Dates of operation 2006–date Track gauge 7 ⁄4 in (184 mm) Headquarters Kingsbury Water Park | Successor Operational Length 1¾ miles Locale England | |
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Predecessor Echills Wood Railway, Stoneleigh Royal Agricultural Showground Address 3 Bodymoor Heath Rd, Bodymoor Heath, Sutton Coldfield B76 0DX, UK | ||
Echills wood railway standard gauge weekend 2016
The Echills Wood Railway is a 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge railway located in Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire, England.
Contents
- Echills wood railway standard gauge weekend 2016
- 2016 mainline loco weekend echills wood railway july 2016
- References
The railway was founded in 1972, based in the Royal Agricultural Showground in Stoneleigh, Warkickshire, where it operated until 2005.
At Easter 2006 the railway reopened at its new home, Kingsbury Water Park as a short out and back run. One year later the initial circuit of approximately 0.75 miles or 1.2 kilometres was opened to the public, and the line was officially declared open by Pete Waterman on 14 July 2007, with a cavalcade of 36 locomotives.
By Easter 2010, the railway had completed another kilometre of trackwork in the form of a double track extension to Far Leys on the other side of the park, traversing through a twin bore, 70 yard tunnel en route. This extension was formally opened, again by Pete Waterman, on 15 May 2010.
Between 22–29 September 2010 the railway hosted the AGM of the 7¼ in Gauge Society, with nearly 100 locomotives visiting and operating over the course of the week, including a marathon 40 trains on the circuit at once during 24 September.
The line runs a mixture of (both club and privately owned) Standard Gauge Scale and Narrow Gauge Steam, Diesel, Petrol and Electric locomotives.
A feature of the railway is its gnome village, a collection of garden gnomes donated by the public. The gnome village was vandalised in September 2016, when several of the ornaments were damaged. The incident prompted members of the public to donate replacements following an appeal by railway members. Local newspaper, the Tamworth Herald also backed the appeal.