The Saltburn Miniature Railway is 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, ...

railway at

Saltburn Saltburn-by-the-Sea, commonly referred to as Saltburn, is a seaside town in Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire, England, around south-east of Hartlepool and southeast of Redcar. It lies within the historic boundaries of the North Rid ...

, in

Redcar and Cleveland Redcar and Cleveland is a borough with unitary authority status in North Yorkshire, England. Its main settlements are Redcar, South Bank, Eston, Brotton, Guisborough, the Greater Eston part of Middlesbrough, Loftus, Saltburn and Skelton. Th ...

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by National parks of the United Kingdom, national parks, including most of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

History

The railway opened in 1947 as a tourist attraction. It was originally a simple out-and-back line with a station at each end. During 1953 the line was adapted to allow the simultaneous operation of two trains, though without the provision of a

passing loop A passing loop (UK usage) or passing siding (North America) (also called a crossing loop, crossing place, refuge loop or, colloquially, a hole) is a place on a single line railway or tramway, often located at or near a station, where trains or ...

. Instead, a single siding was provided into which one train had to reverse to allow the other to pass by. During the 1980s the operation of the railway was taken over by an Association of supporters, all of whom are volunteers. A decision was made to extend the railway, relocate one terminus completely, and provide new sidings and engine sheds. This major project, known on the railway as 'The Big Transformation' took place between September 2000 and April 2003.

Route

The line runs south from ''Cat Nab Station'' (by the beach) for about inland to ''Forest Halt'', where there is a woodland walk and gardens. There is a

run around loop A headshunt (or escape track in the United States) is a short length of track provided to release locomotives at terminal platforms, or to allow shunting to take place clear of main lines. Terminal headshunt A 'terminal headshunt' is a short le ...

at each end of the line and an engine and rolling stock depot near the midpoint.

Locomotives

''Prince Charles'' was the only serviceable mainline locomotive on the railway, and had been the principal engine continuously since 1953. However, the new operators have provided a lightweight engine for works trains, and have also obtained a new mainline engine, "Saltburn 150", bought from CCLR as derelict has been rebuilt by SMRA and is now in service. A part built steam engine a 4-4-2 Atlantic type has been purchased and rebuilt by SMRA and is now in service as "Blacklock R" .

Other rolling stock

The passengers carried in the first season (1947) were obliged to sit in freight wagons – scale model 7-plank open wagons, with crude cross-bar seats fitted. However, for the 1948 season the railway acquired two bogie

passenger coach A passenger railroad car or passenger car (United States), also called a passenger carriage, passenger coach (United Kingdom and International Union of Railways), or passenger bogie (India) is a railroad car that is designed to carry passen ...

es with reversible seats whose backs could be tipped to allow the passenger to face the direction of travel. In 1953 the railway took delivery of four new passenger coaches, each seating 16 passengers (in 4 compartments of 4 seats each); at a subsequent, but unknown, date the two earlier coaches were withdrawn. When the current operators took over the line they made temporary use of the last two serviceable coaches of 1953 vintage, though these have since been withdrawn. There are now four passenger coaches, all of modern build and metal construction. Three are enclosed, and one is open. Three of these coaches have exterior platforms for a guard or guards to travel upon.See full details o
the railway's own website.
/ref> The 1948 coaches operated with a replica

brake van Brake van and guard's van are terms used mainly in the UK, Ireland, Australia and India for a railway vehicle equipped with a hand brake which can be applied by the guard. The equivalent North American term is caboose, but a British brake van ...

, since withdrawn. Today the railway has three works wagons – a general works truck, a tanker truck, and an air compressor wagon.

References

External links

Aerial view of routeAerial view of Cat Nab StationAerial view of locomotive and carriage depotAerial view of Forest Halt
{{coord, 54.582571, -0.968728, type:landmark, display=title Miniature railways in the United Kingdom 15 in gauge railways in England Tourist attractions in North Yorkshire Saltburn-by-the-Sea