Strawberry Line (Miniature Railway)
Encyclopedia
The Strawberry Line is a 0.75 miles (1.2 km) length of gauge
railway inside Avon Valley Country Park
(near Keynsham
). It is Britain's only commercial ground-level railway. As a conventional ridable miniature railway
it provides train rides for visitors to the park (for an additional fare), but it also runs demonstration freight trains using correctly scaled wagons. Driver experience courses are offered in the winter.
The whole railway is in the process of being resignalled with track circuit
s replacing the treadle
-operated signalling system. The signalling recreates the prototypical railway operational scenario, with signals not clearing unless the section ahead, or the intersecting line, is clear.
. These currently include:
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 inside Avon Valley Country Park
Avon Valley Country Park
Avon Valley Country Park is a Country park in Keynsham, Somerset, England.The park which is next to the River Avon provides country walks, a boating lake, play areas for children, a small petting zoo and a miniature railway....
(near Keynsham
Keynsham
Keynsham is a town and civil parish between Bristol and Bath in Somerset, south-west England. It has a population of 15,533.It was listed in the Domesday Book as Cainesham, which is believed to mean the home of Saint Keyne....
). It is Britain's only commercial ground-level railway. As a conventional ridable miniature railway
Ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives .-Overview:Typically they have a rail track gauge between and , though both larger and...
it provides train rides for visitors to the park (for an additional fare), but it also runs demonstration freight trains using correctly scaled wagons. Driver experience courses are offered in the winter.
History
The railway was started at the Avon Valley Country Park in May 1999, with the first trains running on a 150 feet (45.7 m) demonstration track. A trackbed was roughed out in June and the first services ran on the new 900 feet (274.3 m) track in August 1999. A 60 feet (18.3 m) tunnel was added in 2003.The railway
An area is set aside for the coaling and preparation of steam locomotives, including a fire-dropping pit.The whole railway is in the process of being resignalled with track circuit
Track circuit
A track circuit is a simple electrical device used to detect the absence of a train on rail tracks, used to inform signallers and control relevant signals.- Principles and operation :...
s replacing the treadle
Treadle (railway)
In railway signalling, a treadle is a mechanical or electrical device that detects that a train axle has passed a particular location. They are used where a track circuit requires re-inforcing with additional information about a train's location, such as around an automatic level crossing, or in an...
-operated signalling system. The signalling recreates the prototypical railway operational scenario, with signals not clearing unless the section ahead, or the intersecting line, is clear.
Steam locomotives
The line has a growing number of steam-powered locomotivesSteam 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...
. These currently include:
- 'Britannia' ClassBR standard class 7The BR Standard Class 7, otherwise known as the Britannia Class, is a class of 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotive designed by Robert Riddles for use by British Railways for mixed traffic duties. Fifty-five were constructed between 1951 and 1954. The design was a result of the 1948 locomotive exchanges...
4-6-24-6-24-6-2, 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... - 0-4-00-4-0Under 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...
shunter - 0-6-00-6-0Under 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...
(Polly 4) - LNER A2 Class 4-6-2 (Blue Peter)
- LMS 'Black 5'LMS Stanier Class 5 4-6-0The London Midland and Scottish Railway's Class 5 4-6-0, almost universally known as the Black Five, is a class of steam locomotive. It was introduced by William Stanier in 1934 and 842 were built between then and 1951...
4-6-04-6-0Under the Whyte notation for the classification of steam locomotives, 4-6-0 represents the wheel arrangement of four leading wheels on two axles in a leading truck, six powered and coupled driving wheels on three axles, and no trailing wheels. This wheel arrangement became the second-most popular... - 0-6-00-6-0Under 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...
(Speedy) - LNER B1 ClassLNER Thompson Class B1The London and North Eastern Railway Thompson Class B1 is a class of steam locomotive designed for medium mixed traffic work. It was designed by Edward Thompson.- Overview :...
4-6-0 (PukuPukuThe Puku is an antelope found in wet grasslands in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Namibia and in Zambia.Puku stand about 80 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 80 kilograms. Puku are sandy brown in colour, the underbelly is a slightly lighter brown...
)
Diesel locomotives
The line also owns several "diesel" locomotives. These are battery-powered.- 0-4-00-4-0Under 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...
shunter - Class 08British Rail Class 08The British Rail Class 08 is a class of diesel-electric shunting locomotive. From 1953 to 1962, 996 locomotives were produced, making it the most numerous of all British locomotive classes....
0-6-0 Shunter - Class 35British Rail Class 35The British Rail Class 35 is a class of mixed-traffic B-B diesel locomotive with hydraulic transmission. Because of their Mekydro-design hydraulic transmission units, the locomotives became known as the Hymeks....
"Hymek" - Class 40British Rail Class 40The British Rail Class 40 is a type of British railway diesel locomotive. Built by English Electric between 1958 and 1962, and eventually numbering 200, they were for a time the pride of the British Rail early diesel fleet...
(x2) - Class 42British Rail Class 42British Railways' Type 4 Warship class diesel-hydraulic locomotives were introduced in 1958. It was apparent at that time that the largest centre of expertise on diesel-hydraulic locomotives was in Germany...
"Warship" (x2 - run as pair) - Class 45British Rail Class 45The British Rail Class 45 also known as the Sulzer Type 4 diesel locomotives were built by British Rail at their Derby and Crewe Works between 1960 and 1962...
"Peak" - Class 47British Rail Class 47The British Rail Class 47, is a class of British railway diesel-electric locomotive that was developed in the 1960s by Brush Traction. A total of 512 Class 47s were built at Crewe Works and Brush's Falcon Works, Loughborough between 1962 and 1968, which made them the most numerous class of British...
(x2) - Class 50British Rail Class 50The British Rail Class 50 is a diesel locomotive built from 1967-68 by English Electric at their Vulcan Foundry Works in Newton-le-Willows. Fifty of these locomotives were built to haul express passenger trains on the, then non-electrified, section of the West Coast Main Line between Crewe,...
(x2) - Class 52British Rail Class 52British Rail assigned Class 52 to the class of 74 large Type 4 diesel-hydraulic locomotives built for the Western Region of British Railways between 1961 and 1964...
"Western" (x2) - Class 55British Rail Class 55The British Rail Class 55 is a class of diesel locomotive built in 1961 and 1962 by English Electric. They were designed for the high-speed express passenger services on the East Coast Main Line between and Edinburgh. They gained the name "Deltic" from the prototype locomotive, DP1 Deltic, which...
"Deltic" - Class 66British Rail Class 66The Class 66 is a six axle diesel electric freight locomotive developed in part from the British Rail Class 59, for use on the railways of the UK. Since its introduction the class has been successful and has been sold to British and other European railway companies...
(x2)