Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway
The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway (or Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway) was a narrow gauge railway created by Rowland Emett. A whimsical view of British rural life and embodying his typical fanciful mechanics,[1] it echoed the similar works of Heath Robinson and Rube Goldberg. The railway began in a series of cartoons in Punch magazine in 1939, as the "Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway."
Festival of Britain
It was chosen as an attraction for the 1951 Festival of Britain events on the South Bank. As the "Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway", the third of a mile long railway carried over two million passengers through Battersea Pleasure Gardens.[2]
Locomotives
The three locomotives were:
- Nº1 Nellie
- a saddle tank
- Nº2 Neptune
- as much paddle steamer as locomotive
- Nº3 Wild Goose
- supposedly made from an airship
They were constructed to Emett's designs by Harry Barlow, using war-surplus Fordson diesel engines on a fifteen inch gauge chassis.[2] The Barlow chassis of Neptune would later become Prince Charles on the Lakeside Miniature Railway at Southport.[2]
Closure
After the closure of the Festival, the Pleasure Gardens became part of Battersea Park. The railway continued on the same site until 1953; then was moved to another site in the park, where it continued until 1975 with other Barlow locomotives.[2]
References
- ↑ "The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway". Museum of London. 2 May 2001.
- 1 2 3 4 Mosley, David; van Zeller, Peter (1986). Fifteen Inch Gauge Railways. David & Charles. pp. 40–41. ISBN 0-7153-8694-8.
External links
- "Far Tottering & Oyster Creek Railway". Lakeside Miniature Railway.
- "The Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Railway". Museum of London. 2 May 2001.
- "Emett's Festival of Britain Railway, Battersea.". Picturetrail.
- "An article on Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway". Archived from the original on 6 July 2007.
- "A Festival in London (at 6:55)" (video). Central Office of Information.
