Bicton Woodland Railway

Last updated

Bicton Woodland Railway
Bicton Woodland Railway 285.jpg
loco name: Sir Walter Raleigh
Overview
HeadquartersBudleigh Salterton
Locale England
Dates of operation1963Present
Technical
Track gauge 18 in (457 mm)
Length1,359 yards

The Bicton Woodland Railway is a narrow-gauge railway running in Bicton Park Botanical Gardens in the grounds of Bicton House near Budleigh Salterton in Devon.

Contents

The line was built in 1962 as a tourist attraction for visitors to the house. Most of the rolling stock was acquired from the Royal Arsenal Railway, Woolwich, with two locomotives, Woolwich and Carnegie coming from that source, as well as seven goods wagons which were reduced to their frames and converted to passenger carriages. It opened to passengers in 1963. Originally locomotives and carriages had royal blue livery.

Additional rolling stock was acquired from the RAF Fauld railway and the internal railway of the LNWR Wolverton works.

In 1998, the Bicton Gardens were put up for sale and the railway put into hiatus. The new owners sold the line's existing stock, and in 2000 took delivery of a 5.5-tonne diesel-powered replica tank engine. The line's original equipment was purchased by the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills museum at Waltham Abbey. [1]

Locomotives

NumberNameBuilderTypeDateWorks numberNotes
1Woolwich Avonside Engine Company 0-4-0 T 19161748ex-Royal Arsenal Railway. Now at the Statfold Barn Railway
2Bicton Ruston and Hornsby 4w DM 1942213839Built for the War Department storage depot at Lion Brickworks, Scalford
3Carnegie Hunslet 0-4-4-0 DM 19544524ex-Royal Arsenal Railway. Now at the Statfold Barn Railway
4Sir Walter Raleigh Alan Keef 0-4-0 DM (steam outline)200061Custom built. First driven by Pete Cuffley in 2000.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corris Railway</span> Narrow gauge railway

The Corris Railway is a narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire in Mid-Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Downpatrick and County Down Railway</span> Heritage railway and museum in Downpatrick, Northern Ireland

The Downpatrick and County Down Railway (DCDR) is a five-foot, three-inch gauge heritage railway in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is operated by volunteers and runs passenger trains using steam and diesel locomotives, diesel railcars, and vintage carriages. The railway has approximately three miles (4.8 km) of track in a triangular-shaped layout, which connects the town of Downpatrick with the historical sites of Inch Abbey to the north and King Magnus’ Grave to the south. It also houses a museum of railway artefacts and rolling stock originating from both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, dating from the 1860s to the 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pichi Richi Railway</span> Heritage railway in South Australia

The Pichi Richi Railway is a 39 kilometres narrow-gauge heritage railway in the southern Flinders Ranges of South Australia between Quorn and Port Augusta. For much of its length the line lies in the picturesque Pichi Richi Pass, where the line was completed in 1879 as work proceeded north to build a railway to the "Red Centre" of Australia – the Central Australia Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bala Lake Railway</span> Heritage railway line in Gwynedd, Wales

The Bala Lake Railway is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is 4+12 miles (7.2 km) long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth GWR route that closed in 1965. Another section of the former permanent way is used by the Llangollen Railway. The Bala Lake Railway, which runs on 600 mm -gauge preserved rolling stock, is a member of the Great Little Trains of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Llanberis Lake Railway</span> Narrow-gauge heritage railway in Gwynedd, Wales, United Kingdom

The Llanberis Lake Railway is a 1 ft 11+12 in narrow gauge heritage railway that runs for 2.5 miles (4 km) along the northern shore of Llyn Padarn in north Wales in the Snowdonia National Park. The starting point is the village of Llanberis at the eastern end of the lake, with the western terminus at Pen Llyn in the Padarn Country Park. The return journey takes around 60 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Railways</span> Former state-owned rail company in Victoria, Australia

