Cadeby Light Railway
Encyclopedia
Rectory
A rectory is the residence, or former residence, of a rector, most often a Christian cleric, but in some cases an academic rector or other person with that title...
in Cadeby, Leicestershire
Cadeby, Leicestershire
Cadeby is a village and civil parish in the Hinckley and Bosworth district of Leicestershire, England, about 6 miles north of Hinckley, close to Newbold Verdon and Market Bosworth. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 177....
.
In the early 1960s the Reverend Teddy Boston
Edwin Boston
The Reverend Edwin Richard Boston MA , known as Teddy Boston, was a Church of England clergyman and author. He built a narrow gauge railway in the grounds of his Rectory at Cadeby, Leicestershire, and was immortalized as the "Fat Clergyman" in The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W...
became rector of All Saints' Church, Cadeby. Boston was a lifelong railway enthusiast
Railfan
A railfan or rail buff , railway enthusiast or railway buff , or trainspotter , is a person interested in a recreational capacity in rail transport...
and wanted to build a miniature railway in his new garden, but the cost proved prohibitive. Instead he searched for a full-sized narrow-gauge locomotive. In 1962 he purchased Pixie a W.G. Bagnall
W.G. Bagnall
W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England. It was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall and ceased trading in 1962 when it was taken over by English Electric Co Ltd. The company was located at the Castle Engine Works, in Castle Town, Stafford...
0-4-0ST from the Cranford quarry. The quarry owners donated a short length of track and two wagons and the Cadeby Light Railway was opened.
Over the years, the Rev. Boston built an extensive collection of ex-industrial narrow-gauge rolling stock which ran on the extremely short line in his garden. Although the Rev. Boston died in 1986, his widow Audrey kept the railway open for nearly twenty years, holding regular open days. The railway finally closed in 2005, subsequently the majority of the collection has been amalgamated with the Moseley Railway Trust
Moseley Railway Trust
The Moseley Railway Trust is a major British collection of industrial narrow gauge locomotives and other equipment. It originally had its base in south Manchester, but has completely relocated to the Apedale Country Park near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire where a passenger railway is now open...
at the Apedale Community Country Park
Apedale Community Country Park
Apedale Community Country Park is a 454 [154ha] acre country park in the borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, England. The park is unusual for the area as it was previously as an opencast mine....
.
External links
- The Rev. Edwin Richard "Teddy" Boston - an appreciation - by Mike Rooth
- Steam rally appearance by "Fiery Elias"
- Photo of the Rev. Boston on 'Pixie', with All Saints' Church behind
- http://www.britishpathe.com/product_display.php?canisternumber=&sortnumber=&filmid=403.08&szin=&group=&decade=&date1=&date2=&date3=&datefrom=&dateto=&choice=all&description=Enter+search+word%28s%29+here&searchword=Enter+a+search+word+here&choice1=all&title=Enter+a+film+title+here&choice2=all&keywords=Enter+key+words+here&choice3=all&summary=Enter+a+summary+search+here&advanced.x=0&advanced.y=0"Railway Vicar" (free video download)] – April 1967 feature by British Pathe about Teddy Boston and his OO gauge model railway.
- Teddy Boston's involvement in the forming of the Cadeby Steam & Country Fayre
See also
- Moseley Railway TrustMoseley Railway TrustThe Moseley Railway Trust is a major British collection of industrial narrow gauge locomotives and other equipment. It originally had its base in south Manchester, but has completely relocated to the Apedale Country Park near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire where a passenger railway is now open...
- British narrow gauge railwaysBritish narrow gauge railwaysThere were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways...
- Trevor the Traction EngineTrevor the Traction EngineTrevor the Traction Engine is a fictional anthropomorphic character from The Railway Series children's books by the Rev. W. Awdry, and the spin-off TV Series Thomas the Tank Engine and Friends....