The Stortford Railway is a 7¼ gauge line in a back garden in Bishop's Stortford, Herts., England There are two battery-electric locomotives and a County Donegal- style railcar on the railway. The railway demonstrates how it is possible to create a real narrow-gauge railway without too much expense in a domestic setting.
The Route
The garden is about 120 feet in length and about 40 feet across. At the rear of the plot there is an old railway embankment, and in front of this the next thirty feet or so is also former standard-gauge railway formation (the route of the Bishop's Stortford to Braintree line. The original garden ended there, but subsequently the railway land was sold to the householder. It is mostly on this land that the present-day7¼railway has been built. It consists of a circle of track witha siding,two connections to a stock shed, and a line to the main station platform. Journeys are normally in an anti-clockwise direction.
Click on thumbnail for full-sized picture.
Locomotives
The first loco on the railway was No 3 (vehicles are numbered as built; 1 and 2 are rolling stock). This loco is named "Embling". It is a four-wheeled battery-electric based on an underframe built by Pfeifferbahn. It has two ¼ horse-power motors and a controller by Parkside Railways. This loco is currently in a dismantled state.
Click on thumbnail for full-sized picture.
The second battery-electric loco is No 6 "Pilgrim of the Night", built entirely at Stortford. This loco is an 0-4-4-0 articulated machine, based on "Carnegie" built for the 18 inch gauge Woolwich Arsenal Railway. "Pilgrim" is powered by a one horsepower motor and is a very capable addition to the fleet.
Click on thumbnail for
full-sized picture.
Railcar
Railcar No 5 is an articulated vehicle with a sit-astride seat for passengers. Originally powered by a Sinclair C5 motor, it now has two ¼ horsepower golf trolley motors under the driver's seat. Batteries are under the bonnet and the control is by a 4QD unit. This railcar design is inspired by theWalker articulated cars of the County Donegal Railways and it is great fun to use as it provides an instant train. It is sometimes to be seen visiting other 7¼ lines. The picture shows it running on the Beer Heights Light Railway.
Click on thumbnail for full-sized picture and
details of the railcar.
Stock
Stortford stock consists of a road van, No 1, based on LSWR practice, an open wagon, No2 and a passenger coach, No 4. No 4, pictured here, is based on a Lynton and Barnstaple design.
Click on thumbnails for full-sized pictures.
Signalling
The main junction on the railway, Winter Rose Junction, is controlled by a six-lever ground frame. Two levers control the junction point (lock and blades), and the other four are for the signals which include two Southern-style upper quadrants and the indicator signal shown in the photo, which is based on one of the GW signals at Yeovil Pen Mill Station.
Click on thumbnail for full-sized picture.
Tickets
Since opening in 1995 the railway has issued (home-made) Edmonson-type tickets which are dated with an S.R. dating press. Open Days tickets are maroon 50p first ride tickets and green 20p subsequent ride tickets, but singles and returns are also produced. From the 2002 season tickets have been issued from a replica Platform Ticket Machine which acts as a collecting box for donations. On busy days a "Automaticket" machine may be used to issue multiple tickets at once. Alternatively, there is an "Ultimate" machine which issues five values either singly or in pairs.
Click
here for details of the replica Platform Ticket Machine
The Future
The current project is to build a steam railmotor; we hope that this will be in a useable form by the 2009 timetable. Details of the project and its progress are available on a separate page.
Click here to see the current Railmotor Page
Open Days
At occasional Open Days the railway gives rides in aid of All Saints' Hockerill, the local Church.
Click here to see timetable (No 2009 t/t available - but there are details of private viewings)
Please e-mail the railway at pj.bennett@ntlworld.com for further information or to arrange a visit. Visiting locos are very welcome by arrangement.
The Railway Channel
The Railway Channel has made a film about the railway; it is part of the "Miniature Pleasures 3" DVD.
Click here to download a leaflet in pdf format
This page was updated on Wednesday 13 May 2009