Echills Wood Railway
Encyclopedia
The Echills Wood Railway is a gauge
railway located in Kingsbury Water Park
, Warwickshire
.
The railway was founded in 1972, based in the Royal Agricultural Showground in Stoneleigh, Warkickshire, where it operated until 2005.
At Easter 2006 the railway reopened at its new home, Kingsbury Water Park as a short out and back run. One year later the initial circuit of approximately 0.75 miles or 1.2 km was opened to the public, and the line was officially declared open by Pete Waterman
on 14 July 2007, with a cavalcade of 36 locomotives.
By Easter 2010, the railway had completed another kilometre of trackwork in the form of a double track extension to Far Leys on the other side of the park, traversing through a twin bore, 70 yard tunnel en route. This extension was formally opened, again by Pete Waterman, on 15 May 2010.
Between 22-29 September 2010 the railway hosted the AGM of the 7¼ in Gauge Society, with nearly 100 locomotives visiting and operating over the course of the week, including a marathon 40 trains on the circuit at once during 24 September.
The line runs a mixture of (both club and privately owned) Standard Gauge Scale and Narrow Gauge Steam, Diesel, Petrol and Electric locomotives.
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 located in Kingsbury Water Park
Kingsbury Water Park
Kingsbury Water Park is a country park in north Warwickshire, England, not far from Birmingham and lying on the River Tame. It is owned and managed by Warwickshire County Council. It has fifteen lakes situated in over 600 acres of country park. It is renowned for its birdlife, and is popular with...
, Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
.
The railway was founded in 1972, based in the Royal Agricultural Showground in Stoneleigh, Warkickshire, where it operated until 2005.
At Easter 2006 the railway reopened at its new home, Kingsbury Water Park as a short out and back run. One year later the initial circuit of approximately 0.75 miles or 1.2 km was opened to the public, and the line was officially declared open by Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman
Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an English record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast. As a member of the Stock Aitken Waterman songwriting team he wrote and produced many hit singles...
on 14 July 2007, with a cavalcade of 36 locomotives.
By Easter 2010, the railway had completed another kilometre of trackwork in the form of a double track extension to Far Leys on the other side of the park, traversing through a twin bore, 70 yard tunnel en route. This extension was formally opened, again by Pete Waterman, on 15 May 2010.
Between 22-29 September 2010 the railway hosted the AGM of the 7¼ in Gauge Society, with nearly 100 locomotives visiting and operating over the course of the week, including a marathon 40 trains on the circuit at once during 24 September.
The line runs a mixture of (both club and privately owned) Standard Gauge Scale and Narrow Gauge Steam, Diesel, Petrol and Electric locomotives.
External links
- Echills Wood Railway site
- Echills Wood Railway Observer Pages for regular updates on the railways activities.