The Rudyard Lake Steam Railway is a ridable miniature railway and the third railway of any gauge to run along the side of

Rudyard Lake Rudyard Lake is a reservoir in Rudyard, Staffordshire, located north-west of the town of Leek, Staffordshire. It was constructed in the late 18th century to feed the Caldon Canal. During the 19th century, it was a popular destination for day ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation ''Staffs''.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It borders Cheshire to the north-west, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Overview

The railway runs for on the track bed of an old

standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...

North Staffordshire Railway The North Staffordshire Railway (NSR) was a Great Britain, British railway company formed in 1845 to promote a number of lines in the Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Potteries and surrounding areas in Staffordshire, Cheshire, Derbyshire and Shro ...

line. After the NSR line closed down, a small

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

train ran on the site for two years before moving via Suffolk to Trago Mills in Devon. The current line started in 1985 and is gauge, and operates to a timetable. It was built by John Eastman of Congleton working on his own over a period of ten years. In October 2000, he sold the railway to Rudyard Lake Steam Railway Ltd, who have developed it since that date. The railway was purchased by the Leek and Rudyard Railway on 18 December 2015. This company owns the assets of the former Isle of Mull Railway and combined the two railways at Rudyard. In May 2024 the railway changed hands again and is now owned and operated by the Rudyard Lake Railway. Trains run at weekends and bank holidays from March to November, with more regular services from Easter to October and daily during school holidays. The railway is a member of Britain's Great Little Railways and is a member of the Heritage Railway Association.

Route

The railway runs for on the track bed of an old

line. It operates from Rudyard railway station to the dam, then along the side of the lake to terminate at Hunthouse Wood, about a mile south of the site of the old Cliffe Park railway station.

Locomotives

Many of the locomotives were named by the former owner's wife after the legends of

King Arthur According to legends, King Arthur (; ; ; ) was a king of Great Britain, Britain. He is a folk hero and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In Wales, Welsh sources, Arthur is portrayed as a le ...

Pendragon on the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway

No 9 ''Pendragon'' (another Exmoor Steam Railway ) left the railway in 2019 and is now at the Astbury Light Railway. A fleet of 13 carriages and a wide variety of goods wagons are also used. A further enclosed brake carriage was constructed in 2011 and brought into service in August; another 12 seat enclosed coach was added in December 2012. The carriages from the closed Isle of Mull Railway are also slowly being brought back into service after restoration.

Facilities

Rudyard Station comprises Platform 1 with a shelter where the trains depart. A footbridge links this to Platform 2 where the cafe, a large covered picnic area,

signal box A signal is both the process and the result of transmission of data over some media accomplished by embedding some variation. Signals are important in multiple subject fields including signal processing, information theory and biology. In ...

and toilets are located. Platform 2 is, in fact, the original

platform built by the

. The original flower beds and retaining walls are clearly visible. At a higher level than platform 1 is a good vantage point. To the South end of the station are the engine shed, water tower, coal bunker, storage shed and workshop. The railway offers ''learn to drive a steam train'' courses, of either a half or full day for individuals or groups. Children's parties are hosted and the Platform 2 Cafe provides cold refreshments all year around whenever the railway is running.

References

Sources

* Hanton, Peter. The Heywood Society Journal No. 34, Spring 1994 * Williams John K. The Heywood Society Journal No. 52, Spring 2003 * Hanson, Michael. The Heywood Society Journal No. 56, Spring 2005

External links

*, including current timetable details {{coord, 53.1348, -2.0821, type:landmark_region:GB-STS, display=title 1985 establishments in England Railway lines opened in 1985 Heritage railways in Staffordshire 10¼ in gauge railways in England Miniature railways in the United Kingdom Articles containing video clips