Photo of the Week – 5th March 2017 – Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 2
The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway was originally built way back in 1873 and was commercially opened on the 24th May 1875. The Railway’s main purpose was to transport hematite iron ore, that was being mined in the hills above the village of Boot, down to Ravenglass where it could be transferred onto the Furness Railway’s mainline to Barrow. The Railway was also open to passenger traffic (beginning in 1876) and was built to the narrow gauge of 3ft between the rails, this made the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway the first public narrow gauge Railway in England!
Forced Closure and The Great War
The Railway was forced to close in 1913 due to deminishing quantities of iron ore and falling passenger numbers, the Railway’s trackwork and rolling stock had also begun to fall into disrepair and a couple of mishaps had not escaped the authorities. However this was not the end for the Railway as in the midst of the Great War came an unexpected twist of fate.
In 1915 miniature railway engineer and prolific model makers WJ Bassett-Lowke and R Proctor-Mitchell, (representing Narrow Gauge Railways Ltd) acquired the line as a base for testing their little locomotives under fairly harsh operating conditions. These engines ran to a smaller gauge of 15” or 381mm. They steadily began to relay the line and on August 28th 1915 the first train ran as far as Muncaster Mill – this service will be commemorated with a re enactment in 2015. By 1916 the re-gauged track ran as far as Irton Road, and the following year these miniature trains were running the full length of the line. However there was a slight deviaiton from the original course – the original 3ft trackbed carried on beyond Beckfoot, up Beckfoot Bank, and along the fellside to the village of Boot. Bassett-Lowke thought that the continued climb away from Beckfoot might be too far for his tiny locomotives so curved the track away from the fell, in front of the former miners cottages, and over Whelan Beck to its present day position (as Dalegarth for Boot.)
Keswick Granite Company
Quarrying recommenced on the line near Beckfoot in the 1920s, this time for granite, which was transported to Murthwaite, where they were crushed for use mainly as road stone and railway ballast. By 1946 ownership had transferred to the Keswick Granite Company, who in 1953 decided to cease quarrying operations. With the exception of the war years passenger traffic continued throughout.
Formation of The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society
In 1958 and again in 1959 the line and fittings were offered for sale but, without any serious potential purchaser, it was announced that the 1960 season would be the last. The Railway was to be sold by auction in September. The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society was formed by enthusiasts but hopes were not high. Fortunately, two interested parties, (Colin Gilbert a midlands stockbroker and Sir Wavell Wakefield a local landowner) stepped in on the day of the auction with the balance of the purchase price. (£12,000)
The Wakefield Family and New Locomotives
In 1968 the Railway moved on, becoming an integral part of the Wakefield family business in the Lake District. Much work had already been done to catch up with the backlog of maintenance, new coaches had been built and the Preservation Society had funded the building of a new locomotive, the River Mite. Further major works continued, Ravenglass station was re-modelled and a further locomotive, Northern Rock was built in the company’s workshops, entering service in 1976. The Preservation Society has also funded the diesel locomotive, Douglas Ferreira. Named after a long time serving Station Manager.
New Station & Visitor Centre
In 2005 work started on the building of a new station and visitor centre at the Dalegarth terminus, the building was officially opened by Pete Waterman in April 2007. In 2011 The old Cafe on Platform 1 was renovated and extended, officially opening in 2012. Our next plans involve the Museum Renovation Project which should complete phase 1, a full internal revamp, in spring 2015 followed by phase 2, an extension with a large area of covered space for historic engines and stock, sometime in the in 2016/17.
You can find out more here: http://ravenglass-railway.co.uk.
Hi Kathy,
I noticed that on several videos when using your static grass applicator you connect the cable to the track and I think I heard you say that you were not completely happy
with the results. As the rails are not in electrical contact with the base board there will be no real static charge applied just a small charge which is present in the grass
normally. A much better result will be by screwing a small screw or a sharp pin into the base board as close to the area that you wish to grass and connect to that, you will get grass standing like soldiers. Its a bit like lightening, the charge comes from
the ground to meet the lightening.
Not sure how you find the time to do all the video’s but I appreciate the effort you go to and to make them interesting.
Regards Bob.
Hi Bob
Thanks for writing. I am happy with the results but I’ve had people comment that it shouldn’t work as well or that they are worried about their DCC system and the static electricity.
I would say experiment because I have found the grass stands up as well with it attached to the track but don’t ask me how. I wonder sometimes if it is more about grounding the applicator than having a charge running through the ground.
I don’t know how I find time either but at least it’s making me do “stuff” on my layout at the moment!
Thanks again for commenting
Kathy