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STOP PRESS!
Following the huge success of previous events, the Amerton Railway will be holding its 2010 Summer Steam Gala on
19th/20th June 2010.
The Amerton Railway
The Amerton Railway is a 2ft gauge line, set in the rolling Staffordshire countryside, and situated at the very popular Amerton Working Farm.
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The Railway is home to the 1897 Bagnall-built saddle tank Isabel which became such a part of Stafford life on her plinth outside the main Stafford Station. Now you can ride behind this historic loco, and others, over our mile long railway.
If you would like to contact the Railway:-
e-mail enquiries@amertonrailway.co.uk
Amerton Railway
Stowe-by-Chartley
Nr. Weston
Staffordshire
ST18 0LA
Telephone (Railway Only) 01785 850965
Fax (Railway only) 01785 850965
If you have any comments or would like to leave a message, your feedback would be appreciated.
Acknowledgements
The Society would like to thank John Wilcock for all his help in setting
up the Website and to John Strike and Peter Bell for providing all the
photographic images.
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Where Are We?
The Amerton Railway is located 6 miles
northeast of Stafford, on the A518 Stafford - Uttoxeter road approximately
1 mile from Weston (map)
and is part of a "working farm" visitor centre.
The Arriva bus routes 841 and 842 operate
from Stafford to
Uttoxeter, with stops at Stowe Crossroads. For exact timings please
telephone Arriva on 0870 6082608 or consult the
Arriva web site.
The line is operated by the Staffordshire
Narrow Gauge Railway Ltd, and it has a circular route of about one
mile in length. Taking pride of place is the locomotive
Isabel, a product of W.G.
Bagnall of Stafford, works no. 1491 of 1897.
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When do we run?
| Steam trains operate on Sundays and Bank Holidays from the beginning of
April until the end of October. A diesel service runs on Saturdays from Easter until the end of August. There is also a
limited diesel service mid-week during the half-term and summer school holidays and of course Santa Specials
in December. All services are subject to availability of rolling stock. Please use the
contact details above to make enquiries about the availability of services on any particular
date. See also the Amerton Railway Timetable. The Amerton Railway is registered as a Charity, number 1015635. |
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A young visitor checks out the footplate of Gordon with the Waterhouses Signal Box in the background. |
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Introduction
Isabel had been very much a part of Stafford life. She hauled granite for the Cliffe Hill Granite Company of Markfield, Leicestershire from new, being retired in 1946. She might have awaited the scrapman's torch, but it was lucky that W.G. Bagnall were looking for a suitable display locomotive and so in 1953 she was brought back to be restored by apprentices and to be put on display on a plinth at the Castle Engine Works. In 1961 English Electric took over Bagnalls and ceased steam locomotive production in Stafford and so Isabel was moved to a site opposite the new (1963) Railway Station. She remained there for the next 20 years, paying a further visit to the Castle Works in 1977 for cosmetic restoration.
By the early 1980s Isabel presented a very sorry sight. Her chimney had collapsed and much of the plate-work was rotten. She was removed to be restored in conjunction with Stafford Borough Council, but this initial scheme was destined not to be completed. It was around this time that a small number of local enthusiasts heard of Isabel's predicament and formed the Stafford Narrow Gauge Railway Society (SNGRS) - from 2002 Staffordshire Narrow Gauge Railway Ltd - to complete a thorough restoration of the locomotive back into steam. Thus agreement was reached with Stafford Borough Council in October 1987 and work started in earnest at a Council depot. The resultant restoration over three years repaired the boiler, fitted a new chimney and saddle-tank, with all new plate work; the result was awarded the 1989 Dorothea Award for Conservation and the 1993 British Coal Steam Heritage Award.
It was now necessary to find somewhere to run
Isabel ! Agreement was finally reached with Amerton Farm which had
suitable land for a short circuit, and "cutting the first sod"
was performed by the Mayor of Stafford on 26th May 1990. Thus it was that
Isabel arrived at Amerton on 26th October 1991 and ran her first
revenue earning trains in July 1992.
Isabel is owned by Stafford Borough Council.
Phase 1 was completed in 1992, Phase 2 (extension to Chartley Road Loop) in 2000, and Phase 3 (crossing of the Chartley Brook by two bridges, and completion of the one mile circle back to Amerton Station) in 2001. All the work has been undertaken by volunteers of SNGRS, mainly working on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. If you would like to come along to Amerton to lend a hand in firing, guarding,
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track-laying, building, painting or any other activity, then details of membership can be found on the Staffordshire Narrow Gauge Railway Ltd Membership Page. Rest assured, you will be made more than welcome.
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Send all comments, updates and queries for The Amerton Railway Home Page to John Wilcock
Version: 55 02 February 2010 updated by John Wilcock