Little Western Railway
7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge locomotives Angkor Wat and the 125 HST. | |
| Locale | Newquay, Cornwall, UK |
| Terminus | Newquay |
| Commercial operations | |
| Built by | Eric Booth |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Little Western Railway |
| Operated by | Little Western Railway |
| Length | 260 meters |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | May 1968 |
The Little Western Railway is a 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) miniature railway located in Newquay in Cornwall. The railway functions as a tourist attraction, running in a circuit within the Trenance Leisure Park and is the oldest miniature in Cornwall.
Opening and Prices[edit]
Weather dependant the railway operates weekends and school holidays from Easter until October half term. Rides cost £2 per person which includes two laps of the track.
History[edit]
1968 - 2000[edit]
In 1966, Eric Booth bought his first locomotive a scale model of a London, Midland and Scottish Railway, Royal Scot and set about building a miniature railway. After writing to the various councils in Cornwall he was offered a number of locations including Truro, but settled with an area of land in the Trenance Gardens in Newquay. With the former Great Western Railway viaduct towering down over the site he choose the name Little Western Railway. Building started in late 1967 opening in time for the May bank holiday weekend in 1968. In the first year 70,000 people enjoyed a ride behind the sole locomotive Royal Scot. Following the success of the first year Eric invested in a Cromar White petrol Hymek to help lighten the load on Royal Scot. At the time the circular route consisted of 2 bridges over the river, a siding at the station and a tunnel which was also used to store the rolling stock at night. Over the next 5 years Eric added a second platform with footbridge over the tracks, turntable and engine shed all at the station which at the time was named Brookside Halt. Around 1970 another smaller steam engine named Midge an 0-4-0 tank locomotive was added to the stock list to be used on quieter days. The line went on for several years with a good number of passengers, Royal Scot was working on and off over 70's most of the work was done by the petrol Hymek which was now starting to show it's age. In 1980 the Hymek and Midge were sold off and a brand new Intercity 125 from Mardyke miniature locomotives was purchased for the line and Royal Scot left on display in the sidings, also around this time the station was renamed to Badgers Halt. Then in 1994 the Royal Scot was repaired and ran every summer until 1997.
2000-2013[edit]
To see in the millennium a new set of 3 sit in carriages were ordered to replace the sit-a-stride carriages which were more like benches on wheels. Over the next few years passenger numbers started to decline and the line being downgraded, this included the removal of the footbridge and the second platform taken out of use. Then the following year the original station was closed (also losing it's name in the process) with a new more simple station opening near the entrance to Newquay Zoo. By 2008 the line was a shadow of it's former self and in need of major work which was completed for the 2009 season including:
- new turntable
- 2 new bridges
- original station re-opened next to the play park
- buildings and tunnel repaired
- half of the track totally replaced
- full mechanical and cosmetic overhaul of all rolling stock
- sidings and platform 2 reinstated by the replacement of 2 points.
2014 - Present[edit]
With Eric's health deteriorating he put LWR up for sale, it was bought by the local man John Littlefield who owned the crazy golf adjacent to LWR. He set about carrying on from the work done in 2009, he had the 125 HST locomotive overhauled again and a complete respray, cleared rubbish and over grown areas improving the look of the railway. He also bought a 0-4-0 steam locomotive named Angkor Wat arriving in 2015 which brought an 18 year absence of steam power to an end. Sadly in early 2016 John was taken ill and passed away, his family continue to operate the railway and crazy golf.
References[edit]
This article "Little Western Railway" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Little Western Railway. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
