It’s been a year or two…
Back to Statfold
© Geoff’s Rail Diaries 2022
Geoff’s Rail Diaries
10 September 2022
balloon loop before changing his mind and
returning to Oak Tree. I’m not sure why.
I should mention the tram, the grey
Motor-Rail (a repainted Charlie?)
chugging around the garden railway -
and a new loop and platform serving
the main entrance to the museum
building. I should also refer to the rest of today’s
entertainment. This event was of course billed as a
"Road, Rail and Ale" weekend. I'd ruled out the ale
(having to drive home again later), and the road was of
limited interest - though the traction engines and steam
rollers were nice enough, and there were some very
familiar buses, including a couple of blue and cream
Birmingham Corporation vehicles on the shuttle to
Tamworth railway station.
Perhaps less is more at Statfold? I counted just eight
steam locomotives in action ('just'! That's
still more than any other heritage railway
today, I suspect) but there was plenty going
on along the 2' gauge metals, and some fine
sights despite less-than-perfect weather. An
enjoyable day out!
Link: Statfold Barn Railway
I last visited the railway in March 2018. I
had originally intended to visit in 2020, but
things went wrong that year. What a
change there’s been since 2018! Car
parking is now on the other side of the
workshops, so that the main entry to
the railway is through the huge narrow
gauge roundhouse and museum - truly
a grand entrance.
Looking around the roundhouse, I realised that the
great majority of the familiar regular performers were
standing around the turntable - smart, clean and shiny
but not in steam. What was running on the railway?
‘Less than on previous visits’ is the answer. Two
passenger train sets were operating on the original line,
passing each other at Oak Tree. At the far end of the
line, trains ran around the balloon loop without stopping,
and there was no public access beyond the
Oak Tree loops. On the newer line, a
demonstration freight ran in the capable
hands of Marchlyn (Avonside 2067 of 1933)
and Cloister (Hunslet 542 of 1891), but only
between Statfold terminus and Oak Tree.
Beyond, light engine Isaac (Bagnall 3023 of
1953) periodically ran down towards the
