Sand Hutton Light Railway
| Sand Hutton Light Railway | |
|---|---|
| Locale | England |
| Dates of operation | 1922 – 1932 |
| Successor line | abandoned |
| Track gauge | 1 ft 6 in (457 mm) |
| Length | 5¼ miles |
| Headquarters | Sand Hutton |
The Sand Hutton Light Railway was a minimum gauge estate railway serving the estate of Sir Robert Walker, the Third Baronet of Sand Hutton, Yorkshire. It connected the main house with the LNER Warthill Station and the village of Bossall. It replaced an earlier, shorter, 15 in gauge miniature railway that was built in 1914.
History
Sir Robert Walker built a 15 in gauge miniature railway in the grounds of Sand Hutton hall in 1910. After the First World War he obtained an order under the Light Railway Act that allowed him to extend the line to ¾ miles in length. However there was a surplus of 1 ft 6 in (457 mm) gauge equipment from the war effort available. The decision was made to purchase three locomotives and rebuild the line to suit.
The miniature line was converted by 1922 and extended to a connection with Warthill station on the North Eastern Railway mainline between York and Hull. A further branch line was built to connect to the Claxton brickworks on the estate. The total length of the line was 5¼ miles.
The line carried agricultural produce from the farms on the estate, as well as coal to the brickworks and bricks from them. Most of the goods traffic flowed to or from the transfer sidings at Warthill station. The line also ran passenger services for personel and visitors to the estate between 1924 and 1930.
The Claxton brickworks closed in 1929 and Sir Robert Walker died in 1930. The line closed in June 1932 and was dismantled by 1933.
Locomotives
| Number | Name | Builder | Type | Works Number | Built | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Esme | Hunslet | 0-4-0 WT | 1207 | 1917 | ||
| 2 | Hunslet | 0-4-0 WT | 1289 | 1917 | ||
| 3 | Hunslet | 0-4-0 WT | 1290 | 1917 | ||
| 4 | Hunslet | 0-4-0 WT | 1291 | 1917 |
All four steam locomotives were built for the War Department's meat depot in Deptford. They were all scrapped shortly after the line closed in 1932. Some sources, say there were only three locomotives at Sand Hutton.
References
- Hartley K.E. (1964). The Sand Hutton Light Railway. The Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
- Thomas, Cliff (2002). The Narrow Gauge in Britain & Ireland. Atlantic Publishers. ISBN 1-902827-05-8.
