Lakeside Miniature Railway
Encyclopedia
The Lakeside Miniature Railway, runs alongside the Marine Lake on the sea front at Southport
England, it is of gauge and is representative of many miniature pleasure railways which sprung up in the early 1900s.
, England
. The First Train ran on 25 May 1911. The builder and operator was a Mr. G.V. Llewellyn and hence the railway was originally named Llewellyn's Miniature Railway. The line was originally built with raw materials being provided by the model engineering business Bassett-Lowke
and in 1938 the original route was extended round to form an 'L' shape with the new terminus running parallel to the pier. Closing Princes Park Station and Opening the new Marine Parade Station. In 1945 the railway was sold to Harry Barlow and in 2001 to the present owner Don Clark. The railway is now called the Lakeside Miniature Railway and still runs on the 1911 route with the later extension. It is one of the earliest railways of its type still running on its original route. Rhyl Miniature Railway opened on 1 May 1911, but closed during the Second World War, whilst Lakeside Miniature Railway remained open. Thus Lakeside Miniature Railway claims to be the oldest continually running railway of gauge in the world.
Class 10 ‘Atlantic’ 4-4-2 design, named King George and Princess Elizabeth, these locos were later supplemented by Katie, an 0-4-0 side tank built by that pioneer of the minimum gauge Sir Arthur Heywood. Where the two Bassett-Lowke locomotives had been supplied new Katie was third hand having already worked on the Eaton Hall Railway
and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
in Cumbria. She did not spend long at Southport, arriving in 1919 and being sold on again in 1923 to the Fairbourne Miniature Railway
.
The Bassett-Lowke locos were sufficient for the original trains but as Southport increased in popularity as a holiday location trains became busier and the locos were rebuilt to the larger class 30 standard.
In 1948 the railway’s motive power took a step towards the future with the building of a petrol-electric loco of 4-6-2 wheel arrangement with a tender, built to look like Gresley’s famous LNER Class A4
locomotives. The loco was built in Southport by a Mr. Harry Barlow who had taken over the railway in 1945.
The original locomotive of this type was named Duke Of Edinburgh with Prince Charles following in 1954 and Golden Jubilee in 1963. Golden Jubilee, although of the same basic design of the other two lost the A4 styling replaced by a box-shaped body and a loss of the steam outline wheels, the wheel arrangement being modified to 4-6-0 configuration. This loco though not as attractive as the former Barlow locos is not aesthetically displeasing.
All three of these Barlow locos still exist on the railway their Fordson tractor petrol engines having been replaced by more modern economical diesels.
In 1971 another loco joined the fleet, a Severn Lamb
product built to look like a Western Diesel, the wheel configuration being Co-Co and the drive being Diesel-Hydraulic.
A little known loco which ran on the line was a small 0-4-0 petrol mechanical shunter; No 14. Built for the line by a Mr. Gordon Walker in 1985 using a 1000cc Austin engine and a hudson coach bogie No 14 was designed for permanent way work though it could in fact haul 6 of the lines articulated coaches. It was not successful mainly because of the crude belt drive and was moved in 1990, being acquired by Austin Moss of the Windmill Farm Railway.
In 2005 a new locomotive was commissioned for the railway and in 2006 the new 2-6-2 steam-outline diesel hydraulic was delivered from Windmill Farm. It is a sit-in locomotive with an overall cab for the driver and is of tank engine appearance. It has been named Jenny.
The Lines Past and current fleet is as follows.
Current Locos owned by the railway.
Past Locos.
Southport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
England, it is of gauge and is representative of many miniature pleasure railways which sprung up in the early 1900s.
Route
The line originally consisted of a straight-running line on the seaward shore of the Southport Marine lake with a run-round loop at each end. In 1918 the original straight up and back track was extended round a sharp reverse curve under Southport pier through 90 degrees into the present terminus at Marine Parade Station. This layout remains today with the round trip covering about 1.5 km. At the Pleasureland end of the line there is a loco shed / Workshop and a second, larger locomotive shed. The station at this end of the line has a single island platform serving two running lines with run round loops which converge to form the single line route which runs alongside the lake, there is also a third siding for stock storage. At the pier end of the line there are two platforms again serving two running lines with run round loops, the station building at this end of the line has recently been rebuilt.History
The railway was built in 1911 along the seaward side of the Marine lake, SouthportSouthport
Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. During the 2001 census Southport was recorded as having a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England...
, 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...
