Isle of Mull Railway

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Isle of Mull Railway.

Legend

Craignure

passing loop

Torosay Castle

Craignure station on the 10¼" (260mm) gauge Isle of Mull railway.

The Isle of Mull Railway is a 10¼" (260mm) gauge line, 1¼ miles long, from the ferry terminal at Craignure to Torosay Castle, in Mull, Argyll and Bute, Scotland. Originally it was known as the Mull and West Highland Railway.

This tourist attraction was Scotland's original island passenger railway.

1 History
2 Stations
3 Locomotives
- 3.1 Steam
- 3.2 Diesel
4 Rolling Stock.
5 Television
6 References.
7 External links

[edit] History

In 1975, the owners of Torosay Castle decided to open the building to the public. The castle is about 2 miles from the ferry terminal, and most visitors did not bring their cars, so there was the problem of getting them to and from the ferry terminal. It was decided to build a railway to transport them. The railway would also form another tourist attraction in its own right.

Planning permission was granted in 1975, although it was not until April 1982 that construction started. The line was completed by May 1983, and the first test run took place on the 22 May. The first experimental service started on August 18th 1983. The official opening of the line took place on 22 June 1984.^[1]

[edit] Stations

Craignure NM 724 369 56°28′11″N 5°41′41″W / 56.469710, -5.694774

Torosay Castle NM 732 355 56°27′27″N 5°40′50″W / 56.457542, -5.680599

[edit] Locomotives

There are six locomotives on the line.^[2]

Lady of the Isles

Victoria on a passenger train

[edit] Steam

Lady of the Isles 2-6-4T built 1981. Was used on the Suffolk Miniature Railway at Kessingland, Suffolk before entering service on the Isle of Mull Railway.
Victoria 2-6-2T built by Mouse Boiler Works in 1993. Based on Baldwin class NA locomotives used on the Puffing Billy Railway, Australia.
Waverley 4-4-2 built by David Curwen in 1948. Was originally named Black Prince and originally used on a railway in Weymouth, Dorset. Waverley is now at Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, in Staffordshire, on permanent loan, currently undergoing a major overhaul in October 2007 - onwards, she will emerge in 2008 painted LNER apple green

[edit] Diesel

Frances, BB wheel arrangement. built 1999 by Mouse Boiler Works. Powered by a Perkins 1000 diesel engine, hydraulic transmission. Weight 2 tonnes.
Glen Audlyn, BB wheel arrangement. Built on Mull by Bob Davies in 1986. Powered by a Perkins 4108 diesel engine from a Commer van. Mechanical transmission.
The Green Diesel, formerly operated at the Great Central Railway, Loughborough. Based on a Class 26 locomotive. Powered by a Morris Minor engine with mechanical transmission giving four forward and four reverse gears.

[edit] Rolling Stock.

There are 12 bogie coaches and three ballast wagons.^[2]

[edit] Television

The Isle of Mull Railway featured in an episode of the second series of the CBeebies TV programme Balamory. Filming took place in the Autumn of 2002.^[3]^[4]