Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Bickington Steam Railway

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Stations
  
3

Operator(s)
  
Trago Mills

Owner
  
Trago Mills

Opened
  
1988

Line length
  
2 mi (3.2 km)

Bickington Steam Railway wwwminiaturerailwayworldcoukimagesSandyjpg

Termini
  
Trago Central (Fun Park) Riverside Station (Car Park)

Services
  
Goose Glen Halt (Additional Car Park)

Bickington steam railway trago mills november 2016 alice slips up


Located at Trago Mills Regional Shopping Centre, Newton Abbot, the 10 14 in (260 mm) ridable miniature railway Bickington Steam Railway was opened in 1988, using equipment recovered from the Suffolk Wildlife Park, which itself was taken from Rudyard Lake. It was built by Brian Nicholson, the headmaster of Waterhouses School in Staffordshire. Waterhouses was the junction for the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway. After being thwarted in an attempt to rebuild a portion of the Leek and Manifold Valley railway, Nicholson moved his railway, via Rudyard Lake and Suffolk, to Trago Mills.

Contents

Originally the railway was a 1 mile (1.6 km) double loop around two lakes with one station, 'Trago Central', but in 2006 the railway grew over 12 mile (805 m), with an extension taking it to Trago's front car park. A three-track terminus and turntable was built and named the 'Riverside Station'. A third station was added in 2008, located at the far end of the Trago site on one of the original sections of line; this was named 'Goose Glen Halt'. This was constructed in the hope that shoppers would use the ride to return to their vehicles, a near half-mile uphill walk from the main shopping complex.

Over a section of this line, the railway climbs one of the steepest inclines for any non rack railway in the UK. The railway is a member of Britains Great Little Railways

Bickington steam railway 24 07 12


Locomotives

B. Nicholson had commissioned the locomotive No. 1 E.R. Calthrope personally, using plans of the original E.R. Calthorp built by Kitson & Co. of Leeds for the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway.

References

Bickington Steam Railway Wikipedia