Echills Wood Railway
| Locale | England |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 2006–date |
| Predecessor | Echills Wood Railway, Stoneleigh Royal Agricultural Showground |
| Successor | Operational |
| Track gauge | 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) |
| Length | 1¾ miles |
| Headquarters | Kingsbury Water Park |
The Echills Wood Railway is a 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge railway located in Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire, England.
The railway was founded in 1972, based in the Royal Agricultural Showground in Stoneleigh, Warkickshire, where it operated until 2005.
At Easter 2006 the railway reopened at its new home, Kingsbury Water Park as a short out and back run. One year later the initial circuit of approximately 0.75 miles or 1.2 kilometres was opened to the public, and the line was officially declared open by Pete Waterman on 14 July 2007, with a cavalcade of 36 locomotives.
By Easter 2010, the railway had completed another kilometre of trackwork in the form of a double track extension to Far Leys on the other side of the park, traversing through a twin bore, 70 yard tunnel en route. This extension was formally opened, again by Pete Waterman, on 15 May 2010.
Between 22–29 September 2010 the railway hosted the AGM of the 7¼ in Gauge Society, with nearly 100 locomotives visiting and operating over the course of the week, including a marathon 40 trains on the circuit at once during 24 September.
The line runs a mixture of (both club and privately owned) Standard Gauge Scale and Narrow Gauge Steam, Diesel, Petrol and Electric locomotives.
A feature of the railway is its gnome village, a collection of garden gnomes donated by the public. The gnome village was vandalised in September 2016, when several of the ornaments were damaged.[1] The incident prompted members of the public to donate replacements following an appeal by railway members.[2][3] Local newspaper, the Tamworth Herald also backed the appeal.[4] The attraction was destroyed for a second time by vandals in April 2017.[5]
References
- ↑ "Kingsbury Water Park gnome village 'massacred' by vandals". BBC News. BBC. 22 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ↑ "Kingsbury Water Park gnome massacre provokes public outcry". BBC News. BBC. 23 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ↑ Chilver, Katrina (21 September 2016). "Gnome 'massacre' at railway attraction sparks appeal for donations". Coventry Telegraph. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ↑ Machin, Helen (22 September 2016). "Will you back Tamworth's Operation Gnome Home?". Tamworth Herald. Local World. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
- ↑ Coussins, Jordan (7 April 2017). "Vandals massacre gnome village AGAIN at Echills Wood Railway in Kingsbury Water Park". Tamworth Herald. Local World. Retrieved 9 April 2017.
External links
- Echills Wood Railway site
- Echills Wood Railway Observer Pages for regular updates on the railways activities. [This site is no longer active].
Coordinates: 52°33′44″N 1°41′57″W / 52.56217°N 1.69928°W