Arlesdale Railway Thomas the Tank Engine WikiaWell, Ive seen small engines, but. Very, very small Very, very are they realReal Of course were realWe bring all the ballast to put under your trackAnd wool for making clothes. And passengers tooMarion, Mike, Bert and Rex, Sodors Legend of the Lost Treasure. Arlesdale Railway. Built by. The Arlesdale Railway Company. Gauge. 15 3. 81 mm, minimum gaugeThe Arlesdale Railway, also called the Small Railway, is a 1. Arlesburgh along the old route of the Mid Sodor Railway for some 1. Arlesdale. The ownership of this railway is shared by a consortium consisting of the managements of the North Western, Skarloey and Culdee Fell railways. History. In 1. 96. Indian Railways reporting mark IR is a stateowned national transportation system, and is responsible for rail transport in India. It is owned and operated by the. Sir Topham Hatt was concerned over the congestion in Tidmouth Harbour and Knapford Harbour. He took interest in Arlesburgh Harbour, a port connected by rail to his system but which had been little used following the closure of the Mid Sodor Railway in 1. He made several visits of inspection and decided that Arlesburgh and the rail extension to it were capable of development. He noted also that while his line, which had been under minimum maintenance, was heavily overgrown, that of the defunct Mid Sodor Railway, was comparatively weed free. On enquiry, he was told that the MSR had, from motives of economy, used spoil from the lead mines as ballast material which they could take and use merely for the asking. Once exhaustive tests had proved that this spoil really was weed resistant, Sir Topham suggested to the managements of Culdee Fell and Skarloey Railways that they join the NWR in a consortium to exploit it and that a railway along the Mid Sodors former trackbed could be laid to take it away. At this point in the negotiations, Walter Richards, the Manager of the Culdee Fell Railway, proposed that Bearing in mind the scenic attractions of the valley the basis of the Company be broadened to encourage investment from those engaged in the Tourist Industry. This proposal, seconded by Sir Handel Lloyd Brown, was carried unanimously and was met with a good response. The Arlesdale Railway Company was formed as a separate concern to buy up the 1. MSR trackbed together with the remaining stations and buildings and lay a new railway thereon while the Ballast Company acquired not only the lead mines, but also a granite quarry at Marthwaite which had just come on the market and finally called itself the Arlesdale Granite and Ballast Company Ltd. It was decided that the railway must not only be capable of handling loads of ballast, but that it should also be of a character sufficiently out of the ordinary to attract visitors to the valley and thus bring benefit to hotels and guest houses in the area. The remarkable revival of the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria had impressed the Railway Board and the Thin Clergyman was able to put the Chairman, Lord Harry Barrane, into touch with the R ER Management. A close association then began which has continued to this day greatly to the benefit of both railways. It was the Ravenglass company who told the consortium, in strict confidence, where three locomotives Bert, Rex and Mike were to be obtained, together with a number of Open and Semi open coaches. These, it was considered, could serve until the railway could buy or build more up to date stock of their own. The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway had abandoned their former ballast and road stone business, but they allowed the consortium to search their records for designs of bogie Hopper wagons, along with a Chute gantry for unloading them quickly with the minimum of effort. The Mid Sodor trackbed had been soundly and solidly constructed and wherever possible their stations and structures were used. Track laying therefore went ahead rapidly under the direction of Mr. Fergus Duncan, the General Manager, also known as the Small Controller. The line was inspected and passed for opening by Easter 1. Ibm Spss Statistics 20 Nextstep on this page. Small Railway Engines recorded incidents which occurred during the first year of operation. Many improvements have since been made. The semi opens were replaced by closed saloon coaches built at Arlesburgh Works. The Opens have been retained and are always popular in fine weather. Commercial Manual Railway' title='Commercial Manual Railway' />Blister I and Blister II were acquired to assist in the construction of the line and are now used by the plate laying gangs and for shunting at Arlesburgh. The railway also built Frank in 1. Sigrid of Arlesdale in 1. The most reliable of steam engines sometimes fail, or as more often happens, extra passengers require the provision of a Relief train when no steam engine is available. The traffic increased so much, that a fourth steam locomotive had already been required. It was designed and built in Arlesburgh Works in 1. Douglas named him Jock for his yellow livery. The railways popularity has brought further problems arising from those mentioned above. Unexpected upsurges in passenger numbers requires ability to provide Relief trains. These extras upset normal traffic working but have to be sent through with the minimum of delay to avoid spoiling the passengers enjoyment. This was not always possible under the former system of traffic control. Ravenglass have had the same problem and have countered it by a system of Radio Control in 1. They suggested to the Arlesdale Railway to adopt their system too and gave them every assistance. So far, apart from teething troubles the system has worked well. It has the conditional approval of the Railway Inspectorate. The Small Controller has however no doubt of the final outcome. He is looking forward to the day when other railways on the Island are recommended by the Inspector to follow Arlesdales lead. In 1. 98. 7, Fergus Duncan was still General Manager, while Ivan Farrier served as Chief Engineer and Col. Ranald Drixon served as Chairman of the Board. By 2. 00. 5, after nearly 4. Fergus Duncan was preparing for retirement. His potential successor is unknown and it is felt in many quarters that the example set in his service to the line will be a difficult one to follow. Operations and Route. The Arlesdale Railway runs from Arlesburgh along the old route of the Mid Sodor Railway to Arlesdale. At Arlesburgh, connections can be made between it and the Arlesburgh branch. Miniature engines, who run on the 1. Arlesdale for use as ballast, but it also attracts popularity due to the novelty of being pulled by a 13 scale engine. The engines also transport wool for making clothes. From Arlesburgh the line stops at Arlesburgh Bridge Street. After that, the line runs between river and road. After one and a half miles a post will be seen standing on the right hand side of the track, with a disk above it that gives a warning that a passing loop is ahead. The line calls at Ffarquhar Road. A few hundred yards east of the station the line swings towards the river and on the right hand side, as it curves away to the north east there stands an old water mill and the line later reaches Marthwaite. Leaving Marthwaite, the line traverses the belt of woodland for nearly two miles and it was here that the Fat Clergyman got drenched. The branches are now regularly cut back. Later there is a passing loop just before reaching Arlesdale Green. Leaving the station, the line passes through another short belt of woodland and alongside an unfenced lane where Bert got drenched with muddy water by the Thin and Fat Clergyman which leads to cottages built by the Mid Sodor Railway for employees. North Eastern Railway 2. All Rights Reserved. This is the Portal of Indian Railways, developed with an objective to enable a. Indian Railways entities. The content in this Portal is the result of a. Indian Railways Entities and Departments Maintained by CRIS, Ministry of Railways, Government of India.