A map of the Skarloey Railway
The Skarloey Railway is a narrow gauge railway which runs from the North Western Railway's station at Crovan's Gate to Skarloey. Beyond Skarloey, the line continues to a slate quarry.
The railway is owned by Sir Handel Brown and is formerly run by Mr. Roger Sam, son of the previous controller, Mr. Peter Sam (currently Mr. Peregrine Percival in the television series). The line was inspired by and based on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales, where the Reverend W. Awdry worked as a guard in the 1950s.
History
In 1806, a plate way utilising gravity running from Ward Fell to Balladswail and connecting with the Sodor and Mainland Railway was opened. Following the modernisation of the Festiniog Railway in 1863, James Spooner was hired to plot a trackbed for a narrow gauge line. It was also planned to develop passenger traffic for tourists travelling to the springs at Skarloey, where there would be hotels and guest houses. Two steam engines were ordered from Fletcher Jennings and Co., and carriages from Brown Marshall.
Skarloey, the railway's first locomotive
The numbers of summer visitors dropped after signs of their copper traffic declining, but when slate was found a new source of traffic arose. After World War II, however, hard times had come and the mines had become ammunition dumps. Fortunately, tourist traffic increased after the discovery of the Book of Sir Harold at Ulfstead Castle, which revealed that Skarloey was his secret sanctuary, with archaeological evidence proving so. The railway was then able to purchase two disused engines from the aluminium works at Peel Godred for a total of fifty pounds.
In 1965, a loop line around Skarloey lake was opened to celebrate the centenary of the railway.
The railway was the setting of "Four Little Engines", "The Little Old Engine", "Gallant Old Engine", "Very Old Engines", "Great Little Engines" and "New Little Engine". It also appeared in "Mountain Engines" and "Duke the Lost Engine".
The Skarloey Railway was one of the few railways that made it into the television series. It was introduced in the fourth season, and has appeared in all the following seasons except the eighth.
Sir Handel, the railway's third locomotive
Locomotives
- Skarloey (1)
- Rheneas (2)
- Sir Handel (3)
- Peter Sam (4)
- Rusty (5)
- Duncan (6)
- Ivo Hugh (7)
- Duke (8)
- Fred (9)
- Bertram
- Mighty Mac
- Freddie
- Mark V
- Ministry of Defence Engine
Operations
In the Railway Series, the Skarloey Railway starts from Croven's Gate and then, it travels to Cros-ny-Cuirn, Glennock and Rheneas, terminating at Skarloey. The new lakeside loopline extension has one station, appropriately named Lakeside. The line's main traffic consists of passengers and slate, however it is known to carry coal, water, fuel, general goods, farm produce, such as hay, and gunpowder.
In the television series, the Skarloey Railway starts off at the wharf where it is connected to the standard gauge railway. From the wharf, it gradually climbs through the mountain range and up and over Shen Ven. From there, it passes the lake and goes through the forest where it reaches the Transfer Yards, which has another connection to the standard gauge railway and the narrow gauge railway sheds, with Mr. Percival's house nearby.
From the Transfer Yards, the Skarloey Railway climbs up and over Shane Dooiney, then, after crossing many gorges, it climbs up to the summit of Culdee Fell, which is the location of the mountain village. There are several branchlines linking the coal mines and the slate mines to the main route of the Skarloey Railway.