Salfords Light Railway

Welcome to the Salfords Light Railway

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There never was a prototype "Salfords Light Railway" (to the best of my knowledge) and to be honest, there's nothing in the village that could warrant one. However, if you want an "excuse", there is a timber yard not far from me that makes fence panels etc., so perhaps there is the slightest possibility that one could have been built. There have been several narrow gauge industrial lines within a 10-mile radius from my home in the past, though alas these are now all long closed (see below). "My" SLR is a 5" gauge, ground-level miniature railway around my garden. What follows is a description of how I got started and events along the way that might educate or entertain you - especially if you are contemplating building a passenger-carrying garden railway yourself. I hope you enjoy it.
John Oxlade (financier, civil engineer, mechanical engineer, owner and operator) Salfords, Surrey, United Kingdom All material on this site is © Copyright John Oxlade unless otherwise credited.

Local narrow-gauge lines:

• The Standard Brick and Sand Co., Holmethorpe, Redhill (now British Industrial Sand) - A 2' gauge system operated with both steam and diesels was replaced by conveyor belts in 1964. The standard-gauge exchange sidings were still in place in the late 1990s, though they had not been used for some years. This facility is within walking distance from my parents house.
• The Buckland Sand & Silica Co., Reigate - 2' gauge, had 6 Motor Rail diesels and a Hudswell Clark 0-4-0. The line ran from private BR sidings to the west of Reigate to the pits until closed in 1952.
• The Brockham Lime & Hearthstone Co., near Betchworth - although it closed in 1936, this was the home of the Brockham Museum before the collection was moved to Amberley.
• The Dorking Greystone Lime Co., Betchworth - used several, different gauges: 1' 7", 2' and 3' 2¼" connecting to the standard gauge sidings at Betchworth station (remains still visible). Much of the equipment is now part of the Amberley Working Museum in Sussex.

Information from: INDUSTRIAL RAILWAYS OF THE SOUTH-EAST, Middleton Press, 1984, ISBN 0-906520-9-6 and SURREY NARROW GAUGE including South London, Middleton Press, 2003, ISBN 1 901706 87 7

[ author: - last updated 10th August 2003 ] [ HOME ]