Leiston Works Railway

The Leiston Works Railway was a private railway that ran from Leiston railway station on the Aldeburgh Branch Line of the Great Eastern Railway to the engineering works of Richard Garrett & Sons. The railway was originally operated by Suffolk Punch horses hauling coal and iron from the main line to the Garrett Works. This was later taken over by steam shunting engine 'Sirapite' which was then replaced by a battery electric engine in 1962.[1]

Leiston Works Railway
Sirapite the Works Shunter.
Commercial operations
Built byRichard Garrett & Sons
Original gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Preserved operations
Preserved gauge4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm)
Commercial history
Closed1968
Preservation history
HeadquartersLong Shop Museum in Leiston

The line closed in 1968, with the battery locomotive being scrapped.

[2]Restoration

After closure of the works, part of the complex was preserved as the Long Shop Museum, while Sirapite survived, unrestored, in the private collection of Sir William McAlpine.[3] The locomotive has since been returned to Leiston and restored to operational condition.

A group has been formed with the intention of restoring the 250 yard stretch of track running behind the Engineers Arms public house to the entrance of the Master Lord Industrial Estate, close to the former junction with the main line. The group paid £17,000 for the trackbed[4] and hope that original locomotive 'Sirapite', which has recently been restored, will be operated on the restored route periodically.[5] In January 2013 the group took delivery of eighteen 60 foot track panels to use in relaying the route.[6]

The formal reopening of the railway in time for its 160th anniversary was on 1 June 2019. A visiting locomotive, Ruston 48DS No.294266, the first diesel to ever transverse the line, and fittingly once owned by Sir William McAlpine himself, had the honour of reopening the line. The loco is based at the nearby Mid Suffolk Light Railway, keeping a local connection and setting up a relationship between the two railways.[7]

"Sirapite" the Works Shunter

"Sirapite" is the name of the shunting locomotive at the Leiston Works Railway.

It was built as a shunting engine for Aveling and Porter in 1906 to serve their gypsum mines.[8] In 1929, Sirapite was sold to Garret & Sons. It was used to perform the task of moving trucks between Garrett's two sites - the Long Shop, and the 'Top Works' which is now an industrial park near the disused station. It would also collect and deliver goods left in the exchange sidings adjacent to Leiston railway station which had been previously carried out by horses. During the movement of goods around the engine became a source of pride for the local area.[9]

A battery locomotive replaced Sirapite in 1962, and the steam locomotive was purchased by Sir WIlliam McAlpine, a well-known railway item collector - known primarily for owning Flying Scotsman and Pendennis Castle, two very famous steam locomotives from British railway history. However, Sirapite did not see the same "glitz and glamour" which it saw in Leiston - the locomotive ended up rusting away in Kent during its first years of preservation.[10]

Grants from both public and private funders saw Sirapite being returned to Leiston and she was eventually restored to full working order.

Sirapite arrived at the Mid Suffolk Light Railway on the 26th of April 2019. The engine was there for the Summer season of 2019 for the railway. However, due to not being fitted with vacuum braking (as it was built as a goods engine and not a locomotive for passenger services), it could not haul passenger trains. The engine arrived at the railway so it could remain on display whilst the Long shop redeveloped part of its site. The outing to the "Middy" was the first time that the engine had more space to run on which was more than a few yards on the short demonstration line at the Long Shop Museum.[11]

References
  1. Robinson, Craig (5 September 2012). "Leiston: Group invite people to 'sponsor a sleeper' to help with restoration of Garret Works railway line". East Anglian Daily Times.
  2. "Big 160 | Leiston Works Railway". lwr.org.uk. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  3. "Sirapite Train". On Landguard Point. 23 September 2011.
  4. "Leiston railway fans out to restore old line". BBC News. 12 April 2012.
  5. "Rail enthusiasts hope to revive dismantled Leiston line". BBC News. 13 April 2012.
  6. Robinson, Craig (3 January 2013). "Leiston: Railway restoration project is well on track". East Anglian Daily Times.
  7. My mighty Ruston 48DS! Lawrie Goes Loco Episode 7., retrieved 7 September 2019
  8. "Sirapite Train". On Land Guard Point. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  9. "Sirapite Train". On Land Guard Point. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  10. "Sirapite Train". On Land Guard Point. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  11. "'Sirapite' arrives at Brockford 26th April". Mid-Suffolk Light Railway - News. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
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