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Seaside & Holiday Island Narrow Gauge


Nearholmer
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36 minutes ago, St Enodoc said:

I remember a rather nice miniature railway at Felixstowe too.

 

 

I was a regular traveller on that in the 1960's through to the early 70's.  I've got some postcards showing it somewhere.

There were 2 steam locos of a GWR style outline back in those days, one of which was named "Rupert" from memory,  and I always seemed to end up on the carriage with the plastic screen that was right behind the loco! (and a green flag to wave..)

Something like 9d/4p for four circuits of the track.

 

It was replaced by a "Hymek" looking contraption in the 70's and then the original owner sold the line off to another operator.  I think the line was removed some time in the 1990's.

 

EDIT : Found some pictures online...

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/trainsandstuff/24265741890/

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/trainsandstuff/33327711724

 

 

.

Edited by Johann Marsbar
added photo links
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15 hours ago, SouthernRegionSteam said:


Many thanks for the feature! (Even if you spelled my name incorrectly. ;) Don't worry, it happens all the time!)
There's something special about the mix of the seaside and railways, and whilst I've never been fortunate enough to experience a seaside railway for myself, I can't think of a more pleasing thing to model. Most narrow gauge lines tend to be miniature railways as has been mentioned in this thread, but to be perfectly honest I don't think it hurts to "imagineer" a full-scale narrow gauge railway. That's what I did with Sandy Shores, as I wanted a bit of everything! That includes sand dunes, tatty wooden structures, an ornate lighthouse, a 2ft gauge railway etc etc. My ultimate goal was to produce a dreamlike hot summer seaside holiday, that I could experience all-year round. Like you hinted at in your original post, the summery seaside is the perfect escape! For me it was less about finding a prototype railway, and more about inspirational locations like Dungeness, Spurn Head, and Studland.

Without wishing to overstay my welcome, you can find my layout:

And you're right to notice that I was also inspired by Neil's layout Little Point. It's the air of laid-back remote life that I love especially, along with the muted, sunbleached colours.

 

I'll leave with one photo that I think conjures up exactly the seaside atmosphere I had in mind when I first designed Sandy Shores:

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All the best,
Jamie

Good to see posts from The Forest! :smile_mini2: Although I now live in South Wales, I'm a New Forester by deep roots and by birth!

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19 hours ago, Nearholmer said:

Although miniature, as opposed to NG, railways are not really "my thing", this one deserves a mention, because its gauge was so large, at 18". It had a pretty big (one third or half full-size?) Sentinel 4W VBTG, but I can't find a picture of that on the internet. 

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/trainsandstuff/19607960541

 

The NGRS special issue 186 'A single to the Seashore' devotes a short chapter to the Jaywick Sentinel before and after conversion to steam outline. The New Brighton miniature railway obtained the Sentinel and carriages after WW2.  There is a locally published booklet entitled 'Uncle Tommy's Kiddies Railway' which describes the line and rolling stock as does Miniature Railway issue 46 in a chapter entitled 'The Fairy Glen Miniature Railway'.  IIRC the remains of the Sentinel were recovered and are subject to a restoration effort.

I have lifted photos of the loco before and after conversion at New Brighton from the 'net but am happy to remove them if they infringe anyone's copyright.

Ray.

 

 

Jaywick Sentinel at New Brighton.jpg

Jaywick Sentinel after conversion.jpg

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2 hours ago, Hando said:

There was no mention of what locos were used on either of the two websites I learnt about it from

 Like several of the lines, nearly all in fact, that we've mentioned, there was a good write-up in an NGRS journal years back ......... but I'm not going hunting through the archive just now.

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19 minutes ago, Marshall5 said:

The NGRS special issue 186 'A single to the Seashore' devotes a short chapter to the Jaywick Sentinel before and after conversion to steam outline. The New Brighton miniature railway obtained the Sentinel and carriages after WW2.  There is a locally published booklet entitled 'Uncle Tommy's Kiddies Railway' which describes the line and rolling stock as does Miniature Railway issue 46 in a chapter entitled 'The Fairy Glen Miniature Railway'.  IIRC the remains of the Sentinel were recovered and are subject to a restoration effort.

I have lifted photos of the loco before and after conversion at New Brighton from the 'net but am happy to remove them if they infringe anyone's copyright.

Ray.

