The Markeaton Park Light Railway was a

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

light railway A light railway is a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail": it uses lighter-weight track, and may have more steep gradients and tight curves to reduce civil engineering costs. These lighter standards allow ...

line located within

Markeaton Park Markeaton Park is a large public park located in Markeaton, Derby, 207 acres in size. It attracts one million visitors a year, making it one of the most visited parks in the East Midlands. Markeaton Park is an important part of Derby history, whi ...

in the city of

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England. The railway was first opened in 1989, extended in 1996, and closed down in September 2016.

Description

The line was long. The railway was privately owned and staffed and maintained by volunteers. The main station, Markeaton Station, was located at the Ashbourne Road/Queensway entrance to the park, next to the car park, in buildings formerly occupied by the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

. On operating days, trains ran every 25 minutes to Mundy Halt at the Mundy Play Centre. Trains ran at about .

History

From 1989 until 1996, when the railway was purchased by John Bull, the motive power was a 4-wheeled petrol-hydraulic locomotive named "Invicta". The carriages were two open "toastrack" vehicles, largely built by the original owner. From 1996 until the summer of 2009 the railway operated a

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...

"Markeaton Lady" which was built by the

Exmoor Steam Railway The Exmoor Steam Railway is a narrow gauge railway, narrow gauge steam railway and locomotive manufacturer, located at Bratton Fleming in North Devon. gauge The railway was built by the Stirland family and first opened as a tourist attractio ...

in 1996. She was a and was purchased and operated by John Bull, the final owner of the Markeaton Park railway. It was sold in 2009 due as her boiler needed replacement and the owner could not afford to undertake the work. The locomotive now operates at

Evesham Vale Light Railway The Evesham Vale Light Railway operates in Evesham Country Park in Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the ...

, where it carries the name "Monty". In 2002, the line purchased with a replica

British Rail British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

Baby Deltic diesel locomotive from the gauge

Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway The Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway is a minimum-gauge railway that primarily serves holidaymakers in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England. It operates from near the Cleethorpes Leisure Centre, running to the mouth of the Buck Beck. ...

. After an overhaul the locomotive started operating on the line in 2003. The locomotive had been supplied new to the Steamtown miniature railway at

Carnforth Carnforth is a market town and civil parish in the City of Lancaster in Lancashire, England, situated at the north-east end of Morecambe Bay. The parish of Carnforth had a population of 5,560 in the 2011 census, an increase from the 5,350 reco ...

before moving to Cleethorpes. The line used three coaches built by Exmoor, and three ex-Fairbourne coaches which were modified and re-gauged. An industrial style diesel locomotive originally built by

Ruston and Hornsby Ruston & Hornsby was an industrial equipment manufacturer in Lincoln, England founded in 1918. The company is best known as a manufacturer of narrow and standard gauge diesel locomotives and also of steam shovels. Other products included cars ...

and rebuilt by

Alan Keef Alan Keef Ltd is a British narrow gauge railway engineering company which manufactures, overhauls, and deals in narrow gauge locomotives, rolling stock and associated equipment. The Limited Company was formed in 1975 at Cote, Bampton, Oxon, ...

which had run at Markeaton before, named "Cromwell", was anticipated to join the railway again in 2010, but this did not take place. During 2010 the railway was put up for sale, but this was retracted during the 2010 winter period. Markeaton Park Light Railway operated for the last time on Sunday 18 September 2016. Major maintenance work was required to repair the engine shed and depot, which had been the responsibility of Derby City Council. The council were unable to fund the required repairs. The track was subsequently removed, with the exception of some concrete level crossings. The locomotive and carriages were sold to the

Lappa Valley Steam Railway The Lappa Valley Railway is a minimum gauge railway located near Newquay in Cornwall. The railway functions as a tourist attraction, running from Benny Halt () to East Wheal Rose (), where there is a leisure area with two miniature railways. ...

after closure.

External links

Markeaton Park Railway Facebook Page
{{Ridable miniature railways in England 15 in gauge railways in England Rail transport in Derby Railway lines opened in 1989 Tourist attractions in Derby Railway lines closed in 2016 1989 establishments in England 2016 disestablishments in England