Craigtoun Miniature Railway
Encyclopedia
The Craigtoun Park Railway is a gauge
railway operating on a circular track around part of the Craigtoun Country Park
in St Andrews
, Fife
, Scotland
.
The gauge employed is usually associated with more extensive railway operations, including public transport services on railways such as the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
in Kent
, England
. However, the Craigtoun Park Railway operates on a circuit of approximately 400 yards (366 m), and purely as an attraction for families enjoying a day out in the public park owned by Fife Council.
The rolling stock, all built by Severn Lamb
consists of a two open and one semi-open 'toast-rack' style passenger carriages, with motive power provided by a 2-8-0 steam-outline diesel hydraulic locomotive built in 1973, designed to resemble a North American type steam locomotive of the Rio Grande Railroad.
The 15 inch gauge railway has been running at Craigtoun since 1976, and in 2011 operation was taken over by MRW Railways Limited, who will run the line from 2nd of July to the 28th of August with a replacement locomotive and upgrades to track and station.
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
railway operating on a circular track around part of the Craigtoun Country Park
Craigtoun Country Park
Craigtoun Country Park is a country park located just out of St Andrews in the county of Fife, Scotland. It is currently owned and run by Fife Council...
in St Andrews
St Andrews
St Andrews is a university town and former royal burgh on the east coast of Fife in Scotland. The town is named after Saint Andrew the Apostle.St Andrews has a population of 16,680, making this the fifth largest settlement in Fife....
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
.
The gauge employed is usually associated with more extensive railway operations, including public transport services on railways such as the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
The Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is a gauge light railway in Kent, England. The line runs from the Cinque Port of Hythe via Dymchurch, St...
in Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. However, the Craigtoun Park Railway operates on a circuit of approximately 400 yards (366 m), and purely as an attraction for families enjoying a day out in the public park owned by Fife Council.
The rolling stock, all built by Severn Lamb
Severn Lamb
Severn Lamb, sometimes known as Severn-Lamb, are a manufacturers of various forms of transport systems and equipment, principally aimed at the leisure market. They are based at Alcester in the English county of Warwickshire, but sell their products world-wide.The company was founded by Peter Severn...
consists of a two open and one semi-open 'toast-rack' style passenger carriages, with motive power provided by a 2-8-0 steam-outline diesel hydraulic locomotive built in 1973, designed to resemble a North American type steam locomotive of the Rio Grande Railroad.
The 15 inch gauge railway has been running at Craigtoun since 1976, and in 2011 operation was taken over by MRW Railways Limited, who will run the line from 2nd of July to the 28th of August with a replacement locomotive and upgrades to track and station.