Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway
 Locomotive No.6 Clyde with typical train at Leadhills station | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Headquarters | Leadhills | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Scotland | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates of operation | 1986–Present | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | 2 ft (610 mm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway, a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is laid on the trackbed of the former Leadhills and Wanlockhead Branch of the Caledonian Railway which led off the main line between Carlisle and Glasgow at Elvanfoot.
Overview[]
The preserved section runs from Leadhills for about 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) towards Wanlockhead and is the highest adhesion railway in the UK. The rack and pinion Snowdon Mountain Railway is higher. Trains are currently diesel worked with the locomotive propelling the train up hill away from Leadhills.
The original railway closed in the late 1930s shortly after the mines in Wanlockhead had closed.
The railway currently stops at the border of South Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway.
| Point | Coordinates (Links to map resources) |
OS Grid Ref | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| End of line | 55°24′45″N 3°45′26″W / 55.4125°N 3.7572°W | ||
| Leadhills | 55°24′41″N 3°45′39″W / 55.4113°N 3.7608°W | ||
| Glengonnar Halt | 55°24′08″N 3°46′10″W / 55.4022°N 3.7694°W |
Operation[]
Trains operate on the push-pull principle as there are no run round loop facilities at the end of the run. Movements within the main station site at Leadhills are controlled from the reconstructed signal box which contains the original lever frame from Arrochar and Tarbet signal box.
Bus replacement[]
For two weeks during July 2016 the railway operated an extended service, connecting with local bus routes, as the road between Wanlockhead and Leadhills was closed for repairs.[1]
Awards[]
The Leadhills & Wanlockhead won the Heritage Railway Association Annual Awards 2016, Small Groups
Locomotives[]
Most locomotives are fitted with air brakes to allow them to operate passenger trains.
| Number | Name | Builder | Type | Build Date | Arrival Date | Works Number | Livery | Notes | Service |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L&WR 2, KD7, L114 | Elvan | Motor Rail | 4wDM | 3 March 1955 | 13 March 1986 | 9792 | Blue | Built for the London Brick Company, King's Dyke Works, Whittlesea. | In Service |
| L&WR 4 | Luce | Ruston and Hornsby | 4wDM | September 1966 | 13 November 1987 | 7002/0467/6 | Green | Built for contractors Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Leith. | In Service |
| L&WR 5 | Little Clyde | Ruston and Hornsby | 4wDM | September 1966 | 13 November 1987 | 7002/0467/2 | Originally White, Currently in Green | Built for contractors Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Leith. | In Service |
| L&WR 6,
NCB 20/180/4 |
Clyde Previously known as The Peril | Hunslet | 4wDM | 1975 | January 1990 | HE6347 | Originally Yellow, Currently in Blue | Built for National Coal Board, Eppleton Colliery. | Out of Service |
| L&WR 8, NCB 1-44-121 | Nith | Hudswell Clarke | 4wDMF | 1956 | October 1996, Returned from restoration June 1998 | DM1002 | Red | Built for the National Coal Board, Waterloo Main Colliery. | In Service |
| (9) | Charlotte | Orenstein & Koppel | 0-4-0WT | 1913 | 1994 | OK6335 | Green | Imported from Belgium. Being restored to full working order. | Stored |
| L&WR 10 | Mennock Previously known as Eileen | Hunslet-Barclay | 0-4-0DM | 1994 | 2012 | LD 9348 | White | Helped with the tunnelling work for London Olympic Park | Out of Service |
| (11) | Progres | Decauville | 0-4-0T | 1915 | 20 August 2005 | 917 | Greyish White | Under restoration | Stored |
| (11) | Number 29 | Wingrove & Rogers, Liverpool | 0-4-0BE | 1939 | 2003 | 1416 | Yellow | Required a JCB to clear it out of 20 years of vegetation. | In pieces |
| L&WR 12 | Clayton | Clayton | 4wDM | 1978 | August 1994 | 1819B | Green | Built for Stock, Sold to NCB Wearmouth | In Service |
| (21) | 4wDM | 1941 | Black | No longer part of railway fleet | Stored Offsite |
Rolling stock[]
The railway maintains four air-braked coaches for use on its passenger trains. Three of the coaches are mounted on ex-peat wagon underframes, the fourth is mounted on the chassis of a former Simplex locomotive.
There are many wagons around the railway including the ubiquitous Hudson skip wagons and examples from RNAD.
See also[]
- British narrow gauge railways
References[]
- ^ "'Replacement' train offer as road shuts". BBC News. 4 July 2016.
- Thomas, Cliff (2002). The Narrow Gauge in Britain & Ireland. Atlantic Publishers. ISBN 1-902827-05-8.
- Keggans, Sandie (2004). Transporting the Lead. Wanlockhead Museum Trust. ISBN 0-9530645-3-0.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway. |
Coordinates: 55°24′25″N 3°45′50″W / 55.407°N 3.764°W
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- Heritage railways in Scotland
- Transport in South Lanarkshire
- 2 ft gauge railways in Scotland
- Leadhills
- Railway lines opened in 1986
- Scotland rail transport stubs