"As I left the gardens and walked back to the palace, I took the opportunity to study the miniature steam train. It ran over a decidedly modest piece of track in one corner of the grounds. The sight of fifty English people crouched on a little train in a cold grey drizzle waiting to be taken 200 yards and thinking they were having fun is not one that I shall forget in a hurry." These words were written by Bill Bryson in his 1995 book about Britain entitled "Notes from a Small Island". I have an inexplicable fascination for miniature railways, but I do know where he was coming from here. Like most things in life there are good, bad and indifferent. In these photo album web pages I have selected three miniature railways of different gauges that to my mind most definitely fall into the "good" category.

"The White Heron" hauling a well-loaded train

Miniature railways have histories that can be as interesting as those of their full-size counterparts. The long-defunct Surrey Borders and Camberley Railway definitely falls into this category. In the UK there are many miniature lines - both public and private. Gauges are generally 7¼, 10¼, 12¼ and 15 inches,  although one or two others are used occasionally.

New York Central 4-8-4 #6019 climbing away from Lakeside

When I was a boy in the nineteen-sixties, we lived on a farm in Rutland - England's smallest county. A well loved Sunday afternoon treat was to be taken to Stapleford Park near Melton Mowbray in nearby Leicestershire. However, it was not the house or the grounds that I appreciated. For me the attraction was the 10¼ inch gauge miniature railway.

I was fascinated particularly by the automatic barrier level crossing which operated at Stapleford well before such things were common on full-sized railways! The line even appeared on the television programme "The Avengers" in which Emma Peel (played by Diana Rigg) was tied to the tracks by the villain. Fortunately the super-cool John Steed (Patrick MacNee) saved our heroine from being run over by "Blanche of Lancaster" just in time. Will Saturday nights ever be the same again?

Since those days the railway has undergone enforced changes due to the death of Lord Gretton and the conversion of the house to a hotel. Thanks to Jenny Gretton and a veritable army of helpers, known collectively as the Friends of the Stapleford Miniature Railway, the line has undergone a renaissance.

The route has been modified and the barrier crossing is no more, but the SMR can truly be said to be one of the finest miniature railways in the United Kingdom.

Great attention has been paid to lineside structures such as this signalbox.

It is a variation on what railway modellers call a balloon layout - the line runs from a terminus at one end to a large loop near the lake at the other. At the terminus end of the line locomotives are turned on a triangle so the they always face forwards when hauling the trains. This makes for some interesting operating movements for spectators.

        Primrose Hill tunnel                                            Box tunnel

The SMR boasts an excellent sigalling system, a tunnel (Primrose Hill at one end, Box at the other - see above) and some wonderful resident locomotives as follows:

4-4-2 #751 John H. Gretton (formerly John of Gaunt)
4-6-0 L.M.S. Jubilee #5565 Victoria
4-6-0 G.W.R. Saint #2943 Hampton Court
2-8-4 Nickel Plate Road #752 The Lady Margaret
4-8-4 New York Central #6019
Warship-style diesel The White Heron

Other locomotives seen in some photographs either were visitors or have moved away since those photographs were taken.

In one sense it is sad that the SMR is normally only open to the public on two weekends each year. In another sense this limited opening does make each open weekend particularly special. If the line were open on a more regular basis, it would certainly rank as one of the finest tourist attractions in the East Midlands.

The photographs on this page were taken at various times in the 1990s and 2000s. Enjoy them.

One of the SMR's original locos 4-4-2 #751 is still resident at Stapleford.

The SMR's other original 4-4-2 #752 "Blanche of Lancaster"
seen in 1995 during a return visit from her new home in Devon

"Victoria" and "Hampton Court" at the engine shed

L.M.S. Jubilee "Victoria" (left) and  French Nord pacific backing onto their trains

"The White Heron" and #751 "John H. Gretton" await departure from the terminus

NYC 4-8-4 #6019 coming off the shed

2-8-4 #752 awaiting departure as NYC 4-8-4 #6019 waits to enter service on the track from the loco shed

#752 part way up the climb from the lake up to the tunnel

Further up the climb to the tunnel "The White Heron" heads back to the terminus

Down by the lake LNER A4 #4498 "Sir Nigel Gresley" at the front of a double-header
waits for a down train to clear the single line section

The other loco on the double-header, the French Nord pacific, receives attention
while the train waits to enter the single line section

On a particularly wet open day a volunteer applies sand to the rails
to prevent locos slipping on the climb to the tunnel

Our final shot - NYC 4-8-4 #6019 on the turning triangle
This is arguably the most impressive 10¼ inch gauge scale model locomotive in the UK.

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For details of the Stapleford Miniature Railway's open weekends click on the link to the official website (below). There you will find also many other items relating to this wonderful 10¼ inch gauge line.

Click here for SMR official website
Click here for my Dobwalls miniature railway photo album
Click here for my Romney Hythe and Dymchurch Railway photo album
Click here to return to my index

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Page created 2nd September 2005