Skarloey Railway

Crovan's Gate to Glennock section

Glennock to the loop line section

Rheneas to Middle Station section

Middle Station to the Goods Depot section

Lakeside to Rumblin' Bridge section

Rumblin Bridge to Ulfstead Castle section

The Skarloey Railway is a narrow gauge railway which runs from the North Western Railway's station at Crovan's Gate to Skarloey Beyond Skarloey, the line continues to the Skarloey Railway Slate Quarry.

The railway is owned by Sir Handel Brown I and is formerly run by Mr. Roger Sam, son of the previous controller, Mr. Peter Sam. The currently controller is Mr. Percival.

History

In 1806, a plate way utilising gravity running from Ward Fell to Balladwail and connecting with the Sodor and Mainland Railway was opened. Following the modernisation of the Ffestiniog Railway in 1863, James Spooner was hired to plot a trackbed for a narrow gauge line. It was also planned to develop passenger traffic for tourists travelling to the springs at Skarloey, where there would be hotels and guest houses. Two steam engines were ordered from Fletcher, Jennings, and Co. and carriages from Brown Marshall.

The numbers of summer visitors dropped after signs of their copper traffic declining, but when slate was found a new source of traffic arose. After World War II, however, hard times had come and the mines had become ammunition dumps. Fortunately, tourist traffic increased after the discovery of the Book of Sir Harold at Ulfstead Castle, which revealed that Skarloey was his secret sanctuary, with archaeological evidence proving so. The railway was then able to purchase two disused engines from the aluminium works at Peel Godred for a total of fifty pounds.

In 1965, a loop line around Skarloey lake was opened to celebrate the centenary of the railway.

Operations

The Skarloey Railway starts at Crovan's Gate and continues to Cros-ny-Cuirn, Glennock and Rheneas before terminating at Skarloey. The new lakeside loopline extension has one station, appropriately named Lakeside. The line's main traffic consists of passengers and slate.

The Skarloey Railway was originally used to transport copper from the Ward Fell mines until 1909 when the copper veins ran out. Luckily, in 1900 good slate had been found in the foothills and was mined until the end of World War I when production slumped. Nevertheless, the quarries were kept open by Sir Handel Brown I for the sake of his tenants. During World War II, the Ministry of Defence commandeered the mines for use as ammunition storage/dumps.

‎It was then to The Wharf where it meets the North Western Railway, and climbs through the mountains, past the lake and through the forest to the Transfer Yards, where it meets the North Western Railway again. There are also several branch lines linking the coal mines and the slate mines.

In 2012, the line was once again extended, after the railway looped around the lake it continues west from Skarloey to the Blue Mountain Quarry and then crosses The Peel Godred Branch Line south of Kirk Machan. After crossing the line it terminates in Ulfstead where it connects with the private railway at Ulfstead Castle.

