before taking my seat immediately behind the loco.

There weren't many visitors to the park that day and so, after another couple boarded, we set off.

The train trundled at a respectable speed through the gardens around the house........

....... passing through a tunnel which doubles as the train shed.

After passing around the rear of the house we passed through the station and then made another circuit.

On reaching the station once more we detrained, and I once more looked over the loco.

The board outside the station indicated that another train would depart in an hour and so I wandered around the park where there is a large collection of birds of various species from all corners of the world.

There seems to be plenty to interest families and children, with a farm area, a play barn and flying displays at intervals during the day.

I indulged in a Cornish pasty in the cafe, which is adjacent to the otter, who seemed to be very active and playing to the crowd. I then made my way back to the station to take some lineside pictures and video of the train in action. Unfortunately, there did not appear to be sufficient passengers to run the train again and so I departed the park.

Video

[In preparation] 

Launceston Steam Railway

In a nutshell

Gauge:        1’11½”

Length:      2½ miles

Opened:     1983

Location:    

Launceston Steam Railway,
St. Thomas Road,
Launceston,
Cornwall,
PL15 8DA

 

Tel:        01566 775665  

Web:      http://www.launcestonsr.co.uk/index.html

Date of visit:     9 June 2015

Key Facts

• The base for the railway is at the former LWSR Launceston Station
• A railway serving Launceston was originally constructed in 1865 for the Launceston and South Devon Railway connecting Launceston to Plymouth. 
• Nigel Bowman bought a Hunslet locomotive, 'Lilian' from the Penrhyn Slate Quarry in North Wales and, after rebuilding her, bought the stretch of line from Launceston station to have somewhere to run her.
• The first ½ mile of track opened in 1983..
• The car park is on the site of the original LSWR station, while the station for the Launceston Steam Railway is on the site of a gas works served by the railway. The railway's workshop and museum are housed in the former gas works' buildings.
• The railway now possesses four Hunslet steam locomotives, a vertical boilered loco and three petrol/diesel powered locos.
• The line's four coaches are based on those from a variety of locations, including the Isle of Man and the Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway.
• A ticket entitles you to ride on trains as often as you wish during the day
• Trains run every half hour.
• There is a shop, bookshop, gift shop, cafe and museum at the station in Launceston.
• At the other end of the line there is a farm park for youngsters and their parents.

Route

My Impressions

My first impression of the railway was gained after parking the car and walking from the car park (on the site of the original standard gauge station) under the road bridge.........

......  to the well established station buildings of the the railway.

The LSR station is built on the site of a gas works and some of the original buildings are now used to house a small museum, in which there is an eclectic range of  exhibits from road vehicles, such as an Austin Seven, to a printing press.

After browsing the book shop, buying a ticket and indulging in some light refreshment in the cafe (a discount on the cream tea on production of a valid train ticket), I spent a while watching some train movements.

Trains run every hour on the hour and so there is regular activity to keep observers such as myself interested.

The loco which was rostered for that day's services was the line's original Penrhyn Quarry Hunslet, Lilian. Whilst I was there she was taken out three times, with three different drivers, including the owners;  Kay and Nigel Bowman.

After rewatering .......

..... our loco joined the front of the train ......

..... to await the off.

The carriage stock is delightfully quirky. The three coaches in our train ranged from a replica of the carriage that once ran on the Torrington & Marland 3' gauge railway in Devon, .......

...... a coach modelled on one from the Plynlimon & Hafan Tramway .......

 ..... to one based on a Manx Electric Railway trailer car.

Eventually, I boarded a train and awaited the guard's whistle.

After passing beneath the road bridge and aqueduct which once served the corn mill in the town .......

...... we took to open country alongside the River Kensey.

After a pleasant fifteen minute journey, we arrived at the terminus at the other end of the line, Newmills.

The loco ran round the train .......

..... and prepared for the return journey.

There is a farm park and picnic site at Newmills and as most of the children and parents on the Down train paid a visit to it, there were fewer passengers on the return journey.

We steamed into Launceston .........

.... coasting to a halt at the platform.

There was plenty to keep me interested at the station for an afternoon and I could have travelled up and down the line as many times as I wanted with my Day Rover ticket. I would like to return when the railway has a gala event, and see more of their locos in steam ..... but for the meantime, I was very pleased (or should that be chuffed) with my visit to the Launceston Steam Railway.

Video

[In preparation]