The Victorian Railways (VR), trading from 1974 as VicRail, was the state-owned operator of most rail transport in the Australian state of Victoria from 1859 to 1983. The first railways in Victoria were private companies, but when these companies failed or defaulted, the Victorian Railways was established to take over their operations. Most of the lines operated by the Victorian Railways were of 5 ft 3 in. However, the railways also operated up to five 2 ft 6 in narrow gauge lines between 1898 and 1962, and a 4 ft 8+12 instandard gauge line between Albury and Melbourne from 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abbey Light Railway</span>

The Abbey Light Railway was a 2 ft narrow gauge railway in Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. Built by enthusiasts, the Railway ran from the nearby Bridge Road commercial area into the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey, operating most Sundays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Great Laxey Mine Railway</span>

The Great Laxey Mine Railway was originally constructed to serve the Isle of Man's Great Laxey Mine, a lead mine located in Laxey. The 19 in gauge railway runs from the old mine entrance to the washing floors along a right of way that passes through the Isle of Man's only remaining railway tunnel under the 3 ft gauge Victorian Manx Electric Railway and the main A2 Douglas to Ramsey coast road.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Narrow-gauge lines of the Victorian Railways</span>

The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia, built a number of experimental 2 ft 6 in narrow-gauge lines around the beginning of the 20th century. Although all were closed by the early 1960s, parts of two have been reopened as heritage railways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway</span>

The Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway was a narrow gauge street tramway connecting Wolverton railway station and the Wolverton Works of the London and North Western Railway (LNWR) with Stony Stratford, Buckinghamshire. Although its financial situation was always precarious, except for a period of just under two years between 1889 and 1891, the line was in continuous operation from 1887 to 1926. Between May 1888 to December 1889, an extension also ran from Stony Stratford to Deanshanger in Northamptonshire, via Old Stratford. Unusually for a British street tramway, it was worked entirely by steam locomotives, and was the last of its type to remain in operation.

The South Downs Light Railway is a 10+14 in gauge railway at Pulborough in West Sussex, England. The line opened in 2000 (after adjusting the gauge to 10 1/4 from 7 1/4 as there was a line there before the South Downs Light Railway arrived, and operates around the grounds of Pulborough Garden Centre, but now it is operating under British Garden Centres.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Arsenal Railway</span>

The Royal Arsenal Railway was a private military railway which operated inside the Royal Arsenal, Woolwich, southeast London.

The Creekmoor Light Railway was a small, privately run, 2 ft narrow gauge railway. It was situated off Creekmoor Lane, to the north of Poole, between Broadstone and Fleetsbridge, Dorset, and was operated by a group of local enthusiasts from October 1968, to April 1973.

The Sand Hutton Miniature Railway was a miniature gauge estate railway serving the estate of Sir Robert Walker, the Fourth Baronet of Sand Hutton, Yorkshire, England.

The Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway (DDNGR) was a short, 2 ft narrow-gauge railway located at Rowsley South at Peak Rail. It operated ex-industrial diesel locomotives and carriages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardkinglas</span>

Ardkinglas House is a Category A listed country house on the Ardkinglas Estate in Argyll, Scotland. The estate lies on the eastern shore of Loch Fyne, and the house is located close to the village of Cairndow. Dating back to the 14th century and originally a Campbell property, the estate now covers more than 12,000 acres (4,900 ha) of rolling hills and landscaped parkland. The centre of the estate was Ardkinglas Castle until this was replaced by a new house in the 18th century. This house was itself replaced by the present Ardkinglas House in the early 20th century, designed by Sir Robert Lorimer for Sir Andrew Noble. It remains the property of the Noble family, and is open to the public on a limited basis. The woodland gardens are open all year round.

References

  1. Thomas, Cliff (2002). The Narrow Gauge in Britain & Ireland . Atlantic Publishers. ISBN   1-902827-05-8.

Coordinates: 50°40′02″N3°19′11″W / 50.66735°N 3.3196°W / 50.66735; -3.3196