Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
Encyclopedia
The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum 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....
heritage railway
Heritage railway
thumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
in Cumbria
Cumbria
Cumbria , is a non-metropolitan county in North West England. The county and Cumbria County Council, its local authority, came into existence in 1974 after the passage of the Local Government Act 1972. Cumbria's largest settlement and county town is Carlisle. It consists of six districts, and in...
, England. The 7 miles (11.3 km) line runs from Ravenglass
Ravenglass
Ravenglass is a small coastal village and natural harbour in Cumbria, England. It is the only coastal town within the Lake District National Park...
to Dalegarth Station
Dalegarth for Boot railway station
Dalegarth for Boot railway station is the easterly terminus of the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. It has a café and shop for passengers, along with a run-round loop, turntable and siding for trains...
near Boot in the valley of Eskdale
Eskdale, Cumbria
Eskdale is a glacial valley and civil parish in the western Lake District National Park in Cumbria, England. It forms part of the Borough of Copeland, and has a population of 264....
, in the Lake District
Lake District
The Lake District, also commonly known as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a mountainous region in North West England. A popular holiday destination, it is famous not only for its lakes and its mountains but also for its associations with the early 19th century poetry and writings of William Wordsworth...
. At Ravenglass the line ends at Ravenglass railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line
Cumbrian Coast Line
The Cumbrian Coast Line is a rail route in North West England, running from Carlisle to Barrow-in-Furness via Workington and Whitehaven. The line forms part of Network Rail route NW 4033, which continues via Ulverston and Grange-over-Sands to Carnforth, where it connects with the West Coast Main...
.
Intermediate stations and halts are at Muncaster Mill, Miteside, Murthwaite, Irton Road, Eskdale Green
Eskdale Green
Eskdale Green is a village in Cumbria, England, 10 miles west of Coniston. It lies off the A595 road and is one of the few settlements in Eskdale.The village is centred around the small St. Bega's Church and hall...
, Fisherground and Beckfoot. The railway is owned by a private company and supported by a preservation society. The oldest 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...
is River Irt, parts of which date from 1894, while the newest is the diesel-hydraulic Douglas Ferreira
Douglas Ferreira (locomotive)
The Douglas Ferreira is a diesel-hydraulic 15" gauge locomotive which was built in 2005 by TMA Engineering and works on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria, England...
, built in 2005.
The line is known locally as La'al Ratty and its gauge predecessor as Owd Ratty.
Nearby attractions include: the Roman Bath House
Ravenglass Roman Bath House
Ravenglass Roman Bath House is one of a few surviving structures from a 2nd century Roman fort and naval base. Described by Matthew Hyde in his update to the Pevsner Guide to Cumbria as "an astonishing survival", the still standing walls are 13 ft high...
at Ravenglass; the Hardknott Roman Fort
Hardknott Roman Fort
Mediobogdum was a fort in the Roman province of Britannia. Its remains are located on the western side of the Hardknott Pass in the English county of Cumbria .-The location and name:...
, known to the Romans as Mediobogdum, at the foot of Hardknott Pass
Hardknott Pass
Hardknott Pass is a pass that carries a minor road between Eskdale and the Duddon Valley in the region of Cumbria, England, in the Lake District National Park...
; the watermill
Watermill
A watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
s at Boot and Muncaster; and Muncaster Castle
Muncaster Castle
Muncaster Castle is a privately owned castle overlooking the Esk river, about a mile south of the west-coastal town of Ravenglass in Cumbria, England.-History:...
, the home of the Pennington family since 1208.
Original railway
The original Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway was a line opened on 24 May 1875 to transport hematiteHematite
Hematite, also spelled as haematite, is the mineral form of iron oxide , one of several iron oxides. Hematite crystallizes in the rhombohedral system, and it has the same crystal structure as ilmenite and corundum...
iron ore from mines around Boot to the Furness Railway
Furness Railway
The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament...
standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
line at Ravenglass. There has been dispute about the gauge. It is shown as 3 feet in records but is quoted as in some books such as the ABC of Narrow Gauge Railways. This figure was believed for many years until the present company discovered a sleeper from before the line closed, with spacings between holes made by track spikes confirming the gauge was the wider one. The confusion probably stems from the fact that the line was built under the condition that it was "of a gauge not less than 2' 9" ".
