Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

Two foot gauge tipper truck displayed at Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

The Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum is a small railway museum and metre gauge railway near Wellingborough in Northants, England.

History

The area around Wellingborough was rich in iron ore. A quarry opened in Irchester around 1872 to extract the iron ore, which was mainly processed in the local iron works. Ironstone continued to be mined up until closure of the quarries in 1969.

In 1971 the Northamptonshire County Council opened the Irchester Country Park, which is located on the site of the former opencast ironstone quarries. The park has a network of walks, a visitors centre and a children's play area in an grass and woodland setting. Inside this park the museum was set-up in 1987 in the maintenance yard of the original ironstone railway. There are over 40 items of narrow gauge railway rolling stock including seven locomotives powered by steam and two diesel engines. A 250-metre long demonstration track with a gauge of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) has been laid in the park.[1] The original water tank was refurbished, complete with lettering.

Stock List

Identity Other
Number(s)		 Railway Builder Works
Number		 Built Wheel
Arrange­ment		 Gauge Notes Image
CAMBRAI 4 Loddington Ironstone Co., ex Chemin de Fer du Cambrésis Corpet 493 1888 0-6-0T
C		 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) [2]
85 1 Peckett 1870 1934 0-6-0ST
C		 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) [2]
86 2 Peckett 1871 1934 0-6-0ST
C		 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) [2]
87 3 Peckett 2029 1942 0-6-0ST
C		 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) [2]
THE ROCK 9 Hunslet 2419 1941 0-4-0DM
B		 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) [2]
MILFORD 10
ND 3645		 Ruston & Hornsby 211679 1941 4wDM
B		 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) [2]
ED 10
EDWARD CHARLES HAMPTON		 11 British Railways Ruston & Hornsby 411322 1958 4wDM
B		 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) [2]
LR 3084 14 Motor Rail 3797 1926 4wDM
B		 3 ft (914 mm) Rebuild of 1918 Motor Rail locomotive, works number 1363[2]
12 Ruston & Hornsby 281290 1949 0-6-0DM
C		 3 ft (914 mm) Away at Stanhope[2]
5 Ruston & Hornsby 338439 1953 4wDMF
B		 3 ft (914 mm) [2]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.

References

  1. ↑ Steam Railway Lines.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Industrial Railway Society (2012). Industrial Locomotives (16EL). Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 978 1 901556 78 0.

External links

Coordinates: 52°17′05″N 0°40′27″W / 52.2847°N 0.6741°W / 52.2847; -0.6741


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