The Locomotives
Steam Locomotives
Our original 2 steam locomotives were of the same 2-4-2 type and came from the same builder. However Merlin which was built 5 years after Excalibur is physically bigger. This means that it holds more coal and water and that two people can sit in the cab more easily. These two have been joined in 2005 by a sister steam engine 2-4-2T No.9 now called Pendragon and a new much larger 0-6-2T No.8 King Arthur.
The boiler pressure of the 2-4-2 tank engines is 150 pounds per square inch and the cylinders are 4 inch diameter with a 5 inch stoke. They have roller bearings on all the axles and weigh about 2 tons each. They have power to spare in pulling any train we wish and are very reliable and economical in use. It costs less per day to run one of the steam engines than the petrol engine.
No. 6 Excalibur (was River Churnet) 2-4-2T Works No. 294 built in 1993 by Exmoor Steam Railway
This locomotive was built in 1993 and painted in green livery with the name River Churnet. It has was rebuilt in 2003 and renamed Excalibur and is repainted in a lined blackberry black livery. In service in 2010
No.7 Merlin 2-4-2T works No.296 built 1998 by the Exmoor Steam Railway
Merlin is seen at Exmoor in 1998 before painting
Merlin is painted dark blue and was overhauled and had its boiler re-tubed in 2005 at Rudyard. It passed its steam test on 2nd Feb 2006 and is back in use. In service in 2010 after work to its boiler to replace the fire level stay nuts.
All the 2-4-2T steam locomotives have also been 12.25 inch gauge before coming to Rudyard and ran on the railway where they were built. This was the Exmoor Steam Railway at Bratton Fleming near Barnstaple in North Devon.
No.8 King Arthur is an 0-6-2T Works No 324 built 07/05
No.8 King Arthur brand new at Exmoor
King Arthur is believed to be the most powerful conventional steam engine on this gauge of railway. It has cylinders 5.625 X 7.5 inches and a boiler pressure of 150PSI. It has been designed by the Exmoor Steam Railway specifically to pull the heaviest possible trains on the railway. It is a great success and is both economical and powerful.
It is very similar to a 15 inch gauge engine that runs at Longleat. At 41 inches wide and 5 feet high it is at the limit of the loading gauge for this size of railway. It is in service in 2010
No.9 2-4-2T Pendragon Works No. 297 built 1994 by the Exmoor Steam Railway
This is a sister engine to Merlin in most respects but being slightly shorter and painted maroon. It ran at Ashorne Hall in Warwickshire until that railway closed. It was changed to 10.25 inch gauge over winter 2005/6 and renamed. It entered service at Rudyard in March 2006 as Pendragon named after King Arthur's father Uther Pendragon. It had returned to the Exmoor Steam Railway for conversion on October 8th 2005. Trial runs at Exmoor were successfully carried out on October 9th and complete trains from the Ashorne Hall railway were run for probably the final time. It finally returned to Rudyard on 5th March 2006 and is now in service. It runs the opposite way round to all the other locomotives. It is in service in 2008.
No.9 Ashorne now Pendragon at Exmoor in March 2006
Atlantic Locomotive Waverley No.196
This locomotive is now normally resident on the railway. It was built in 1950 by David Curwen and has run at Weymouth, Loughborough and on Mull. Now owned by a small group of enthusiasts it is used from time to time on lighter trains or the double head heavier trains. It went to Bowness in Scotland in early 2004 for attention to its boiler and tender and returned on August 27th 2005.
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Waverley photographed on Mull
The boiler had its boiler tubes replaced and was then given a 10 year hydraulic test. The profile of the tender wheels was also improved and an air brake system added. It is now dual fitted with air and vacuum brakes. This engine is in service from 2008 after extensive work to the valve gear.
To see more views and information on other trains linked to this railway click here.
Talyllyn Sub Divsion
A short length of dual gauge track has been laid at Rudyard so that our 7.25 inch gauge locomotives and equipment can run.