Locations

• Skarloey Main Line
  • Crovan’s Gate – Main Terminus
    • Crovan’s Gate Mining Company / C.G. Slate Company
    • Skarloey Railway Engine Sheds
    • Crovan’s Gate Yard
    • Crovan’s Gate Wharf
    • Crovan’s Gate Village & Hillside
    • Crovan’s Gate Sheep Field
  • Skarloey Station
    • Skarloey Railway Slate Quarry / The Incline Railway
    • Skarloey Yard
    • Skarloey Crossing
    • Skarloey Hill
    • Skarloey Junction
    • Skarloey Cutting
    • Skarloey Road Bridge
    • Wharf Bridge
    • Skarloey Bridge / Timber Bridge
  • Rheneas Station
    • Rheneas Viaduct
    • Rheneas Tunnel / Tunnel Section
    • Rheneas Sheds
    • Rheneas Flood Track
    • Rheneas Crossing
    • Rheneas Waterfall Bridge
    • Rheneas Junction
  • Glennock
    • Sodor Castle
    • Glennock School
    • Glennock’s Request Stop
    • Glennock Junction
    • Glennock Road Bridge
  • Standard & Narrow Gauge Tunnel Runby / Stepney’s Tunnel
  • The Depot / Skarloey Railway Depot
  • Cros-ny-Cuirn
    • Cros-ny-Cuirn Bend & Stone Wall
  • Bluebell Valley
    • The Station
  • Washdowns (1 at the Skarloey Railway Slate Quarry, 1 by the Crovan’s Gate Mining Company, 1 by the Skarloey Railway Engine Shed & 1 at the Square Village)
  • Old Iron Bridge
    • Cattle Creek (below the Old Iron Bridge)
  • Cattle Creep
    • Cattle Creek Crossing
  • The Mountain Line / Skarloey Railway Mountain Line
  • Skarloey Bridge
  • Echo Pass
    • Echo Pass Ravine
  • Ward Fell (mountain & station)
  • Hillside Mill
  • The Mountain Road
  • Hill Farm
  • Rocky Ridge Line
  • Rheneas Bridge
  • Ben Glas (River)
  • Skarloey Funicular Railway
  • Hawin Doorey (River)
  • Whispering Waterfall
  • The Campsite
  • Mr. Percival’s House
  • Daisy Halt
  • Valley View
  • Hatoin Doorey River
    • Hatoin Doorey Castle
  • Summer Station
  • Skarloey Railway Apple Orchard
  • Village Square
  • The Cable Railway
    • The Cable Car
  • Narrow Gauge Lumber Mill
  • Shane Dooiney (Mountain)
  • Ward Fell (Mountain)
  • River Hoo
  • Mountainside Runby
  • Forest Runby
  • The Dead End Mountain
  • Hawin Ab (river)
  • Mountain Village Station
  • Crossing near Mr. Hugh’s Cottage
  • Quarry Siding
  • The Quarry Line Entrance
  • Skarloey Sheep Field
  • Skarloey River Bridge
  • Skarloey Signal Runby
  • Skarloey Mountainside
  • Lakeside
    • Lakeside Bridge
    • East Lakeside Junction
  • Jonathan Dyson & Co.
  • Rocky Tunnel and Transfer Yard
  • Stone Bridge Over Narrow Gauge Runby
  • The Thin Controller’s House
  • Narrow Gauge Bridge
• Lakeside Branch Line
  • Lakeside
    • Lakeside Bridge
    • West Lakeside Junction
    • Neptune’s Refreshments
  • Blue Mountain Quarry: right by Shane Dooiney Mountain
    • Blondin Bridge
  • Ulfstead
    • Ulfstead Castle
      • Estate Railway
      • Ulfstead Sheds
    • Ulfstead Quarry
    • Boulder Quarry in Ulfstead
      • Boulder Quarry Sheds
      • Boulder Hill
    • Ulfstead Junction
    • A field nearby Ulfstead Castle
    • Ulfstead Forest / Skarloey Railway Forest
    • Ulfstead Bridge
    • The Dinosaur Park
    • The Deer Park
  • The Cracky Track
  • Mountain Village Station
  • Elephant Park
    • Elephant Statue
  • Rumblin Bridge
    • Rumblin Bridge Yard
  • Strawberry Grove
  • Tea Room Station
    • 1 Shunting Yard (Tea Room Station Yard)
  • The Old Wooden Bridge
  • The Showgrounds
    • Proteus’ Statue
  • The Rocky Way
  • The Dual-Gauge Tunnel
  • Rail Under Rail Bridge Beside Trees & Bushes
  • Kirk Machan
    • Kirk Machan Passing Loop
    • Kirk Machan Farm
    • Kirk Machan Bend
  • Shane Dooiney’s Slope Line
  • Rocky Ridge Line
  • Maura
  • The Craggy Track
• Glennock Branch Line
  • Glennock
    • Sodor Castle
    • Glennock School
    • Glennock’s Request Stop
    • Glennock Junction
  • Skarloey Coal Yard / The Coal Mine (between Green Hills Junction & Rheneas Tunnel)
    • The Incline
  • Green Hills Junction
    • The Man in the Hills (Figure)
  • Culdee Fell
    • Culdee Caves
    • Culdee Fell Hill
    • Junction to Culdee Fell
  • Vicarstown Goods Depot in Vicarstown
    • Standard Gauge & Narrow Gauge Viaduct
    • The Scrap Yards
    • The sheds
    • Vicarstown Goods Station
    • Vicarstown Forest
  • Vicarstown Passing Loop
  • Vicarstown Junction
  • Vicarstown Hill
  • Percival Pond
  • The Old Trestle Bridge
  • Middle Station
  • Rocky Tunnel & Transfer Yard
  • River Hoo
  • Rolling River Bridge Junction
  • Skarloey Railway Intersection
  • Great Waterton Passing
  • Standard Gauge & Narrow Gauge Yard Runby
• Crovan's Gate Branch Line
  • Crovan’s Gate
    • Crovan’s Gate Yard
    • Skarloey Engine Sheds
    • Crovan’s Gate Cottage
  • Sodor Steamworks
    • Sodor Steamworks Yard
    • Victor’s Shed
  • Transfer Yards
  • Standard & Narrow Gauge Field Runby
  • The Wharf: in Norramby
    • Wharf Canal Boats
  • Norramby Cutting
  • Narromby Hill
  • Norramby Bend
• Lakeside Loop Line: Part of the Skarloey Mainline & Lakeside Branch Line
  • The Campsite
  • Daisy Halt
  • Hill Farm
  • Lakeside
    • East Lakeside Junction
    • West Lakeside Junction
  • Old Iron Bridge
  • Rheneas (station)
    • Rheneas Sheds
  • Skarloey (station)
  • The Dead End Mountain
• The Ski Slopes
• The Abandoned Mine & Cottage
• Sodor Country Park
• Balladwail
• Sodor Mining Company
• Skarloey Funicular Railway
• The Sheep Farm
• Standard & Narrow Gauge Quarry
• Standard & Narrow Gauge Cliff Side Runby
• Rocky Hill Beside Narrow Gauge Runby
• 2-Track Narrow Gauge Junction
• Rheneas Quarry
• Passing Loop and Water Tower Runby
• Passing Loops
• Wayside Halt
• Narrow Gauge Iron Bridge

