Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway
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| Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway | |
|---|---|
| 15in gauge engines wait at Ravenglass station, summer 1981. To the left River Esk is coupled to a train and waiting for the off. Centre-right is River Mite, having just returned to Ravenglass. Former driver Ron Clarke is seen cleaning her smokebox. Far right, the railcar Silver Jubilee sits under the awning in her original livery. | |
| Location | |
| Place | Cumbria |
| Terminus | Ravenglass |
| Commercial Operations | |
| Name | Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway |
| Gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Preserved Operations | |
| Operated by | Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Co. Ltd. |
| Stations | 9 |
| Length | 7 miles |
| Gauge | 1 ft 3 in (381 mm) |
| Commercial History | |
| Opened | 1875 |
| Closed | 1960 |
| Preservation History | |
| 1960 | Saved by the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society and reopened owned by the R&ER Co. Ltd. |
| 1977 | New Radio Control System unveiled. |
Image:R&ER River Esk on turntable.jpg The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The 7 mile long line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District. At Ravenglass, the line connects with Ravenglass for Eskdale railway station on the Cumbrian Coast Line. Intermediate stations and halts are located at Muncaster Mill, Miteside, Murthwaite, Irton Road, The Green (at Eskdale Green), Fisherground and Beckfoot. The railway is owned by a private company and is supported by a Preservation Society. The oldest locomotive is the River Irt dating from 1894.
The line is affectionately known locally as La'al Ratty, Cumbrian dialect for "little narrow way".
Nearby attractions include: the Roman Bath House at Ravenglass; the Hardknott Roman Fort, known to the Romans as Mediobogdum, at the foot of Hardknott Pass; the watermills at Boot and Muncaster; and Muncaster Castle, the home of the Pennington family since 1208.
Contents |
[edit] History
A 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line was opened on 24 May 1875 for the transportation of hematite iron ore from mines around Boot village to the Furness Railway standard gauge line at Ravenglass. Passengers were permitted to be carried from 1876, although the line's use remained mainly industrial. The line was declared bankrupt in 1897 although it still operated until it was eventually forced to close in April 1913, due to the decline in demand for iron ore and unsustainably small volumes of passenger traffic in the short summer season.
In 1915, Wynne Bassett-Lowke and RP Mitchell, two well-known model makers of the day, took over the line and began converting it to the 15 in (381 mm) gauge that it is today. By 1917, the entire line had been converted and trains were running along the whole length again. Initially, services were operated using the Bassett-Lowke-built, to-scale 4-4-2 Sans Pareil. Rolling stock was augmented by additions from Sir Arthur Heywood's Duffield Bank line, following Sir Arthur's death in 1916. These additions included the 0-8-0 locomotive Muriel, whose frames and running gear were later rebuilt as River Irt. As well as passenger traffic, the line was used to transport granite between Beckfoot Quarry and the Murthwaite crushing plant. From Murthwaite to Ravenglass the track ran as dual gauge for a time, with standard gauge track straddling the far smaller 15 in (381 mm) gauge rails. The line also carried much of the goods and produce for the valley. By the mid-1920s, the line had been extended to its present terminus at Dalegarth Station.
Passenger trains did not run during World War II. Following the war, the line was purchased by Keswick Granite Company, but the quarries were closed in 1953. With the railway up for sale, 1960 was to be the last season that passenger traffic would run. Locals and railway enthusiasts formed The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society in a successful effort to save the line, with financial backing provided by others. The resulting structure, with the railway owned and operated by private company, with the continued backing of the Preservation Society, is still in place to this day.
Despite the construction of the 2-8-2 engine River Esk in 1923 and the rebuilding of Muriel into the 0-8-2 River Irt in 1927, following its salvation the line was chronically short of useable motive power. To allow for an expanded timetable, the Preservation Society raised funds for the construction of a third steam locomotive. River Mite (2-8-2) entered service in 1967 and, although still owned by the Society, has been on permanent loan to the Company ever since.
In the early 1970s it became apparent that, with passenger numbers ever rising, another locomotive was required. This time the Company decided to construct the new engine in-house. Northern Rock (2-6-2) was completed in time for the railway's centenery celebrations in 1976. A further addition to the stock roster was made in 1980 when the Company constructed the B-B diesel locomotive Lady Wakefield.
