Matador Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Years ago before I emigrated to the US i went on a final trip around the UK .I visited a live steam operation (somewhere down south?) using US Locomotives . I believe the owner used to be a pig farmer but turned his enterprise into the railway it was a commercial enterprise featuring American steam and diesels. does anyone have a memory of it and is it still open. David A Brit in the USA Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseboy72 Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I don't know of any full size American outline in the UK, some narrow gauge in Wales and a few other places... Was this miniature locos ? If so it sounds like the lost and lamented Dobwalls in Cornwall. It closed in 2007 from memory. The locos then went to a garden centre in Christchurch, Dorset, although only 1 steam and a couple of diesels were servicable on a few hundred metres of track. I understand the locos have now left the UK for Australia. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold PaulRhB Posted April 26, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 26, 2011 Noiseboy is correct it was Dobwalls and he's also correct in where they've now gone. The second use was by the garden centre owner who has a reputation for doing things without planning permission and the railway fell foul of that, the council were fed up with it so wouldn't budge. There is another excellent 7 1/4 line only a few miles away. The recent railway was very rudimemtary and so was the owners idea of maintainence despite having some good volunteers who were trying to improve it. The locos are better off where they are going as I understand it's something to do with someone involved in the Puffing Billy 2ft gauge line. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseboy72 Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 To be fair to the Garden Centre guy in Dorset, he was caught up in a battle between the borough council and the parish council. It was a personal grudge between 2 men and neither would back down. Having spoken to him, from his perspective, he was trying to do the right thing by building what he considered was an add on to his existing business, but another local businessman (Who also happens to run a competing business) persuaded the borough council it was a tourist attraction. He does have an errm, "strong" character and quite an abrasive attitude, so I can see how problems might have arisen... The Dobwalls story is very sad though. FYI, the majority of the locos were built by Seven Lamb, with many modifications carried out on site and by other builders. This included new drives in most of the diesels, new boilers on all the locos, better braking etc. The site is / was being re-developed as an arts centre, with all the railway and children's play equipment being swept away. I guess this mirrors the change in emphasis by the owners. Our last couple of visits were to a not particularly busy park, even in high season. The number of staff to run it was high and the railway was almost seen as a distraction by the kids, instead of the central attraction. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
roythebus Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 There's live US standard gauge steam on the Kent & East Sussex today in the form of the famous Yank Tank; the KESR have 3 of them! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Diesel, but there's this one http://www.miniaturerailwayworld.co.uk/orchardlakeside.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted April 26, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted April 26, 2011 The site is / was being re-developed as an arts centre, with all the railway and children's play equipment being swept away. I guess this mirrors the change in emphasis by the owners. Our last couple of visits were to a not particularly busy park, even in high season. The number of staff to run it was high and the railway was almost seen as a distraction by the kids, instead of the central attraction. I'm not sure if the site changed hands but I understood the reason for the railway closing was that John Southern - who had created it and developed it considerably over the years - wished to retire. A man of considerable vision and one only had to look back to the early days to appreciate just how much he achieved. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noiseboy72 Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 I'm not sure if the site changed hands but I understood the reason for the railway closing was that John Southern - who had created it and developed it considerably over the years - wished to retire. A man of considerable vision and one only had to look back to the early days to appreciate just how much he achieved. Yes, I think it was his family who still run the site who were moving away from a children's activity park. I visited the site many times from the mid 70's when it was just a field with some trains through to the year it closed when you really could spend all day there.. A great, unique park and a real loss. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 There are also the North American outline (though specifically Canadian) engines on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch - No.9 Winston Churchill and No.10 Dr Syn. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matador Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 Dobwalls it was, when I went it was very busy must have been in 82/3 it was really very good and professional . many thanks for stirring the memories. David Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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