 

 

Jaywick Sentinel at New Brighton.jpg

Jaywick Sentinel after conversion.jpg

The Ashover Light Railway are currently restoring the Sentinel-esque geared loco (albeit to 2 foot gauge rather than 18 inch, since the Steeple Grange Light Railway had sold it to them after rather-oddly deeming it to be underpowered for their line: it's a geared loco! Why would it be underpowered? But I digress...)

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3 minutes ago, Hando said:

Why would it be underpowered?

 

Speed, or rather lack of it, is probably the issue.

 

Power is a measure of work over time, so low-powered locos, if appropriately geared and weighted, can start a heavy load, but can only take it along slowly. Its the same with me on a bike, compared with fit chaps twenty years younger - they are more powerful, so can go faster.. 

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Speaking of another 18-inch gauge seaside miniature railway... Does anyone know what happened to the Jaywick Stirling Single?

image.png.07602eecddc93ba01217127fca18afd3.pngimage.png.116982e783ea0c276f3b59cf6dabe7dc.png

Edited by Hando
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3 minutes ago, Nearholmer said:

Isn't it on static display in an engineering institute in London somewhere?

According to the Miniature Railway World Forum, in 2008 it was at the Museum of Country Life (now World of Country Life), Exmouth

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I've sent a message to Preston Services regarding if the engine is the Jaywick Single in question.

 

I also see that poor Beckton No.1 is still up for sale. It must have been 5 years since she went up...

Edited by Hando
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The German Frisian Islands Railways: https://www.inselbahn.de/:

 

Inselbahn Wangerooge: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangerooge_Island_Railway

Inselbahn Langeoog: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inselbahn_Langeoog

Inselbahn Spikeroog: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inselbahn_Spiekeroog

Inselbahn Baltrum: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inselbahn_Baltrum

Borkumer Kleinbahn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borkumer_Kleinbahn

Nordstrandischmoor Halligbahn: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lüttmoorsiel-Nordstrandischmoor_island_railway

Oland & Langeness Halligbahn: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halligbahn_Dagebüll–Oland–Langeneß

Amruner Inselbahn: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amrumer_Inselbahn (closed)

Sylter Inselbahn: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylter_Inselbahn (closed [not to be confused with the line over the Hindenburgdamm])

Inselbahn Juist: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inselbahn_Juist (closed)

 

image.png.e06c0c2f2b76d72005d929ea03e5feb9.png

A picture of the Sylt Island Railway (Sylter inselbahn)

Edited by Hando
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Another seaside narrow gauge railway is the North Bay Railway in Scarborough. It has a gauge of 20 in (508 mm), and runs for approximately 7⁄8 mile (1.4 km) between Peasholm Park and Scalby Mills.

 

It was built in 1931 and officially opened at 2 p.m. on Saturday 23rd May 1931. During the Second World War, the railway was closed as it was in the Coastal Defence Area. The last train ran on 6 July 1940 and the railway remained closed until 1945.

 

 

They currently have five locomotives: three Hudswell Clarke steam outline 4-6-2DH: No.1931 Neptune (built 1931), No.1932 Triton (built 1932) and No.1933 Poseidon (built 1933). These resemble Gresley A1s 4-6-2s. the fourth is 4-6-4DH tank locomotive No.570 Robin Hood (another Hudswell Clarke loco, built 1932) The fifth locomotive arrived in 2016: 0-4-0ST Georgina. It is the first steam locomotive to run on the railway. 

 

All five locomotives: Georgina and (right to left) Poseidon, Triton, Robin Hood, Neptune 

image.png.7f9b96ecc0f71a287d03b20dd4676b7c.png

 

 

 

Edited by 6990WitherslackHall
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We seem to be a bit far from the sort of really decent weather that makes for a good holiday, so can I throw in a few salt-pan railways from the Mediterranean.

 

There were lots of these, and I think some might still be is use, but this one from Ibiza should be enough to get the sun through to our bones. https://www.ibizaisla.es/visitar/vias-del-tren-de-la-sal Click on the link to see a photo with the locos in it - one looks like a Decauville, the other maybe German.

 

The is still a big salt-pan on Formentera, just across from Ibiza, and that had a railway too. One of the locos, a really tiny O&K 0-4-0WT probably only about 10hp, used to be on display at the town museum, but when we looked for it in 2019 it had been taken away for restoration, which I think meant cosmetic, rather than to working order.

Edited by Nearholmer
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