Other significant locomotives on the line today include: Bonnie Dundee, originally built in 1900 as a 2'-gauge tank engine before being donated to the R&ER by a Preservation Society member and then converted to 15"-gauge, later being converted again from tank to tender configuration; Synolda, a twin to the original 15in-gauge loco Sans Pareil, built in 1912, saved from the Belle View Zoo in 1978 and now resident in the railway museum; Shelagh of Eskdale, a 4-6-4 diesel locomotive built in 1969 incorporating some parts of the Heywood loco Ella; Perkins, a much rebuilt 0-4-4 diesel engine, which started life as a quarry shunter before being rebuilt into the steam-outlined Passenger Tractor and then again in 1984 into its current guise; Douglas Ferreira, a B-B diesel loco constructed in 2005 and named after the general manager of the R&ER from 1961 to 1994.
In the last forty years, the railway has significantly improved and visitor numbers have increased substantially. Between 1961 and 1994, Douglas Ferreira was the General Manager of the line, and he is thought to be one of the people who have left the biggest legacy on the Ratty. Today, there are over 120,000 passengers each year with up to 16 trains daily in the high summer season. Trains run throughout most of the year, with only January being a 'closed' month.
A significant benefit of membership of the Preservation Society is free travel on the railway (1/4 fare applies at special event and Public Holidays), membership is £16 and a link to their web site can be found below.
[edit] Train operations
The Ravenglass and Eskdale railway utilises an innovative (in the UK) method of train operations. Outside of the environs of Ravenglass station, the line is single track with passing loops at Miteside, Irton road station and Fisherground. Trains on the line operate using a system based on the use of radio communication between drivers and control (based at Ravenglass signal box). At passing loops and the terminus station, drivers must contact the controller, using their unique "RANDER" reporting numbers (even numbers for Up trains ex-Ravenglass, and odd for Down) to confirm that the train is safely within the confines of the loop and is clear of the preceding single track section. To leave the loop, the driver must again contact control to leave the loop and reenter the next single section. No fixed signals are used outside of Ravenglass station. Points at the passing loops are spring loaded, meaning that no human intervention (other than checking points are correctly set using the indicators before entering and after leaving the loop) is required.
Certain elements of the Ravenglass method of train operation were subsequently utilised by British Rail in their scheme to cut costs on remote lines. What eventually became known as Radio Electronic Token Block signalling shared several features with the "Ratty" system, such as centralised control, spring loaded points at loops, and reliance upon on-train equipment rather than expensive fixed equipment at remote locations.
[edit] The Line
- Ravenglass: signalbox, turntable, workshop, engine sheds, carriage shed, museum, café, booking office & shop, camping coaches, bungalow, car park.
- Raven Villa
- Barrow Marsh
- Black Bridge (UP signalling point for Muncaster Mill)
- Muncaster Mill
- Mill Race (DOWN signalling point for Muncaster Mill)
- Mill Wood (Home of Red Squirrels)
- Miteside Halt
- Miteside Loop
- Katie Caddy
- Wet Cutting
- Murthwaite Ground Frame: siding, store for PW items.
- Murthwaite Halt
- Horsefalls
- Rock Point
- Walk Mill Summit
- Big Stone
- Tom's Crossing
- Black Bridge
- Irton Road: siding, loop, shed, car park.
- Long Yocking
- The Chicken Run (UP signalling point for The Green)
- The Green
- Hollin How Bank
- Hollin How Bridge (DOWN signalling point for The Green is a short while east)
- Fisherground Crossing
- Fisherground Loop (UP signalling point for Fisherground)
- Fisherground Halt
- Spout House Farm (DOWN signalling point for Fisherground)
- Little Cutting
- Gilbert's Cutting
- Beckfoot Smithy
- Beckfoot Quarry
- Big Stone (UP signalling point for Beckfoot)
- Beckfoot Halt
- Beckfoot Wood Bank
- Dalegarth Cottages
- Dalegarth: turntable, shop, café, car park.
[edit] Stock list
[edit] The line in fiction
The Arlesdale Railway in The Railway Series by Rev. W. Awdry is based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.
[edit] External links
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Company Ltd.
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Fotopic Community
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Preservation Society Chat-Group
