PHIL THOMPSON'S GREAT WILLOWGARTH RAILWAY
The Great Willowgarth Railway is currently in the course of construction, in a garden alongside a medieval moated site known locally as the Willowgarth. The moated area comprises an island about 25m long by 20m wide, surrounded by a ditch up to 12m wide, for the most part filled with water. Construction of the GWR commenced in April 2006, after some 20 months of planning and preparation including the removal (by hand) of a conifer hedge made up of 42 trees (inconveniently growing exactly where part of the line was intended to run), together with refurbishing trackwork and a bridge used on my previous garden railway.
The GWR will be built in stages and the intention was to complete Phase 1 in time for an open day scheduled for August 2006 – just 18 weeks from the start date. A detailed project plan was drawn up (just to prove that construction was possible in the time available), but the plan was modified as work progressed – for example when heavy rain brought work to a halt and when another ****** conifer proved to be in the way and had to be removed from an awkward location. However, the existing garden layout was a great help to rapid construction, making use of an existing retaining wall about 0.9m high for almost half of the current line. Phase 1 was completed just in time for the planned opening. There are currently two stations built on the retaining wall and the pictures give some idea of the station layouts. The station throat for one station is on an embankment, which leads to a bridge some 5m long across a large shrubbery. This leads to a second embankment, faced with a “dry stone” wall. By the end of this second embankment, the line is at ground level, where it occupies a shelf cut into the earth embankment along one side of the moat. The line is in the form of a dumbbell, with a return loops at both ends and stretches of single line between. There are, however, plenty of sidings and passing loops and the single line has proved to be no restriction to operation – we have had as many as six trains running at the same time! One return loop is “temporary” and is intended to be moved as additional phases of the line are completed.
Phase 1 provides a circuit of around 80m. I hope that future phases will add around 10m to 15m each year, with the temporary return loop being repositioned each time. Present plans allow for another four or five phases, but I’m not sure when I will stop building. One thing’s sure, I will never use all the potential space, which could comfortably accommodate a circuit of around 300m – that’s over three scale miles at 16mm to the foot! Phil Thompson Two pictures of the moat, taken from the island in the middle and looking towards the garden. The pictures were taken when most of the 42 conifers were still standing as a hedge – they are now gone! Whilst this looks a great location for a garden railway (just think of the bridges you could build!), the site is scheduled as an ancient monument by English Heritage - and hence most building work is banned
Front station Station by one of the dumbbells – as yet, this station does not have a name. A large concrete slab was laid at the same height as the retaining wall and the track plan was finalised afterwards. With a passing loop and plenty of sidings, there is space to steam up four or five locos and still have room to pass two trains. Garage station The second station built on the existing retaining wall is a junction, with two long passing loops and two steam-up sidings. I have counted six trains in this station at once – and everything kept moving. As you will have seen, the line is fully ballasted.
Garage station throat The two lines from the above station converge at the junction (also currently without a name). One line is shown on the picture, whilst the other is just off-picture to the right. The three-way point was made by Marcway Pointwork of Sheffield and there is another at the other end of the junction station.
After the bridge, there is a passing loop built on a “dry stone wall” embankment, before the line reaches a “shelf” at ground level. The Willowgarth moat is in the trees in the background and part of the temporary return loop can be seen on the right. All of the line across the bridge, along the embankment and up the shelf to the temporary loop is built on a rising gradient of 1 in 80.
Photos © Phil Thompson
Bridge The bridge through the shrubbery. The bridge girders were built for my previous garden railway and had become a little careworn. However, I had them shot-blasted and powder-coated in South Yorkshire Transport “bus-stop blue” and it now forms an impressive feature of the line.
The temporary return loop. This is double track so that trains can pass if required. The boards were salvaged from the old Yorkshire Area Group portable layout.
August 09
The extension is completed for The Open Day on schedule!!
The mound still remains!!
Everyone marvels at the achievement!!
photos©David Hill
Open day 2011 recorded by Andy Cooper