Passengers were permitted from 1876 and were carried until November 1908. It was the first public narrow-gauge railway in England. The line was declared bankrupt in 1897 although it operated for many years afterwards. It was forced to close in April 1913, due to decline in demand for iron ore and small volumes of passengers in summer.
Bassett-Lowke era
In 1915 Wenman Joseph Bassett-LowkeWenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke
Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke was the son of Joseph Tom Lowke, a Northampton boilermaker and his wife, Eliza, and is noted for having founded the firm of Bassett-Lowke which specialised in producing construction sets, and model railways, boats and ships...
and Robert Proctor-Mitchell, two model makers, converted
Gauge conversion
In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks...
the line to the gauge that it is today. The first train operated over the regauged line on August 28, 1915. By 1917, the entire line had been converted and trains were running along the whole length. Initially, services were operated using the 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...
-built, to-scale 4-4-2
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...
Sans Pareil. Rolling stock was augmented by Sir Arthur Heywood's Duffield Bank
Duffield Bank Railway
The Duffield Bank Railway was built by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood in the grounds of his house on the hillside overlooking Duffield, Derbyshire in 1874. Although the Ordnance Survey map circa 1880 does not show the railway itself, it does show two tunnels and two signal posts.-Overview:It was more...
line, following Sir Arthur's death in 1916. These included the 0-8-0
0-8-0
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-0 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and no trailing wheels...
locomotive Muriel, whose frames and running gear were rebuilt as River Irt.
As well as passengers, the line transported granite
Granite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
between Beckfoot Quarry and Murthwaite crushing plant. From Murthwaite to Ravenglass the track ran as dual gauge for a time, with standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
track straddling the gauge rails. A 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...
was obtained in 1929 to work this section and details are in Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway locomotives
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway locomotives
This article gives details of the locomotives used on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, a narrow gauge preserved railway line running for from Ravenglass on the Cumbrian coast to Dalegarth near the village of Boot, in Eskdale.-No...
. The line carried much of the goods and produce for the valley. By the mid-1920s, the line had been extended to its present terminus at Dalegarth Station. Passenger trains did not run during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Keswick Granite
Following the war, the line was purchased by Keswick Granite Company, but the quarries closed in 1953. They sold the railway in 1960 .Preservation
Locals and railway enthusiasts formed Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society to save the line, with financial backing by others. The structure, the railway owned and operated by private company, with the backing of the preservation society, is still in place.Despite construction of the 2-8-2
2-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle...
engine River Esk in 1923 and the rebuilding of Muriel into the 0-8-2
0-8-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle ....
River Irt in 1927, the line was short of motive power. To allow for an expanded timetable, the preservation society raised funds to build a third steam locomotive. River Mite (2-8-2) entered service in 1967 and, although owned by the society, has been on permanent loan to the company ever since.
In the early 1970s it became apparent that, with passengers rising, another locomotive was required. This time the company constructed the engine itself. Northern Rock (2-6-2
2-6-2
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:...
) was complete in time for centenary celebrations in 1976. A further addition was made in 1980 when the company constructed the B-B diesel locomotive Lady Wakefield.
Other significant locomotives include: Bonnie Dundee, built in 1900 as a -gauge tank engine before being donated to the R&ER by a member and converted to -gauge, later converted again from tank to tender configuration; Synolda, a twin to the original loco Sans Pareil, built in 1912, saved from Belle Vue Zoo in 1978 and now in the railway museum; Shelagh of Eskdale, a 4-6-4
4-6-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:...
diesel built in 1969 incorporating parts of the Heywood loco Ella; Perkins, a rebuilt 0-4-4
0-4-4
Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-4 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles...
diesel engine, which started as a quarry shunter before being rebuilt into the steam-outlined Passenger Tractor and then again in 1984 into its current guise; Douglas Ferreira, a B-B diesel loco constructed in 2005 and named after the general manager of the R&ER from 1961 to 1994.
