Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway
Locomotive No.6 Clyde with typical train at Leadhills station | |
Locale | Scotland |
---|---|
Dates of operation | 1986–Present |
Track gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
Headquarters | Leadhills |
The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway, a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is laid on the trackbed of the former Leadhills and Wanlockhead Branch of the Caledonian Railway which led off the main line between Carlisle and Glasgow at Elvanfoot.
Overview
The "preserved" section runs from Leadhills for about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) towards Wanlockhead and is the highest adhesion railway in the UK. The rack and pinion Snowdon Mountain Railway is higher. Trains are currently diesel worked with the locomotive propelling the train up hill away from Leadhills.
The original railway closed in the late 1930s shortly after the mines in Wanlockhead had closed.
The railway currently stops at the border of South Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
Operation
Trains operate on the push-pull principle as there are no run round loop facilities at the end of the run. Movements within the main station site at Leadhills are controlled from the reconstructed signal box which contains the original lever frame from Arrochar and Tarbet signal box.
Bus replacement
For two weeks during July 2016 the railway operated an extended service, connecting with local bus routes, as the road between Wanlockhead and Leadhills was closed for repairs.[1]
Locomotives
Most locomotives are fitted with air brakes to allow them to operate passenger trains.
Number | Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Livery | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Elvan | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 1955 | 9792 | Blue | Built for the London Brick Company, King's Dyke Works, Whittlesea. |
4 | Luce | Ruston and Hornsby | 4wDM | 1966 | 7002/0467/6 | Green | Built for contractors Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Leith. Acquired 1987 |
5 | Little Clyde | Ruston and Hornsby | 4wDM | 1966 | 7002/0467/2 | Green | Built for contractors Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Leith. Acquired 1987 |
6 | Clyde | Hunslet | 4wDM | 1975 | 6347 | Blue | Built for National Coal Board, Eppleton Colliery. Acquired 1990 |
8 | Nith | Hudswell Clarke | 4wDMF | 1956 | DM1002 | Red | Built for the National Coal Board, Waterloo Main Colliery. Acquired 1993 |
9 | Charlotte | Orenstein & Koppel | 0-4-0WT | 1913 | 6335 | Black | Acquired 1994. Being restored to full working order. |
(10) | Mennock | Hunslet-Barclay | 0-4-0DM | 1994 | LD 9348 | ||
(11) | Decauville | 0-4-0T | 1915 | 917 | Under restoration | ||
12 | Clayton | 4wDM | 1994 | 18190B | |||
21 | Moeyse | 4wDM | 1941 |
Rolling stock
The railway maintains four air-braked coaches for use on its passenger trains. Three of the coaches are mounted on ex-peat wagon underframes, the fourth is mounted on the chassis of a former Simplex locomotive.
There are many wagons around the railway including the ubiquitous Hudson skip wagons and examples from RNAD.
See also
References
- ↑ "'Replacement' train offer as road shuts". BBC News. 4 July 2016.
- Thomas, Cliff (2002). The Narrow Gauge in Britain & Ireland. Atlantic Publishers. ISBN 1-902827-05-8.
- Keggans, Sandie (2004). Transporting the Lead. Wanlockhead Museum Trust. ISBN 0-9530645-3-0.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leadhills & Wanlockhead Railway. |
Coordinates: 55°24′25″N 3°45′50″W / 55.407°N 3.764°W