Bickington Steam Railway
| Bickington Steam Railway | |
|---|---|
|
Photograph from 12 August 2004 | |
| Overview | |
| Termini |
Trago Central (Fun Park) Riverside Station (Car Park) |
| Stations | 3 |
| Operation | |
| Opening | 1988 |
| Owner | Trago Mills |
| Operator(s) | Trago Mills |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 2 mi (3.2 km) |
| Track length | 2.5 mi (4.0 km) |
| Track gauge | 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) |
Located at Trago Mills Regional Shopping Centre, Newton Abbot, the 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) ridable miniature railway Bickington Steam Railway was opened in 1988, using equipment recovered from the Suffolk Wildlife Park, which itself was taken from Rudyard Lake.[1] It was built by Brian Nicholson, the headmaster of Waterhouses School in Staffordshire. Waterhouses was the junction for the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway. After being thwarted in an attempt to rebuild a portion of the Leek and Manifold Valley railway, Nicholson moved his railway, via Rudyard Lake and Suffolk, to Trago Mills.
Originally the railway was a 1 mile (1.6 km) double loop around two lakes with one station, 'Trago Central', but in 2006 the railway grew over 1⁄2 mile (805 m), with an extension taking it to Trago's front car park. A three-track terminus and turntable was built and named the 'Riverside Station'. A third station was added in 2008, located at the far end of the Trago site on one of the original sections of line; this was named 'Goose Glen Halt'. This was constructed in the hope that shoppers would use the ride to return to their vehicles, a near half-mile uphill walk from the main shopping complex.
Over a section of this line, the railway climbs one of the steepest inclines for any non rack railway in the UK. The railway is a member of Britains Great Little Railways
Locomotives
| No. | Name | Wheel arrangement | Builder | Built |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | E.R. Calthrop | 2-6-4T | Coleby Simkins | 1974 |
| 750 | Blanche of Lancaster | 4-4-2 | D. Curwen | 1948 |
| Alice | 2-6-0 | Simkins & Vere | 1984 | |
| D5910 | 4w-4wDH | D. Nicholson | 1987 | |
| 24 | Sandy River | 2-6-2 | Coleby Simkins/Allcock/Vere | 1991 |
B. Nicholson had commissioned the locomotive No. 1 E.R. Calthrope personally, using plans of the original E.R. Calthorp built by Kitson & Co. of Leeds for the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway.
See also
References
- ↑ "Bickington Steam Railway 10 ¼ inch". Miniature Railway World. Retrieved 16 January 2013.
- History of equipment - D. Nicholson (Railway Manager)
- Bickington Steam Railway
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bickington Steam Railway. |
- http://www.trago.co.uk Trago Mills Website
- http://freespace.virgin.net/hanson.mike/Tragorailway.htm Official Site