Bickington Steam Railway
Encyclopedia
Located at Trago Mills
Regional Shopping Center, Newton Abbot
, the Minimum gauge
Bickington Steam Railway was opened in 1988, using equipment recovered from the Suffolk Wildlife Park, which itself was taken from Rudyard Lake
. 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, B. Nicholson moved his railway, via Rudyard Lake and Suffolk, to Trago Mills.
Originally the railway was a 1 miles (1.6 km) double loop around 2 lakes with 1 station, 'Trago Central', but in 2006 the railway grew over 1/2 mi, with an extension taking it to Trago's front car park. A 3-track terminus and turntable was built and named the 'Riverside Station'. A third station was added in 2008 and was 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 Trago Mills
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
B. Nicholson had commissioned the locomotive No.1 E.R.Calthrope personally.
Sundays - 12pm to 4pm
The railway runs every weekend and all week and through local school holidays.
For any further schedule inquiries please call 01626 821111.
Bickington Steam Railway Official Site
Trago Mills
Trago Mills is a chain of British department stores situated in the West Country. They are sited in the town of Falmouth, and on the outskirts of two other towns at Liskeard, Cornwall and Newton Abbot, Devon. Large department stores were formerly sparse in the rural west country and Trago Mills has...
Regional Shopping Center, Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot
Newton Abbot is a market town and civil parish in the Teignbridge District of Devon, England on the River Teign, with a population of 23,580....
, the Minimum gauge
Minimum gauge railway
Minimum gauge railways have a gauge of less than or , most commonly , , or . The notion of minimum gauge railways was originally developed by estate railways and by the French company of Decauville for industrial railways....
Bickington Steam Railway was opened in 1988, using equipment recovered from the Suffolk Wildlife Park, which itself was taken from Rudyard Lake
Rudyard Lake
Rudyard Lake is a reservoir in Rudyard, Staffordshire constructed by the engineer John Rennie, for the Trent and Mersey Canal company in 1797/98 to feed the Caldon Canal....
. 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
Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway
The Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in Staffordshire, Great Britain that operated between 1904 and 1934. When in operation, the line mainly carried milk from dairies in the region, acting as a feeder to the standard gauge system. It also provided passenger...
. After being thwarted in an attempt to rebuild a portion of the Leek and Manifold Valley railway, B. Nicholson moved his railway, via Rudyard Lake and Suffolk, to Trago Mills.
Originally the railway was a 1 miles (1.6 km) double loop around 2 lakes with 1 station, 'Trago Central', but in 2006 the railway grew over 1/2 mi, with an extension taking it to Trago's front car park. A 3-track terminus and turntable was built and named the 'Riverside Station'. A third station was added in 2008 and was 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 Trago Mills
Trago Mills
Trago Mills is a chain of British department stores situated in the West Country. They are sited in the town of Falmouth, and on the outskirts of two other towns at Liskeard, Cornwall and Newton Abbot, Devon. Large department stores were formerly sparse in the rural west country and Trago Mills has...
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
Rack railway
A rack-and-pinion railway is a railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with this rack rail...
in the UK. The railway is a member of Britains Great Little Railways
Britains Great Little Railways
Britains Great Little Railways is a company, created in 1994, to provide an umbrella organisation for the owners and operators of the miniature and narrow gauge railways in Great Britain...
The Locomotives
| No. | Name | Wheel Set | 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.
Opening Times
Monday to Saturday - 11am to 5pmSundays - 12pm to 4pm
The railway runs every weekend and all week and through local school holidays.
For any further schedule inquiries please call 01626 821111.
External links
- http://www.trago.co.uk Trago Mills Website
- http://freespace.virgin.net/hanson.mike/Tragorailway.htm Official Site
Sources
History of equipment - D. Nicholson (Railway Manager)Bickington Steam Railway Official Site