Since the 1960s, the railway has improved and visitors have increased. Between 1961 and 1994, Douglas Ferreira
Douglas Ferreira
Douglas Ferreira, O.B.E., was the longest serving General Manager of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, a heritage railway in Cumbria, England known as the "Ratty". He was at the heart of the "Ratty" for thirty four years....
was the general manager and he is one of the people who have left the biggest legacy on the Ratty. Today, there are 120,000 passengers each year with up to 16 trains daily in summer. Trains run most of the year; the railway is only closed in January.
Gilbert's Cutting
After passing Spout House Farm the line reaches Gilbert's Cutting. Until 1964, trains were forced to follow a sharp curve along a contour in order to avoid steep gradients. However, after several thousands of tons of granite had been dug out, a new 210-metre cutting was opened by Colin Gilbert, thus ending the squealing noise the trains had made negotiating this part of the line until that year.Train operations
The railway uses radio control train order. Outside Ravenglass station, the line is single track with passing loops at Miteside, Irton Road and Fisherground. Trains operate by radio communication between drivers and at Ravenglass signal box. At passing loops and the terminus station, drivers contact the controller, using reporting numbers (even numbers for up trains ex-Ravenglass, and odd for down) the train is within the loop and is clear of the preceding single track. To leave the loop, the driver contacts control to enter the next single section. No fixed signals are used outside Ravenglass station. Points at passing loops are spring-loaded with direction indicators, meaning no human intervention.Elements of the operation were used by British Rail to cut costs on remote lines. What became known as Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block
Radio Electronic Token Block is a system of railway signalling used in the United Kingdom. It is a development of the physical token system for controlling traffic on single lines.- How it works :...
signalling shared features with the Ratty, such as centralised control, spring-loaded points at loops, and on-train equipment rather than fixed equipment at remote locations.
The line
- Ravenglass: signal box, turntable, workshops, engine sheds, carriage shed, museum, café, booking office and shop, camping coaches, holiday bungalow, car park.
- Muncaster MillMuncaster Mill railway stationMuncaster Mill railway station is a railway station on the gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. It is next to the main A595 road which runs for the majority of the length of the Cumbrian Coast....
: historic corn mill (no longer open to the public), car park (1 miles (1.6 km) from Ravenglass). Formerly known as Muncaster.
- Miteside HaltMiteside Halt railway stationMiteside Halt railway station is a railway station on the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. It is located a short way west of the passing loop and its only amenity is a small shelter made from the hull of a boat....
(1+3/4 mi from Ravenglass)
- Murthwaite HaltMurthwaite Halt railway stationMurthwaite Halt railway station is a small intermediate railway station on the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. It is named after the farm that stood in the field opposite the railway and close by there was also a granite quarry and stone crushing plant of the same name...
(2+3/4 mi from Ravenglass)
- Irton RoadIrton Road railway stationIrton Road railway station is a railway station on the 15 in gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in the Lake District National Park, Cumbria.Originally named Hollowstones, after the adjacent farm, it opened to passengers in 1876, when the line was still in its 3' gauge form...
: siding, loop, shed, car park (4+1/4 mi from Ravenglass). Formerly known as Hollowstones, after the adjacent farm.
- Eskdale GreenEskdale Green railway stationEskdale Green railway station is a railway station on the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. Originally known as King of Prussia after the nearby Public House and then its current name, it changed to The Green in the 1960s to get rid of the confusion with this station and the...
: car park (4+3/4 mi from Ravenglass). Formerly known as King of Prussia after a local pub, then Eskdale Green, then The Green before reverting to its current name.
- Fisherground HaltFisherground Halt railway stationFisherground Halt railway station is on the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria, England. Its main purpose is the serve the camp site of the same name which is located in the next field. It is a request stop only...
: campsite (5+1/2 mi from Ravenglass).
- BeckfootBeckfoot railway stationBeckfoot railway station is a railway station on the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. It differs from the other stations in that passengers will only be picked up here on Down journeys and will only be set down here on Up journeys...
