Old Kiln Light Railway
The Old Kiln Light Railway[1] is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway at the Rural Life Centre open-air museum in Tilford, near Farnham, Surrey. It has a collection of historic locomotives and rolling stock including two steam locomotives. It operates on many summer Sundays and Bank Holidays.
 "Altonia" at Reeds Road, 5 April 2015 | |
| Locale | England |
| Preserved operations | |
| Length | 0.5 miles (0.8 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) |
History
Founded in the early 1970s as a heritage "Wey Valley Light Railway", it was first located around a disused pumping station in Farnham. In 1982 the land was sold for housing and the track and equipment were moved to the Old Kiln Museum, now known as the Rural Life Centre. The line has since lengthened around the centre and a small stretch of track serves the museum's heritage timber yard demonstration area.
Stations
Reeds Road station on 22 April 2019
The railway has four stations: Reeds Road, Old Kiln Halt, Oatlands and Mills Wood. Reeds Road was built in 2003 to replace a sleeper-built platform,[2] is the south-western terminus, has a passenger waiting room, a run-round loop and a siding for storing rolling stock. Reeds Road
Old Kiln Halt on 22 April 2019
Old Kiln Halt has a short platform and passenger shelter and is near the old schoolroom at the centre. The locomotive works and carriage sheds are here, along with further storage sidings.
Oatlands was the far terminus of the line until extension to Mills Wood. It is used for Santa Special trains and has a small waiting room with a stove. it was previously named "Waverley End Station".
Mills Wood station on 22 April 2019
Mills Wood is the other terminus of the line, on the north-east side of the Rural Life Centre. It has a waiting room, partly built from the body of an old Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway passenger tram although is not complete, a run-round loop and a connection to the woodyard operated by the Rustic Timber Group.
Steam locomotives
| Name | Builder | Works No | Built | Whyte notation | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamela[3] | Hunslet | 920 | 1906 | 0-4-0ST | Built for Penrhyn Quarry, North Wales. Requires a new boiler before it can return to service. Most of the body above the frames is from a Hudswell Clarke when Pamela was worn out and rebuilt by Penrhyn Quarry when the expenses of new parts were found to be very costly. | |
| Elouise[3] | Orenstein & Koppel | 9998 | 1922 | 0-6-0WT | Supplied new to Servicios` Florestais, Portugal. Undergoing an overhaul. | .jpg.webp) |
| Emmet | Jim Haylock | 2005 | 0-4-0T | Currently on loan from The Moors Valley Railway. This loco was constructed using the frame of a 1937 O&K 4wDM loco. Operational. |  |
Internal combustion locomotives
| Name | Builder | Works No | Built | Fuel | Whyte notation | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altonia | Baguley | 1769 | 1928 | Diesel | 0-4-0DH | Supplied new to the Lilleshall Abbey Woodland Railway. Moved to the Alton Towers Park Railway in 1952. Purchased for preservation by a private owner in 2002 and moved to Surrey. Sold in 2010, and then permanently loaned to the OKLR in 2012.[4] |  |
| Motor Rail | 8981[3] | 1946 | Diesel | 4wDM | Midhurst Whites. Purchased by OKLR in 1986.[5] Re-gauged from 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) to 2 ft (610 mm) |  | |
| Phoebe[3] | Motor Rail | 8887 | 1944 | Diesel | 4wDM | Ex-War Department | |
| Eagle[3] | Motor Rail | 5713 | 1936 | Diesel | 4wDM | Supplied to the Staveley Coal and Iron Company's Campbell Brickyard. Moved to Stanton & Staveley Concrete Pipe works in Ilkeston in 1968. Purchased by Alan Keef, then sold to Brian Gent in 1980 and moved to the Wey Valley Railway. Moved to the OKLR in 1982.[5] Fitted with Dorman 2RB Engine | |
| Fido[3] | Motor Rail | 5297 | 1931 | Petrol | 4wPM | Used at the Weydon Lane sand pits in Farnham | |
| Sandrock[3] | Ruston & Hornsby | 177639 | 1936 | Diesel | 4wDM | Supplied to the County Borough of Derby. Under overhaul. | |
| Red Dwarf[3] | Ruston & Hornsby | 181820 | 1936 | Diesel | 4wDM | Ex-Severn Trent Water Authority. Operational. |  |
| Norden[3] | Ruston & Hornsby | 392117 | 1956 | Diesel | 4wDM | Contractor locomotive for Hadley Wood tunnelling scheme for British Rail. Worked on the Fayle's Tramway at Norden in Dorset. Currently on loan to Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum. Operational. | |
| Corbiere[3] | Hibberd | 2528 | 1941 | Diesel | 4wDM | War Department, Ministry Of Defense, Liphook. Named 'Corbiere' after her previous owner. Now owned by a member of the OKLR. |  |
| Moës | n/a | 1955 | Diesel | 4wDM | Built for a brickworks in Rumpst, Belgium. Privately owned by Dan Quine.[6] Returned from restoration to working order in 2017. |  | |
| Stinker[3] | Hudson Hunslet | 1944 | 1939 | Diesel | 4wDM | Ex-Enfield Steel Rolling Mill.
