Leiston Works Railway

Last updated

Leiston Works Railway
Sirapite the Works Shunter - geograph.org.uk - 1774827.jpg
Sirapite the works shunter
Commercial operations
Built byAveling and Porter Ltd
Original gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Preserved gauge4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Closed1968
Preservation history
HeadquartersLong Shop Museum in Leiston

The Leiston Works Railway was a private railway that ran from Leiston railway station on the Aldeburgh Branch Line of the Great Eastern Railway to the engineering works of Richard Garrett & Sons. The railway was originally operated by Suffolk Punch horses hauling coal and iron from the main line to the Garrett Works. This was later taken over by steam shunting engine Sirapite which was then replaced by a battery electric engine in 1962. [1]

Contents

The line closed in 1968, with the battery locomotive being scrapped.

Restoration

After closure of the works, part of the complex was preserved as the Long Shop Museum, while Sirapite survived, unrestored, in the private collection of Sir William McAlpine. [2] The locomotive has since been returned to Leiston and restored to operational condition.

A group has been formed with the intention of restoring the 250 yard stretch of track running behind the Engineers Arms public house to the entrance of the Master Lord Industrial Estate, close to the former junction with the main line. The group paid £17,000 for the trackbed [3] and hope that original locomotive Sirapite, which has recently been restored, will be operated on the restored route periodically. [4] In January 2013 the group took delivery of eighteen 60 foot track panels to use in relaying the route. [5]

The formal reopening of the railway in time for its 160th anniversary was on 1 June 2019. [6] A visiting locomotive, Ruston 48DS No.294266, the first diesel to ever transverse the line, and fittingly once owned by Sir William McAlpine himself, had the honour of reopening the line. The loco is based at the nearby Mid Suffolk Light Railway, keeping a local connection and setting up a relationship between the two railways. [7]

Sirapite the works shunter

Sirapite is the name of the shunting locomotive at the Leiston Works Railway.

It was built as a shunting engine by Aveling and Porter in 1906 and sold to Gypsum Mines Ltd for £985. The locomotive's name came from their plaster of Paris product which they had considered calling 'PARISite' before adopting the more pleasant-sounding 'SIRAPite'. [8]

In 1929, Sirapite was sold to Garrett & Sons. It was used to perform the task of moving trucks between Garrett's two sites – the Long Shop, and the 'Top Works' which is now an industrial park near the disused station. It would also collect and deliver goods left in the exchange sidings adjacent to Leiston railway station which had been previously carried out by horses. During the movement of goods around the engine became a source of pride for the local area. [9]

A battery locomotive replaced Sirapite in 1962, and the steam locomotive was purchased by Sir William McAlpine, a well-known railway item collector – known primarily for owning Flying Scotsman and Pendennis Castle, two very famous steam locomotives from British railway history. However, Sirapite did not see the same "glitz and glamour" which it saw in Leiston – the locomotive ended up rusting away in Kent during its first years of preservation. [10]

Grants from both public and private funders saw Sirapite being returned to Leiston and she was eventually restored to full working order.

Sirapite arrived at the Mid Suffolk Light Railway on 26 April 2019. The engine was there for the Summer season of 2019 for the railway. However, due to not being fitted with vacuum braking (as it was built as a goods engine and not a locomotive for passenger services), it could not haul passenger trains. The engine arrived at the railway so it could remain on display whilst the Long shop redeveloped part of its site. The outing to the "Middy" was the first time that the engine had more space to run on which was more than a few yards on the short demonstration line at the Long Shop Museum. [11]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Locomotive</span> Self-propelled railway vehicle

A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car;

Leiston is an town in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk, England. It is close to Saxmundham and Aldeburgh, 21 miles (34 km) north-east of Ipswich and 90 miles (145 km) north-east of London. The town had a population of 5,508 at the 2011 Census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nene Valley Railway</span> Heritage railway in Cambridgeshire, England

The Nene Valley Railway (NVR) is a preserved railway in Cambridgeshire, England, running between Peterborough Nene Valley and Yarwell Junction. The line is 7+1⁄2 miles (12.1 km) in length. There are stations at each terminus, and three stops en route: Orton Mere, Ferry Meadows and Wansford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bowes Railway</span> British preserved standard gauge cable railway system (built 1826)

The Bowes Railway, built by George Stephenson in 1826, is the world's only operational preserved standard gauge cable railway system. It was built to transport coal from pits in Durham to boats on the River Tyne. The site is a scheduled monument. The railway is open every week on Thursday, Friday and Saturday as well as on a number of event days throughout the year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Tyneside Steam Railway</span> Visitor attraction in North East England

The North Tyneside Steam Railway and Stephenson Steam Railway are visitor attractions in North Shields, North East England. The museum and railway workshops share a building on Middle Engine Lane adjacent to the Silverlink Retail Park. The railway is a standard gauge line, running south for 2 miles (3.2 km) from the museum to Percy Main. The railway is operated by the North Tyneside Steam Railway Association (NTSRA). The museum is managed by Tyne and Wear Archives and Museums on behalf of North Tyneside Council.

