Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway
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The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway is a heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The 7.75 mile long line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District. 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 are the Roman Bath House at Ravenglass, the Hardknott Roman Fort known as Mediobogdum at the foot of the Hardknott Pass, the watermill at Boot, and Muncaster Castle, the home of the Pennington family since 1208.
History
A 3-ft gauge line was opened on 24 May 1875 for the transportation of iron ore from mines above Boot village. Passengers were permitted to be carried from 1876, although the line's use remained mainly for industrial purposes. The line was declared bankrupt in 1897 although it still operated until it was eventually forced to close in April 1913, due to decline in demand for iron ore and the unsustainably small amount of passenger traffic due to 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-inch gauge that it is today. By 1917 the entire line had been converted and trains were running along the whole length again. As well as passenger traffic, the line was used to transport granite between Beckfoot Quarry and Murthwaite, and 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 the Second World War and the quarries were closed in 1953. With the railway up for sale, 1960 was to be the last season that passenger traffic would run. The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society was formed of locals and railway enthusiasts, with financial backing provided by others. Under the ownership of a private company and with the backing of the Preservation Society, the railway significantly improved and visitor numbers have increased substantially. 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.
Stock list
Steam
- River Irt 0-8-2 tender engine rebuilt from Muriel in 1927.
- River Esk 2-8-2 tender engine built in 1923.
- River Mite II 2-8-2 tender engine built in 1968.
- Northern Rock 2-6-2 tender engine built in 1976.
- Bonnie Dundee 0-4-2 tender engine built in 1900 as a tank engine for 2 foot gauge.
- Synolda 4-4-2 tender engine built in 1915. Twin of Sans Pareil, the original 15 inch gauge engine on the line. Museum piece.
- Flower of the Forest 0-4-0 engine with an upright boiler. Built in 1985.
- Katie 0-4-0 tank engine; sister of Muriel. First arrived on the line in 1916, but left in 1919. Currently being rebuilt.
Diesel
- ICL No. 1 B-B diesel engine, rebuilt from Crewe Tractor in 1925.
- Quarryman 0-4-0 diesel tractor. Built in 1928. Museum piece.
- Perkins 0-4-4 diesel. Rebuilt twice. Was originally NGR No. 39, brother of Quarryman, which was built in 1929. Rebuilt in 1933 and unofficially named Pretender. Rebuilt once more in 1984 and finally officially named.
- Shelagh of Eskdale Bo-Co-Bo diesel engine, rebuilt from the remains of ICL No. 2 in 1969.
- Silver Jubilee railcar Four-piece railcar set, built in 1977.
- Lady Wakefield 0-4-4 diesel. Built in 1980.
- Greenbat 0-4-0 petrol shunter. Acquired in 1981.
- Cyril 0-4-0 petrol engine. Acquired in the 1980s.
- Les 0-4-0 petrol engine. Acquired in the Late 1990s/early 2000s.
- Douglas Ferriera Bo-Bo diesel. Under construction, will be unveiled in July 2005.
External links
- Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (http://www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk/)