|
MINIATURE RAILWAYS |
Brian's RAILWAY YEARS Ravenglass & Eskdale Rly | |||
| My association with the Ravenglass
& Eskdale Railway on the West Cumbria coast goes back to1962 not long after it was rescued
by a band of enthusiasts. I visited the railway in August when I was on
holiday with the Currock Villa Boys Club. Later in April 1965 I returned
with the Cumberland Rail Fans. The day was very wet so we all wore our
plastic macs in the open carriages. On arrival at Delgarth we
followed part of the railway across some fields which has never been
re-opened. We found a old steel girder bridge across a beck, so we walked on
it, not so good for health and safety today.
On the 11.04.2003 I attended a meeting held by The Derwent Railway Society in Cockermouth. An audio visual slide show was presented by Peter Van Zeller. He started as far back as the Roman times and the beginnings of the small village of Ravenglass on the West Cumbria coast. He explained how the estuary with its two rivers joining the sea were important as a shipping port.In 1875 the Whitehaven Iron Mines Ltd opened a railway. Standard gauge was declined in favor of 3ft gauge. Iron ore was found in the hills around Boot which was the original terminus of the railway. The railway once crossed the road at Delegarth to a quarry. A make shift passenger service was also provided for the locals by 1876. The line ran into difficulties in 1884 when the mines closed, tourist passenger trains ran until the line became unsafe in 1908. The line was finally closed in 1913. Later in 1915 when world war two was raging the railway was bought at an auction by a well known model manufacture Bassett Lowke. The company applied for planning permission to run a narrow gauge railway of 15 inches. The minister replied to say you do not need planning permission for a narrow gauge railway, anyway don’t you know there is a war on, get on with it and don’t waste my time. It enjoyed the benefits of a tourist attraction. Quarry trains also ran carrying granite. The business was taken over by the Keswick Granite Co. They closed the quarries in 1953 and the railway was up for auction in September 1960. The railway was saved by a band of enthusiasts, and a society was formed. With the help of a local vicar, he persuaded the council to underwrite any losses. The railway has grown over the years, too a top class Cumbria tourist attraction. Thousands of visitors a year ride on the railway. |
3ft gauge loco with passenger coaches.
Even 3ft gauge locos can derail
I have no date for this picture, I guess around 1915 when the line was bought by Bassett Lowke.
One advantage of the railway, locos can visit on special occasions from other parts of the county, even from around the world. A day out on the line is know doubt best on a fine day, so click NEXT PAGE 2 for the Border Railway Society's red hot train 11.07.99
| |||