<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+1⁄2 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">East Anglian Railway Museum</span> Industrial railway museum in Essex, England

The East Anglian Railway Museum is located at Chappel and Wakes Colne railway station in Essex, England, which is situated on the former Great Eastern Railway branch line from Marks Tey to Sudbury. Services on the Sudbury Branch Line are operated by Abellio Greater Anglia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telford Steam Railway</span> Heritage railway in Shropshire, England

The Telford Steam Railway (TSR) is a heritage railway located at Horsehay, Telford in Shropshire, England, formed in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich railway station</span> Railway station in Suffolk, England

Ipswich railway station is on the Great Eastern Main Line in the East of England, serving the town of Ipswich, Suffolk. It is 68 miles 59 chains (110.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street and, on the main line, it is situated between Manningtree to the south and Needham Market to the north.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scottish Industrial Railway Centre</span> Railway museum in Patna, Scotland

The Scottish Industrial Railway Centre is an industrial heritage museum operated by the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group. The centre owns a number of standard gauge steam locomotives and diesel locomotives as well as some narrow gauge items and an extensive collection of photographs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glenbrook Vintage Railway</span> Heritage railway operating in New Zealand

The Glenbrook Vintage Railway (GVR) is a heritage steam railway in Glenbrook, New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway locomotives</span> List of the locomotives of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway

This article gives details of the locomotives used on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, a 15 in narrow gauge preserved railway line running for 7 miles (11 km) from Ravenglass on the Cumbrian coast to Dalegarth near the village of Boot, in Eskdale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aldeburgh branch line</span> Disused railway line in East Suffolk

The Aldeburgh branch line was a railway branch line linking the town of Saxmundham on the East Suffolk line and the seaside resort of Aldeburgh. There were intermediate stops at Leiston and Thorpeness. Part of the line remains in use for nuclear flask trains servicing Sizewell nuclear power station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amberley Museum Railway</span>

The Amberley Museum Railway is a 2 ft narrow gauge railway based at Amberley Museum, Amberley, West Sussex. It has a varied collection of engines and rolling stock ranging from 18 in gauge to 5 ft 3 in gauge. It operates passenger trains at the museum using a mixture of steam, internal combustion and battery-electric locomotives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helston Railway</span> Former branch line in Cornwall, England, now a heritage railway

The Helston Railway is a heritage railway in Cornwall which aims to rebuild and preserve as much as possible of the former GWR Helston Railway between Nancegollen and Water-Ma-Trout on the outskirts of Helston. It is operated by the Helston Railway Preservation Company using members of the Helston Railway Preservation Society.

The Framlingham branch was a six-mile (9.7 km) single-track branch railway line from Wickham Market railway station on the East Suffolk Line to Framlingham, with three intermediate stations, Parham, Hacheston Halt, and Marlesford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snape branch line</span>

The Snape branch line was a railway branch line located in Suffolk which served Snape Maltings. It ran from Snape Junction on the East Suffolk line and was 1¼ miles long. The line was opened in 1859 and throughout its life was operated as a freight-only line. The line was closed 101 years later in 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Dorset Railway</span>

North Dorset Railway is a heritage railway based at Shillingstone railway station on the former Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Australian Railways K class (broad gauge)</span> Former South Australian Railways broad-gauge steam locomotives

Eighteen South Australian Railways K class (broad-gauge) locomotives were built by Beyer, Peacock and Company for the South Australian Railways (SAR) between 1878 and 1884. Despite having a fundamental design flaw that affected their original role as light-line passenger locomotives, they eventually performed shunting duties exclusively. They operated for six decades.

This is a list of rolling stock used by the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway.

References

  1. ↑ Robinson, Craig (5 September 2012). "Leiston: Group invite people to 'sponsor a sleeper' to help with restoration of Garret Works railway line". East Anglian Daily Times.
  2. ↑ "Sirapite Train". On Landguard Point. 23 September 2011.[ dead link ]
  3. ↑ "Leiston railway fans out to restore old line". BBC News. 12 April 2012.
  4. ↑ "Rail enthusiasts hope to revive dismantled Leiston line". BBC News. 13 April 2012.
  5. ↑ Robinson, Craig (3 January 2013). "Leiston: Railway restoration project is well on track". East Anglian Daily Times.
  6. ↑ "Leiston: Gaining traction". Steam Railway. No. 554. 1–28 February 2024. pp. 66–73.
  7. ↑ My mighty Ruston 48DS! Lawrie Goes Loco Episode 7. , retrieved 7 September 2019
  8. ↑ Information display board at the Leiston Works Railway
  9. ↑ "Sirapite Train". On Land Guard Point. Retrieved 12 October 2019.[ dead link ]
  10. ↑ "Sirapite Train". On Land Guard Point. Retrieved 12 October 2019.[ dead link ]
  11. ↑ "'Sirapite' arrives at Brockford 26th April". Mid-Suffolk Light Railway – News. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.