Bicton Woodland Railway

Bicton Woodland Railway

loco name: Sir Walter Raleigh
Locale England
Dates of operation 1963Present
Track gauge 18 in (457 mm)
Length 1359 yards
Headquarters Budleigh Salterton

The Bicton Woodland Railway is a narrow gauge railway running in gardens in the grounds of Bicton House near Budleigh Salterton in Devon.

The line was built in 1962 as a tourist attraction for visitors to the house. Most of the rolling stock was acquired from the Royal Arsenal Railway, Woolwich, with two locomotives, Woolwich and Carnegie coming from that source, as well as seven goods wagons which were reduced to their frames and converted to passenger carriages. It opened to passengers in 1963. Originally locomotives and carriages had royal blue livery.

Additional rolling stock was acquired from the RAF Fauld railway and the internal railway of the LNWR Wolverton works.

In 1998 the Bicton Gardens were put up for sale and the railway put into hiatus. The new owners sold the line's existing stock and in 2000 took delivery of a 5.5-tonne diesel-powered replica tank engine. The line's original equipment was purchased by the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills museum at Waltham Abbey.

Locomotives

Number Name Builder Type Date Works number Notes
1 Woolwich Avonside Engine Company 0-4-0T 1916 1748 ex-Royal Arsenal Railway. Now at the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
2 Bicton Ruston and Hornsby 4wDM 1942 213839 Built for the War Department storage depot at Lion Brickworks, Scalford
3 Carnegie Hunslet 0-4-4-0DM 1954 4524 ex-Royal Arsenal Railway. Now at the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills
4 Sir Walter Raleigh Alan Keef 0-4-0 2000 Custom built. First driven by Pete Cuffley in 2000.

See also

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External links

Coordinates: 50°40′02″N 3°19′11″W / 50.66735°N 3.3196°W / 50.66735; -3.3196

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