Wales West Light Railway

Wales West Light Railway
Locale 30°30′10″N 87°47′13″W / 30.50278°N 87.78694°W / 30.50278; -87.78694Coordinates: 30°30′10″N 87°47′13″W / 30.50278°N 87.78694°W / 30.50278; -87.78694
Silverhill, Alabama
Dates of operation 2004–
Track gauge 2 ft (610 mm)
Length 1 mile
Website Wales West Light Railway

The Wales West Light Railway is a one mile long[1] 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge tourist railway in Silverhill, Alabama owned by Ann and Ken Zadnichek.[1] It is built to simulate a Welsh narrow gauge railway.[1][2] The railway and associated RV park host over 30,000 visitors annually.[1]

Rolling stock

Locomotives

Dame Ann

Steam locomotiveDame Ann in "Pumpkin Patch Express" livery
Dame Ann Exmoor Steam Railway builder's plate showing year of completion and works number.

Dame Ann is a 11,700 pound[1]steam locomotive built by Exmoor Steam Railway[2] in Bratton Fleming, England.[1][2] Her steam trials were completed at the Launceston Steam Railway in Cornwall.[2] She was delivered to the Wales West Light Railway in 2004.[1][2] Dame Ann is based on the Penrhyn Port Class locomotive built by Hunslet Engine Company in the 19th century.[2] At the time of her construction, she was the first Port Class Hunslet engine built in 83 years.[1][2]

Gareth

Diesel locomotive Gareth, built by Motor Rail Ltd. operating at Wales West Light Railway in Silverhill, Alabama, USA

Gareth is a Simplex 40S[3] diesel locomotive built by British locomotive-building company Motor Rail in the mid 1960's.[2] The two thousand pound locomotive was purchased from Alan Keef Ltd for use in the construction of the Wales West Light Railway.[2] Gareth originally featured steam out-line body and had been used to pull a single car train in Scotland.[2] His new owners replaced the steam out-line body with a body modeled after the Simplex-type diesels produced by Alan Keef in the 1980's.[2]

Passenger cars

Passenger cars on the Wales West Light Railway are replicas based on plans dating to the 19th century.[2] They are built of wood over steel frames with wheels imported from England, and are equipped with modern air brakes.[2]

7.5 inch railway

Wales West Light Railway also operates a shorter 7.5" gauge miniature ridable railway.[2]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Struck, Taylor Peyton. "All aboard! Wales West Light Railway offers an Alabama twist on a British tradition". AL.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 "Wales West Light Railway official website". Wales West Light Railway. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. ↑ "Simplex Locomotives". Simplex 40S Locomotive. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
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