Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway

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Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway
Locale Scotland
Dates of operation 1986 – Present
Track gauge 2 ft (610 mm)
Headquarters Leadhills
Locomotive No.6 Clyde with typical train at Leadhills station.

The Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway, a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railway in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, is laid on the trackbed of the former Leadhills and Wanlockhead Branch of the Caledonian Railway which led off the main line between Carlisle and Glasgow at Elvanfoot.

The "preserved" section runs from Leadhills for about 1 km towards Wanlockhead and is the highest adhesion railway in the UK. Trains are currently diesel worked with the locomotive propelling the train up hill away from Leadhills.

The original railway closed in the late 1930s shortly after the mines in Wanlockhead had closed.

The railway currently stops at the border of South Lanarkshire and Dumfries and Galloway.

Locomotives

Number Name Builder Type Date Works number Notes
2 Elvan Motor Rail 4wDM 1955 9792 Built for the London Brick Company , King’s Dyke Works, Whittlesea.
4 Luce Ruston and Hornsby 4wDM 1966 7002/0467/6 Built for contractors Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Leith. Acquired 1987
5 Little Clyde Ruston and Hornsby 4wDM 1966 7002/0467/2 Built for contractors Edmund Nuttall Ltd, Leith. Acquired 1987
6 Clyde Hunslet 4wDM 1975 6347 Built for National Coal Board, Eppleton Collery. Acquired 1990
8 Nith Hudswell Clarke 4wDMF 1956 DM1002 Built for the National Coal Board, Waterloo Main Colliery. Acquired 1993
9 Charlotte Orenstein and Koppel 0-4-0WT 1913 6335 Acquired 1994

References

  • Thomas, Cliff (2002). The Narrow Gauge in Britain & Ireland. Atlantic Publishers. ISBN 1-902827-05-8. 

See also

External links


Flag of Scotland.svg Heritage railways in Scotland

Bo'ness and Kinneil Railway - Caledonian Railway at Brechin - Keith and Dufftown Railway - Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway
Isle of Mull Railway - Royal Deeside Railway - Sanday Light Railway - Scottish Industrial Railway Centre - Strathspey Railway - Vale of Alford Railway
Heritage Railways: England - Scotland - Wales - Northern Ireland - Isle of Man - Channel Islands