Ten years of Statfold

Growth and change

Geoff’s Rail Diaries

9 April 2016

I paid my first visit to the Statfold Barn Railway ten years ago - on a bitterly cold March day in 2006. A Ruston diesel chugged around the garden railway, and no fewer than four steam locomotives were in action on the “main line”. I didn’t try to count the performers on Saturday - well into double figures, and all newcomers compared with that cold day. There’s rather more track too, and it’s still expanding - though the extra rail for the 2’6” gauge stock has more-or-less gone. There’s usually something new at Statfold - on this occasion, a rather nice little 0-6-0T was trundling about, bearing the name “ALPHA”. Hudswell Clarke 1172 of 1922 was a former resident of the Ryam sugar mill in India, where the little black Davenport came from. The walk through the fields to Oak Tree is no more - instead, a new footpath has been made

to the west of the running lines, with a light fence separating pedestrians and railway. This may be partly explained by a new formation to the east of the line “It’s going to be a tramway”, someone said (for that Burton and Ashby tramcar in Oak Tree shed, presumably). Beyond Oak Tree, little has changed - other than a platform and passing loop on the balloon loop at the far end. “Express” trains were going straight round, without stopping, passing their lesser cousins at the platform. The weather could have been much worse - it was bright and sunny in the morning, but thicker cloud spoiled things in the afternoon, and it was trying to rain when I left. Nevertheless another great day at this ever- expanding railway. Links: • Statfold Barn Railway official website • Statfold 2006 - the first visit