Locomotives

Steam	Diesel	Electric
Skarloey Rheneas Sir Handel Peter Sam Duncan Ivo Hugh Duke Bertram Mighty Mac Freddie Proteus Luke Little Giant The Ghost Engine	Rusty Fred Ivo's Flying Bedstead War Department Diesels The Hunslet Diesels	Mark V The Cable Car Ministry of Defence Engine

Rolling Stocks

Coaches	Freight Cars	Trains
2-Axled Agnes, Ruth, Lucy, & Jemima Quarrymen's Coaches Skarloey Railway Coaches (open-topped) Ada, Jane and Mabel Open-Topped Carriages Gertrude and Millicent Refreshment Coach Other Narrow Gauge Coaches Blue Narrow Gauge Coaches Green Narrow Gauge Coaches Red Narrow Gauge Coaches Refreshment Coach White coaches Orange coaches Brown coaches Yellow coaches Skarloey Railway Quarrymen's Coaches Talyllyn Railway Coaches Glyn Valley Tramway Coaches Skarloey Railway Coaches (4-wheels) Refreshment Coach 4-Axled Saloon Coaches Skarloey Railway Saloon Coaches Skarloey Funicular Railway Cars Skarloey Railway Coaches (bogies)	Open Wagons Blue Mountain Quarry Trucks Gunpowder Wagons Haulage Wagon Other Narrow Gauge Rolling Stock Quarry Trucks Troublesome Trucks V-Tipper Wagons Weedkiller Skarloey Railway Trucks Slate Trucks Skarloey Railway Wellwagons Host Wagon Art Transporter Wagons Slab Wagons 1-Plank Trucks Waste Wagons Mine Trolleys Car Cyrn Slab Wagons Conflats Flatbeds Plank Trucks 7 2 3 4 Side Tipping Wagons Open End Door Wagons Ffestiniog Railway Coal Wagons Cattle Trucks Tankers Weedkiller Tankers Blue Mountain Quarry Tankers Box Cars Vans (narrow gauge) Red vans Dark brown and green vans Red, yellow and dark green van Talyllyn Railway's No.6 van Talyllyn Railway's No.28 van Talyllyn Railway's No.29 van D. Fusit Gunpowder Wagons BMQ Gunpowder Wagons Cabooses (narrow gauge) Talyllyn Railway's No. 6 guard's van Cora Talyllyn Railway's No.5 guard's van Beatrice Padarn Railway Brake Vans	Narrow Gauge Breakdown Train The "Puppet Show Special"

Cranes

• Colin
• Merrick
• Owen
• A.J.R. No.1
• A.J.R. No. 2 & 3

Vehicles

Road Vehicles	Water Vehicles
The Blue Mountain Quarry Vehicles Blue Mountain Quarry Dump Trucks Blue Mountain Quarry Bulldozers Blue Mountain Quarry Flatbed Trucks Blue Mountain Quarry Soft-sided Lorries Blue Mountain Quarry Steam Shovels Blue Mountain Quarry Tankers Buses Elizabeth Madge Tractors Mr. Percival's Car	Lakesider III Wharf Canal Boats 1 2 3 4 Crane Barge Open Barge

Inhabitants

• Sir Handle Brown
  • 1
  • 2
• Mr. Mack
• Mr. Peter Sam
• Mr. Percival
• Nancy
• Fred the Fogman
• Ivo Hugh
• Mr. Roger Sam
• Bargemen
• Sculptor
• Skarloey Railway Policeman
• Skipper