There are 2 steam engines and 3 carriages available based on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales. These trains will only run on special event days. The engines are
No.2 Dolgoch
No.4 Edward Thomas
A visit to the real thing where the worlds first heritage railway was set up in 1950 is thoroughly recommended.
Diesel & Petrol Locomotives
No. 2 Mordred
This is a 4W petrol locomotive built in 1969 by Mr. Terry Stanhope. This engine has also been 2 foot and 15 inch gauge. It is mainly used for works trains. It has a Morris minor petrol engine which runs very well. It was rebuilt in 2003 and fitted with air brakes. The cab was lowered and it was repainted bright red. Removed from the railway 1/1/2006 for engine overhaul by Dave Cruickshank of Middlewhich and has been repainted in green. It returned on July 23rd 2006 and is in use.
Sir Ernie
This is a 2-2-2 battery electric 'device' fashioned from an electric wheelchair and can haul a wagon or transport a person the length of the line.
No. 5 Lady of the Lake
This is a 4W +4W diesel locomotive built in 1989 by a local contractor Mr. L. Smith of Leek. It has a Lister three cylinder diesel engine. It is probably the largest diesel locomotive in existence on this size of railway. It was overhauled and repainted in Summer 2007 and emerged in yellow livery in 2008.
ROLLING STOCK
The railway has 11 carriages available for services. All are painted signal red. There is one more under construction and one awaiting delivery.
The current carriage stock list is:
Nos. 1, 2, Articulated set seating 24. This was overhauled and fitted with roofs and end screens in early 2001. No. 2 was replaced with a new larger coach body in May 2006 and the old body from No.2 is to be scrapped. Originally a set of three coaches now reduced to two until a third new body and extra bogie is built. The bogie has been ordered from LTM engineering in Sept 2007 and the second new larger body was built by Alan Hunt of Wilmslow in 2008.
No. 4 Bogie coach seating 20 carriage built in 1990 by L. Smith of Leek. Was overhauled and re-entered service at Easter 2002. Its roof was lowered by 5 inches then refitted. In 2004 a guards compartment was added and seating capacity reduced to 18. Subsequently the guards compartment was enlarged and a Public Address system fitted in May 2008 and seating capacity is now 16.
No. 5 bogie coach seating 12 built in March 2007 by LTM Engineering Rochdale and in service from April 1st 2007.
No. 6 is similar to No.5 with the addition of doors and was delivered from the same company on 26th June and in use from the 30th of June 2007.
Nos. 7, 8, 9 Short enclosed carriages built by the Exmoor Steam Railway. Two are fully glazed and offer proper protection from the weather. They needed to be when they were in use on the top of Exmoor. Acquired in summer and autumn 2001 all are now in service. The roofs have been clad and rain strips added in 2006.
Coach No. 10 seating 16 is a semi open coach that has been constructed by Victoria Engineering at Longridge near Preston. In regular use from 2004/5.
Coach No.11 is an enclosed 6 seat observation coach built by Ian & Chris Burgess and is ready for use on special events from August 2007. Fitted with new bogies in July 2008 and air brakes in 2009.
Coach No.12 is an enclosed wood bodied 12 seat coach and was completed and in service by August 2006. This now runs in the articulated set with coaches 1 & 2.
Coaches No.5 & 6 are enclosed steel framed and glazed coaches built in 2007 by LTM Engineering of Rochdale. This associated company can supply high quality bogies and other equipment to the UK market. Click here for information
Goods Wagons
There are currently 3 bogie wagons ( 2 flat, 1open) and a brake van in use on maintenance work.
More wagons ( two vans , 3 opens) have been constructed by a Alan Boon a friend of the railway. A 4 wheel tank type wagon and a crane wagon were completed in 2004. All of these wagons are sprung and fully air brake fitted. Two of these wagons (A van and the tank wagon) have been sold to the Royal Victoria Railway near Southampton. the crane and two other new open wagons will go to the Mull railway in due course.
This will leave 3 open wagons and 1 Van in use on the railway as well as the bogie wagons.
