Radwell Manor Railway

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The Radwell Manor Railway was a 10¼-inch gauge miniature railway situated in the village of Radwell, near Felmersham, in North Bedfordshire, England. It was built by Mr. H. W. Franklin, who was closely associated with the Bassett-Lowke company of Northampton, and whose products were often tested on its ¾-mile of track. The privately-run railway opened in 1920, and closed with the onset of the Second World War, around 1939.

Contents

[edit] Layout

According to Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke, the RMR had a length of "all but ¾-mile, and among its attractions are an up-to-date station, a tunnel, viaducts, embankments and cuttings ... and several over-bridges, together with a complete system of signalling."

The main viaduct was 65 feet long, with four 16-foot spans, and the embankment supporting it was 7 feet 8 inches high.

The trackwork consisted of 13½ lb/yard flat-bottom rail in 16 ft 6 in lengths, supported on steel sleepers.

Other features included sidings, engine and carriage sheds, a water-tower and a turntable.

[edit] Steam locomotives

[edit] Loadstone

An adaptation of a Raven design of three-cylinder Atlantic, as ran on the North Eastern Railway. It had 2⅝ x 4½-inch cylinders, 11½-inch driving wheels, a working pressure of 100 lbf/in², an overall length (engine and tender) of 11 feet 9 inches, and a working weight of 15 cwt. It could achieve a speed of 25 mph.

[edit] Highland Mary

A 4-4-0 design. She had cylinders of 2⅞ x 4¾ inches, driving wheels of 12½ inches, a working pressure of 120 lbf/in², and an overall length (engine and tender) of 8 feet 6 inches.

[edit] See also

[edit] Sources

The Model Railway Handbook (13th Edition, 1947) by Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke, published by Bassett-Lowke Ltd., Northampton, UK.

The Radwell Manor Railway in Railway Reflections No. 11 (July/August 1982), published by Railway Reflections Ltd., Dunstable, UK.

Wenman Joseph Bassett-Lowke (1999) by Janet Bassett-Lowke, published by Rail Romances, Chester, UK.


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