Faversham Miniature Railway

Faversham Miniature Railway is a miniature railway built to the unusual gauge of 9 in (229 mm). It is unique in that it is the only 9 Inch Gauge railway open to paying passengers in UK. It resides at Brogdale Farm near Faversham, Kent. The railway is maintained and operated entirely by a team of volunteers and opens to paying passengers every Sunday, typically between the months of March & October.

Faversham Miniature Railway
Overview
StatusOperating
LocaleKent
TerminiBrogdale Central
Service
TypeMiniature railway
Operator(s)Faversham Miniature Railway Society
History
Opened1985
Technical
Track length1 mi (1.6 km)
Track gauge9 in (229 mm)

History

The railway first opened in 1985 in Leysdown on the Isle of Sheppey as the 'Leysdown Coastal Railway, operating with a single steam locomotive and two sit-astride carriages. In 1987, the track was severely damaged by the Great Storm and forced to close.

Shortly afterwards, the railway relocated to Norton Ash Garden Centre and became Norton Ash Miniature Railway. The single steam locomotive was joined by a British Railway Class 35 'Hymek' replica and an electric locomotive named 'Bertie', both built by miniature railway suppliers Cromar White. After a considerable term at the garden centre, the railway was once again asked to move once since its presence did not fit with the landlords development plans for the site..

In 2001, the railway relocated to Brogdale Farm where it remains to this day.[1]

In 2005, active volunteers formed a society to help to secure the future of the railway.

In 2009 an extension program began, taking the length of the line up from 1/4 mi to approximately 1 mi. By March 2012, the extension had opened to paying passengers.

As of 2022, operations have restarted since Lockdown and the Railway continues to upgrade its infrastructure and trackwork, with the platforms at Brogdale Central undergoing an extension program, plans to replace the Signalbox, and the doubling of track in certain areas to increase running and storage capacity for the line.

As of August 2023 currently these plans are on hold whilst the farm undergoes sale.

Both Class 31 and Class 20 locomotives have been rebuilt, whilst the Class 58 has now returned from it's loan to the Torry Hill Railway, another 9 inch (private) miniature railway.

Stations
  • Brogdale Central

References
  1. "Planning Items to be submitted to the Planning Committee" (PDF). Swale Borough Council. 26 September 2013. p. 20. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 April 2014. Retrieved 19 February 2014.
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