Used in the Basingstoke Canal restoration. Operational. |
|
| Champion | Hunslet | AD36 | 1971 | Diesel | 4wDH | Ex-Lydd Ranges in Kent |  |
| Wey valley | Hunslet | AD37 | 1971 | Diesel | 4wDH | Ex-Lydd Ranges in Kent. Rebuilt in 1988 by Andrew Barclay . | |
| Weyfarer | Hunslet | AD38 | 1971 | Diesel | 4wDH | Ex-Lydd Ranges in Kent | |
| Liz | Wickham | 3031 | 1941 | Petrol | 4wPM | Rebuilt in 1973 by Jim Haytor[3] from an unmanned target trolley with a single cylinder Petter engine. | |
| Sue | Wickham | 2981 | 1941 | Petrol | 4wPM | Rebuilt by E.J. Stephens in 1977[3] from unmanned target trolley with a 850cc Reliant engine |
Coaches
| Origin | Number | Type | Build date | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lilleshall Light Railway | 1 | Open carriage | 1928 | Lilleshall line closed upon the outbreak of WWII. Later sold to Alton Towers in March 1953 and was there until purchased in 1996, then went to OKLR in 1999. A roof was fitted in 2015. Operational and in use as one of the line's main coaches. |  |
| Lilleshall Light Railway | 2 | Open carriage | 1928 | Lilleshall line closed upon the outbreak of WWII. Later sold to Alton Towers in March 1953 and was there until purchased in 1996, then went to OKLR in 1999. Operational and in use as one of the line's main coaches. |  |
| Old Kiln Light Railway | 3 | Open Carriage | 1989 | Replica of type used at Penrhyn Quarries that were used on works trains. Operational. |  |
| East Hayling Light Railway | 4 | 4-wheel third | 1996 | Built at Mill Rythe Workshop on the EHLR as No. 6. It was purchased from the East Hayling Light Railway in 2008. Operational. Painted red and cream. |  |
| Old Kiln Light Railway | 5 | 4-wheel third | Unknown | This coach was originally a side-tipping stone wagon, purchased by the OKLR and converted into a passenger carriage. Replica carriage of a Glyn Valley Tramway third. Awaiting repairs although can still be operated. |  |
| East Hayling Light Railway | 6 | 4-wheel third | 1992 | Built at Mill Rythe Workshop. Now under a slow overhaul and interior renovation, expected to return to service late 2019. Painted green but will be painted to crimson/carmine and cream when overhauled. Was built as EHLR no. 4. recently from the Great Bush Railway. |  |
| East Hayling Light Railway | 7 | 4-wheel brake | 1996 | Built at Mill Rythe Workshop. Not operational Design is similar to No. 4's. Painted green and cream. Recently from the Great Bush Railway. |  |
| East Hayling Light Railway | 8 | 4-wheel third | Unknown | Green and cream. Under a tarpaulin. Recently from the Great Bush Railway. To undergo conversion to a coach for disabled persons' access. |  |
Wagons
| Origin | Number | Type | Notes | Photograph |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Hayling Light Railway | 10 | Brake Van | Build date unknown. Purchased from the EHLR as a mobile ticket office, later converted into a brake van. Operational, stored in the carriage shed. |  |
| MoD | DH 417 | Covered goods van | Build date and manufacturer unknown. Was in service at RNAD Dean Hill, hence the 'DH', then purchased by the OKLR. A short portion of the back of the van has been painted white and "FISH" has been painted on the side - fish vans were commonly painted white. Regauged from 2 ft 6 in (762 mm). Design is similar to that of two MoD vans at the MRC. Recently moved to Reeds Road station. |  |
| MoD | DH 453 | Covered goods van | Build date and manufacturer unknown. Was used at RNAD Dean Hill, hence the 'DH', later sold to the OKLR. In a better condition than DH417. Regauged from 2 ft 6 in (762 mm). Design is similar to that of two MoD vans at the MRC. One of the doors has been removed and filled in for the time being. |  |
| ? | DH 132[7] | Brake van | Built 1943 by Chas Roberts & Co. Later used at RNAD Dean Hill, hence the 'DH', then sold to the OKLR. In good condition but needs attention to the floor. Regauged from 2 ft 6 in (762 mm). |  |
| ? | DH 323 | 1-plank open wagon | Built at an unknown date. Ex-RNAD Dean Hill. Sides of wagon removed, common practice with RNAD wagons. Recently moved to Old Kiln Halt station. |  |
| ? | DH 522 | 4-plank open wagon | Built at an unknown date. Ex-RNAD Dean Hill. Sides of wagon removed, common practice with RNAD wagons. | |
| ? | Loco Coal Wagon | Painted in a grey livery with white lettering. | ||
| ? | C50 | 2-plank open wagon | Recently repainted in a grey livery and lettered 'P/Way Dept Old Kiln Halt'. Fitted with a brake. |
References
- Old Kiln Light Railway
- https://oldkilnlightrailway.co.uk/rolling-stock/
- Industrial Locomotives: including preserved and minor railway locomotives. 16EL. Melton Mowbray: Industrial Railway Society. 2012. ISBN 978 1 901556 78 0.
- "N° 1769 "Altonia"". Old Kiln Light Railway. Retrieved 24 June 2019.
- "Motorrails of Bedford". Old Kiln Light Railway.
- "Narrow Gauge Railways". Dan Quine.
- https://www.narrow-gauge.co.uk/gallery/show.php?image_id=3922&cat_id=929
- http://www.sihg.org.uk/awards.htm
- http://www.oldkilnlightrailway.com/oklr-archive.php
External links
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