(6+1/2 mi from Ravenglass)
- Dalegarth for BootDalegarth for Boot railway stationDalegarth for Boot railway station is the easterly terminus of the 15" gauge Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. It has a café and shop for passengers, along with a run-round loop, turntable and siding for trains...
: turntable, shop, café, car park (7 miles (11.3 km) from Ravenglass). Formerly known as Eskdale (Dalegarth).
Stock list
| No. | Name | Livery | Arrival | Type | Wheels | Builder | Built | Status | Duty |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | River Irt River Irt The River Irt is a river in the county of Cumbria in northern England. It flows from the south-western end of Wast Water, the deepest lake in England, leaving the lake at the foot of Whin Rigg, the southern peak of the famous Wastwater Screes.... |
Mid Green Great Western Railway The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838... |
1917 | Steam | 0-8-2 0-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of no leading wheels, eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle .... |
Sir Arthur Heywood | 1894 | In traffic | Passenger duties |
| 7 | River Esk River Esk, Cumbria The River Esk is a river in the Lake District in Cumbria, England. It is one of two River Esks in Cumbria, and not to be confused with the River Esk which flows on the Scottish side of the border.... |
Blackberry Black | 1923 | Steam | 2-8-2 2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... |
Davey Paxman & Co. | 1923 | Undergoing Major Overhaul | Passenger duties |
| 9 | River Mite River Mite The River Mite is a river in the county of Cumbria in northern England.The valley through which the river Mite runs is called Miterdale. The name Mite is thought to be of British origin and related to a root such as 'meigh': to urinate or dribble, possibly a wry reflection of the relatively minor... |
Indian Red Furness Railway The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament... |
1966 | Steam | 2-8-2 2-8-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-8-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels on one axle , eight powered and coupled driving wheels on four axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... |
Clarkson & Sons | 1966 | In traffic | Passenger duties |
| 10 | Northern Rock Northern Rock Northern Rock plc is a British bank, best known for becoming the first bank in 150 years to suffer a bank run after having had to approach the Bank of England for a loan facility, to replace money market funding, during the credit crisis in 2007. Having failed to find a commercial buyer for... |
Muscat Green Highland Railway The Highland Railway was one of the smaller British railways before the Railways Act 1921; it operated north of Perth railway station in Scotland and served the farthest north of Britain... |
1976 | Steam | 2-6-2 2-6-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 2-6-2 represents the wheel arrangement of two leading wheels, six coupled driving wheels and two trailing wheels.Other equivalent classifications are:... |
R&ER | 1976 | In traffic | Passenger duties |
| 11 | Bonnie Dundee Bonnie Dundee Bonnie Dundee is a poem and a song about John Graham, 7th Laird of Claverhouse, 1st Viscount Dundee who was known by this nickname. The song has been used as a regimental march by several Scottish regiments in the British Army and was adapted by Confederate troops in the American Civil... |
Bronze Green North British Railway The North British Railway was a Scottish railway company that was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923.-History:... |
1976 | Steam | 0-4-2 0-4-2 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 0-4-2 represents the wheel arrangement with no leading wheels, four powered and coupled driving wheels on two axles, and two trailing wheels on one axle... |
Kerr Stuart Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer from Stoke-on-Trent, England.-History:It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as James Kerr & Company, and became Kerr, Stuart & Company from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a partner... |
1900 | Stored unserviceable | Occasional static display |
| N/A | Synolda | NGR Blue | 1978 | Steam | 4-4-2 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... |
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... |
1912 | Undergoing Overhaul prior to 100th anniversary in 2012. |
Static display |
| N/A | The Flower of the Forest | NER Green North Eastern Railway (UK) The North Eastern Railway , was an English railway company. It was incorporated in 1854, when four existing companies were combined, and was absorbed into the London and North Eastern Railway at the Grouping in 1923... |
