Rudyard Lake Steam Railway
Encyclopedia
The Rudyard Lake Steam Railway is a minimum gauge railway
and the third railway of any gauge to run along the side of Rudyard Lake
in Staffordshire
. The railway runs for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) on the track bed of an old standard gauge
North Staffordshire Railway
line. After the NSR line closed down, a small narrow gauge train ran on the site for two years before moving via Suffolk to Trago Mills
in Devon. The current line started in 1985 and is gauge, and operates to a timetable. It was built by the late Peter Hanton of Congleton working on his own over a period of 10 years. He sold the railway to the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway Ltd in October 2000 who have developed it since that date.
Trains are about half the size a normal narrow gauge railway and are steam hauled. The railway runs from Rudyard railway station
to the Dam then along the side of the lake to terminate by the lakeside at Hunthouse Wood. This is about a mile South of the site of the old Cliffe Park railway station
.
Trains run on Sundays and Bank Holidays from January to the end of November, with more regular services from Easter to October and daily during school holidays. The railway is a member of Britains Great Little Railways
and was a member of the Heritage Railway Association.
:
The first four of these locomotives were built by the Exmoor Steam Railway
There is also :
These are normally only used for maintenance although even for these duties the railway is now using its steam engines year round in preference to internal combustion engines as they are proving more economical and reliable.
Visiting steam engines often attend the annual steam gala held each year over a weekend in late September. The 2011 guest engine was Victoria from the closed Isle of Mull railway which remains stored at Rudyard and is used sometimes on normal services.
A fleet of 12 carriages and a wide variety of goods wagons are also used. A further enclosed brake carriage was constructed in 2011 and brought into service in August.
and toilets are located.
Platform 2 is in fact the original standard gauge
platform built by the North Staffordshire Railway
. The original flower beds and retaining walls are clearly visible. At a higher level than platform 1 its a good vantage point. To the South end of the station are the engine shed, water tower, coal bunker, storage shed and workshop.
The railway offers learn to drive a steam train courses, of either a half or full day for individuals or groups. Children's parties are hosted and the Platform 2 Cafe provides hot and cold refreshments from April to October
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....
and the third railway of any gauge to run along the side of Rudyard Lake
Rudyard Lake
Rudyard Lake is a reservoir in Rudyard, Staffordshire constructed by the engineer John Rennie, for the Trent and Mersey Canal company in 1797/98 to feed the Caldon Canal....
in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
. The railway runs for 1.5 miles (2.4 km) on the track bed of an old 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...
North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
line. After the NSR line closed down, a small narrow gauge train ran on the site for two years before moving via Suffolk to Trago Mills
Trago Mills
Trago Mills is a chain of British department stores situated in the West Country. They are sited in the town of Falmouth, and on the outskirts of two other towns at Liskeard, Cornwall and Newton Abbot, Devon. Large department stores were formerly sparse in the rural west country and Trago Mills has...
in Devon. The current line started in 1985 and is gauge, and operates to a timetable. It was built by the late Peter Hanton of Congleton working on his own over a period of 10 years. He sold the railway to the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway Ltd in October 2000 who have developed it since that date.
Trains are about half the size a normal narrow gauge railway and are steam hauled. The railway runs from Rudyard railway station
Rudyard railway station
Rudyard railway station served Rudyard, Staffordshire and was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1850 on the Churnet Valley line...
to the Dam then along the side of the lake to terminate by the lakeside at Hunthouse Wood. This is about a mile South of the site of the old Cliffe Park railway station
Cliffe Park railway station
Cliffe Park railway station was opened by the North Staffordshire Railway in 1905 on the Churnet Valley line to attract visitors to Rudyard Lake , which the NSR were trying to develop as a leisure and tourist attraction including a golf course. The station was originally named Rudyard Lake and...
.
Trains run on Sundays and Bank Holidays from January to the end of November, with more regular services from Easter to October and daily during school holidays. The railway is a member of Britains Great Little Railways
Britains Great Little Railways
Britains Great Little Railways is a company, created in 1994, to provide an umbrella organisation for the owners and operators of the miniature and narrow gauge railways in Great Britain...
and was a member of the Heritage Railway Association.