. The First Train ran on 25 May 1911. The builder and operator was a Mr. G.V. Llewellyn and hence the railway was originally named Llewellyn's Miniature Railway. The line was originally built with raw materials being provided by the model engineering business 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...
and in 1938 the original route was extended round to form an 'L' shape with the new terminus running parallel to the pier. Closing Princes Park Station and Opening the new Marine Parade Station. In 1945 the railway was sold to Harry Barlow and in 2001 to the present owner Don Clark. The railway is now called the Lakeside Miniature Railway and still runs on the 1911 route with the later extension. It is one of the earliest railways of its type still running on its original route. Rhyl Miniature Railway opened on 1 May 1911, but closed during the Second World War, whilst Lakeside Miniature Railway remained open. Thus Lakeside Miniature Railway claims to be the oldest continually running railway of gauge in the world.
Locomotives
The line originally had two steam locomotive of the Bassett-LowkeBassett-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 10 ‘Atlantic’ 4-4-2 design, named King George and Princess Elizabeth, these locos were later supplemented by Katie, an 0-4-0 side tank built by that pioneer of the minimum gauge Sir Arthur Heywood. Where the two Bassett-Lowke locomotives had been supplied new Katie was third hand having already worked on the Eaton Hall Railway
Eaton Hall Railway
The Eaton Hall Railway was an early gauge narrow gauge estate railway built in 1896 at Eaton Hall in Cheshire.It was built for the Duke of Westminster by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood, who had pioneered the fifteen inch gauge with his Duffield Bank Railway, and connected the hall to the GWR...
and the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District...
in Cumbria. She did not spend long at Southport, arriving in 1919 and being sold on again in 1923 to the Fairbourne Miniature Railway
Fairbourne Railway
The Fairbourne Railway is a gauge miniature railway running for from the village of Fairbourne on the Mid-Wales coast, alongside the beach to the end of a peninsula at Barmouth Ferry, where there is a connection with a pedestrian ferry across the Mawddach estuary to the seaside resort of...
.
The Bassett-Lowke locos were sufficient for the original trains but as Southport increased in popularity as a holiday location trains became busier and the locos were rebuilt to the larger class 30 standard.
In 1948 the railway’s motive power took a step towards the future with the building of a petrol-electric loco of 4-6-2 wheel arrangement with a tender, built to look like Gresley’s famous LNER Class A4
LNER Class A4
The Class A4 is a class of streamlined 4-6-2 steam locomotive, designed by Nigel Gresley for the London and North Eastern Railway in 1935. Their streamlined design gave them high-speed capability as well as making them instantly recognizable, and one of the class, 4468 Mallard, still claims the...
locomotives. The loco was built in Southport by a Mr. Harry Barlow who had taken over the railway in 1945.
The original locomotive of this type was named Duke Of Edinburgh with Prince Charles following in 1954 and Golden Jubilee in 1963. Golden Jubilee, although of the same basic design of the other two lost the A4 styling replaced by a box-shaped body and a loss of the steam outline wheels, the wheel arrangement being modified to 4-6-0 configuration. This loco though not as attractive as the former Barlow locos is not aesthetically displeasing.
All three of these Barlow locos still exist on the railway their Fordson tractor petrol engines having been replaced by more modern economical diesels.
In 1971 another loco joined the fleet, a 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...
product built to look like a Western Diesel, the wheel configuration being Co-Co and the drive being Diesel-Hydraulic.
A little known loco which ran on the line was a small 0-4-0 petrol mechanical shunter; No 14. Built for the line by a Mr. Gordon Walker in 1985 using a 1000cc Austin engine and a hudson coach bogie No 14 was designed for permanent way work though it could in fact haul 6 of the lines articulated coaches. It was not successful mainly because of the crude belt drive and was moved in 1990, being acquired by Austin Moss of the Windmill Farm Railway.
In 2005 a new locomotive was commissioned for the railway and in 2006 the new 2-6-2 steam-outline diesel hydraulic was delivered from Windmill Farm. It is a sit-in locomotive with an overall cab for the driver and is of tank engine appearance. It has been named Jenny.
The Lines Past and current fleet is as follows.
Current Locos owned by the railway.
- H N Barlow. 4468 Duke Of Edinburgh. Built 1948.
- H N Barlow. 2510/2501 Prince Charles. Built 1954.
- H N Barlow. Golden Jubilee. Built 1963.
- Severn Lamb. Princess Anne. Built 1971.
- A Moss. Jenny. Built 2006.
Past Locos.
- G Walker & A Moss. Red Dragon. Built 1990. Now at Windmill Farm.
- Basset Lowke. King George V. Built 1911. Now in America.
- Basset Lowke. Princess Elizabeth. Built 1915. Now in America.
- Severn Lamb. Rio Grande. Now at Windmill Farm.