1992 | Steam | 0-2-2 0-2-2 An 0-2-2, in the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives by wheel arrangement, is one that has two coupled driving wheels followed by two trailing wheels, with no leading wheels... |
R&ER | 1985 | Stored unserviceable | N/A |
| 6 | Katie | Heywood Green | 1982 | Steam | 0-4-0T 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... |
Sir Arthur Heywood | 1896 | Undergoing reconstruction | N/A |
| ICL 1 | Bunny | Green | 1922 | Petrol-Mechanical | B-2 | Francis Theakston | 1922 | Stored unserviceable | N/A |
| ICL 5 | Quarryman | Fordson Green | 1927 | Petrol-Mechanical | 4w | Muir-Hill Muir-Hill Muir Hill Ltd, started in the early 1920s as a general engineering company based in Old Trafford, Manchester, England. Best known for the production of simple rail locomotives and in the company's later life high horse power tractors, with production of Dumpers post war.-History:Amongst other... |
1927 | Awaiting repair | N/A |
| ICL 4 | Perkins | Yellow | 1929 | Diesel-Mechanical | 4w-4 | Muir-Hill Muir-Hill Muir Hill Ltd, started in the early 1920s as a general engineering company based in Old Trafford, Manchester, England. Best known for the production of simple rail locomotives and in the company's later life high horse power tractors, with production of Dumpers post war.-History:Amongst other... |
1929 | Operational | Permanent Way duties |
| ICL 7 | Shelagh of Eskdale | Apple & Brunswick Green | 1969 | Diesel-Mechanical | 4-6-4 4-6-4 Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-4 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles , six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and four trailing wheels on two axles .Other equivalent classifications are:UIC classification:... |
Severn-Lamb | 1969 | Operational | Permanent Way duties |
| ICL 8 | Lady Wakefield | Brunswick Green | 1980 | Diesel-Mechanical | B-B | R&ER | 1980 | In traffic | Passenger & P-Way duties |
| N/A | Greenbat Greenwood & Batley Greenwood & Batley were a large engineering manufacturer with a wide range of products, including armaments, electrical engineering, and printing and milling machinery. They also produced a range of battery-electric railway locomotives under the brand name Greenbat... |
Dark Green | 1982 | Battery-Electric | 4w | Greenwood & Batley Greenwood & Batley Greenwood & Batley were a large engineering manufacturer with a wide range of products, including armaments, electrical engineering, and printing and milling machinery. They also produced a range of battery-electric railway locomotives under the brand name Greenbat... |
1957 | Awaiting overhaul | N/A |
| ICL 9 | Cyril | Unlined Green | 1985 | Diesel-Mechanical | 4w | R.A. 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.... |
1932 | Operational | Station pilot |
| ICL 10 | Les | Dark Green | 1999 | Diesel-Mechanical | 4w | R.A. 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.... |
1960 | Operational | Workshops pilot |
| ICL 11 | Douglas Ferreira Douglas Ferreira Douglas Ferreira, O.B.E., was the longest serving General Manager of the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, a heritage railway in Cumbria, England known as the "Ratty". He was at the heart of the "Ratty" for thirty four years.... |
Indian Red Furness Railway The Furness Railway was a railway company operating in the Furness area of Lancashire in North West England.-History:The company was established on May 23, 1844 when the Furness Railway Act was passed by Parliament... |
2005 | Diesel-Hydraulic | B-B | TMA Engineering TMA Engineering TMA Engineering Ltd, 95-111 Tyburn Rd, Erdington, Birmingham, Great Britain. Their main business is supplying, maintaining, repairing and rebuilding power presses... |
2005 | In traffic | Passenger duties |
The operational passenger stock of the railway currently comprises the following -
- 7 20-seat heated saloons (102; 110; 111; 113-115; 136)
- 2 18-seat heated saloons (106; 107)
- 1 14-seat heated brake saloon (112)
- 3 20-seat saloons (119; 121; 122)
- 2 14-seat brake saloons (104; 120)
- 1 16-seat brake saloon (103)
- 4 24-seat maxi saloons (131; 132; 134; 135)
- 1 22-seat heated maxi brake saloon (133)
- 1 20-seat heated maxi special saloon (130)
- 2 17-seat heated disabled saloons (118; 126)
- 2 19-seat disabled saloons (123; 137)
- 7 20-seat semi-opens (101; 108; 109; 116; 117; 124; 125)
- 3 20-seat disabled semi-opens (127-129)
- 9 20-seat opens (166; 169-469; 170-370; 187)
- 4 18-seat brake opens (271; 371; 199; 287)
The permanent way department currently utilises nine four-wheeled flat wagons, seven of which have removable tops for ballast carrying, a four-wheeled railbender wagon, a bogie man-rider wagon, a bogie flat wagon, an emergency and utilities van and a mess coach (number 105).