Locomotives
It has five steam engines, named by the owners wife after the legends of King ArthurKing Arthur
King Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
:
- King ArthurKing ArthurKing Arthur is a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries, who, according to Medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against Saxon invaders in the early 6th century. The details of Arthur's story are mainly composed of folklore and literary invention, and...
0-6-2T built 2005 No.8 - PendragonPendragonPendragon or Pen Draig, meaning "head dragon" or "chief dragon" , is the name of several traditional Kings of the Britons:...
2-4-2T built 1994 No.9 (previously named Ashorne from Ashorne Hall RailwayAshorne Hall RailwayThe Ashorne Hall Railway was a minimum gauge railway in Warwick, Warwickshire, England. It was conceived as an added attraction to the collection of mechanical musical instruments at the Ashorne Hall museum...
) - ExcaliburExcaliburExcalibur is the legendary sword of King Arthur, sometimes attributed with magical powers or associated with the rightful sovereignty of Great Britain. Sometimes Excalibur and the Sword in the Stone are said to be the same weapon, but in most versions they are considered separate. The sword was...
2-4-2T built 1993 No.6 (previously named "River Churnet" prior to rebuild in 2003) - MerlinMerlinMerlin is a legendary figure best known as the wizard featured in the Arthurian legend. The standard depiction of the character first appears in Geoffrey of Monmouth's Historia Regum Britanniae, written c. 1136, and is based on an amalgamation of previous historical and legendary figures...
2-4-2T built 1998 No.7 - WaverleyWaverley (novel)Waverley is an 1814 historical novel by Sir Walter Scott. Initially published anonymously in 1814 as Scott's first venture into prose fiction, Waverley is often regarded as the first historical novel. It became so popular that Scott's later novels were advertised as being "by the author of...
4-4-2 built 1948 by David Curwen, on permanent loan from a group linked to the Isle of Mull RailwayIsle of Mull RailwayThe Isle of Mull Railway is a gauge line, long, which ran from the ferry terminal at Craignure to Torosay Castle, on the Isle of Mull in the Scottish Inner Hebrides. Originally it was known as the Mull and West Highland Railway. The line opened in 1983 and closed in October 2010. A limited...
The first four of these locomotives were built by the Exmoor Steam Railway
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...
There is also :
- A 4 Wheel Petrol Loco No.2 Modred (also known by the volunteers, as the Ferret)
- A 4W+4W bogie diesel loco. No.5 Rudyard Lady
- A 2-2-2 battery electric loco. No.3 Sir Ernie
These are normally only used for maintenance although even for these duties the railway is now using its steam engines year round in preference to internal combustion engines as they are proving more economical and reliable.
Visiting steam engines often attend the annual steam gala held each year over a weekend in late September. The 2011 guest engine was Victoria from the closed Isle of Mull railway which remains stored at Rudyard and is used sometimes on normal services.
A fleet of 12 carriages and a wide variety of goods wagons are also used. A further enclosed brake carriage was constructed in 2011 and brought into service in August.
Facilities
Rudyard Station comprises Platform 1 with a shelter where the trains depart. A footbridge links this to Platform 2 where the cafe, a large covered picnic area, signal boxSignal box
On a rail transport system, signalling control is the process by which control is exercised over train movements by way of railway signals and block systems to ensure that trains operate safely, over the correct route and to the proper timetable...
and toilets are located.
Platform 2 is in fact the original 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...
platform built by the North Staffordshire Railway
North Staffordshire Railway
The North Staffordshire Railway was a British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shropshire....
. The original flower beds and retaining walls are clearly visible. At a higher level than platform 1 its a good vantage point. To the South end of the station are the engine shed, water tower, coal bunker, storage shed and workshop.
The railway offers learn to drive a steam train courses, of either a half or full day for individuals or groups. Children's parties are hosted and the Platform 2 Cafe provides hot and cold refreshments from April to October