The Evesham Vale Light Railway operates in Evesham Country Park in Worcestershire

Worcestershire

Worcestershire is a non-metropolitan county, established in antiquity, located in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire" NUTS 2 region...

, 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...

, where it opened in August 2002.
Constructed at gauge

Minimum gauge railway

Minimum gauge railways have a gauge of less than or , most commonly , , or . The notion of minimum gauge railways was originally developed by estate railways and by the French company of Decauville for industrial railways....

, the line runs for over a mile through the park, including a lengthy section through the fruit orchards. Passengers are conveyed throughout the year, although operations tend to be limited to weekends during school term time, becoming a daily service during school holidays.

Route

Trains run from Twyford Station, opposite the country park's main Car Park. The run takes around 10–15 minutes, through the Apple Orchard and around the Balloon Loop to Evesham Vale Station. Here, there is a few minutes break. Passengers can either break their journey here and enjoy a picnic or country walk (returning on a later train), or simply get out for a look at the locomotive

Locomotive

A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...

. The EVLR staff are always on hand to answer questions. The train then carries on, out of the Balloon Loop, upgrade towards Twyford Station. The locomotive is then turned and run round ready for the next departure.

Steam

The railway has four working steam locomotive

Steam locomotive

A steam locomotive is a railway locomotive that produces its power through a steam engine. These locomotives are fueled by burning some combustible material, usually coal, wood or oil, to produce steam in a boiler, which drives the steam engine...

s: Barnes Atlantic

4-4-2 (locomotive)

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...

 John, Bassett-Lowke

Bassett-Lowke

Bassett-Lowke was a toy company in Northampton, England, founded by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke in 1898 or 1899, that specialized in model railways, boats and ships, and construction sets...

 Class 30 Atlantic Count Louis, 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...

 0-6-0

0-6-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels...

STT Dougal and Exmoor

Exmoor Steam Railway

The Exmoor Steam Railway is a narrow gauge steam railway and locomotive manufacturer, located at Bratton Fleming in North Devon.-12¼ in gauge:The railway was built by the Stirland family and first opened as a tourist attraction in August 1990...

 0-4-0

0-4-0

Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-0 represents one of the simplest possible types, that with two axles and four coupled wheels, all of which are driven...

STT St. Egwin.
One under overhaul: 4-6-2

4-6-2

4-6-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .These locomotives are also known as Pacifics...

 Pacific "Prince William".
Plus two others in storage as eventual restoration projects: Switcher

Switcher

A switcher or shunter is a small railroad locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been...

 "R H Morse" and another Exmoor engine.

Diesel

There are two diesel locomotive

Diesel locomotive

A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...

s: "Sludge" the Lister

R A Lister and Company

R A Lister & Company was founded in Dursley, Gloucestershire, in 1867 by Sir Robert Ashton Lister , to produce agricultural machinery. The family was originally from Yorkshire but Ashton's father relocated to Dursley in 1817....

 and "Cromwell". There is also a small diesel rail-mounted dumper truck.

Rolling stock

A variety of passenger coaches are in service - including an old German open coach, an articulated set of semi-open coaches, and several stylish fully enclosed saloon coaches, the latter of which provide the mainstay of the services.

External links