The line in fiction
The Arlesdale RailwayArlesdale Railway
The Arlesdale Railway, more commonly known as the Small Railway, is a fictional railway on the Island of Sodor from the Railway Series books by the Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry....
in The Railway Series
The Railway Series
The Railway Series is a set of story books about a railway system located on the fictional Island of Sodor. There are 42 books in the series, the first being published in 1945. Twenty-six were written by the Rev. W. Awdry, up to 1972. A further 16 were written by his son, Christopher Awdry; 14...
by Rev. W. Awdry
W.V. Awdry
Wilbert Vere Awdry, OBE , was an English clergyman, railway enthusiast and children's author, better known as the Reverend W. Awdry and creator of Thomas the Tank Engine, who starred in Awdry's acclaimed Railway Series.-Life:Awdry was born at Ampfield vicarage near Romsey, Hampshire in 1911...
is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. In Small Railway Engines (1967), Awdry relates part of a holiday he spent visiting the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway with the Rev. E. R. 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...
; the two appear in the book as the Thin Clergyman and the Fat Clergyman, respectively. The Arlesdale Railway was also the focus point in Jock the New Engine, with an incident that was inspired by an accident that happened on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, when Perkins crashed in the back of the shed, and with cameos in other books.
The fictional railway's locomotives are each based on Ravenglass engines: Bert, Rex, Mike and Jock are the steam engines River Irt, River Esk, River Mite and Northern Rock, while the Sudrian diesels Frank, Sigrid of Arlesdale and Blister 1 & 2 are the Cumbrians Perkins, Shelagh of Eskdale and Cyril. The Arlesdale Railway stations are also visibly based on the Ravenglass ones: Arlesburgh is Ravenglass, Ffarquhar Road is Muncaster Mill, Marthwaite is Irton Road, Arlesdale Green is Eskdale Green and Arlesdale is Dalegarth.
The line features in The Plague Dogs
The Plague Dogs
The Plague Dogs is the third novel by Richard Adams, author of Watership Down, about two dogs who escape an animal testing facility and are subsequently pursued by both the government and the media...
by Richard Adams
Richard Adams
Richard Adams was a non-conforming English Presbyterian divine, known as author of sermons and other theological writings.-Life:...
; the canine protagonists evade the force of paratroopers searching for them by riding from Eskdale to Ravenglass on an empty train.
See also
- Duffield Bank RailwayDuffield Bank RailwayThe Duffield Bank Railway was built by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood in the grounds of his house on the hillside overlooking Duffield, Derbyshire in 1874. Although the Ordnance Survey map circa 1880 does not show the railway itself, it does show two tunnels and two signal posts.-Overview:It was more...
- Eaton Hall RailwayEaton Hall RailwayThe 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...
- Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway
- Sand Hutton Miniature Railway
- Shuzenji Romney RailwayShuzenji Romney RailwayThe Shuzenji Romney Railway is a gauge pleasure line located in Niji-no-Sato in Izu, Shizuoka, on the Izu Peninsula in Japan. It is based on the English Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway on the English Channel coast in Kent, which opened in 1925. The railway operates using a mixture of steam and...
in Japan - Bush Mill RailwayBush Mill RailwayThe Bush Mill Railway was a gauge miniature railway, situated from Port Arthur, in Tasmania. It opened in 1986.- Route :The Bush Mill Railway climbed steeply through a series of loops and zig zags up a hillside, then across a spectacular Serpentine Bridge...