Skarloey Railway

The **Skarloey Railway** (abbreviated as **SR**), also known as **The Little Railway**, **The Narrow Gauge Railway** or **The Mountain Railway**, is a 2'3" (686mm) narrow gauge railway which runs from the North Western Railway's station at Crovan's Gate to Skarloey. Beyond Skarloey, the line continues to a former slate quarry, now used as ammunition dumps. The Mid Sodor Railway was built by the same company and has the same stations as the SR, but has different engines.

The railway is owned by Sir Bertram Topham Hatt, who serves as its Chairman and controller.

## History

This narrow gauge railway had its beginnings in 1806 when a horse worked ”plate-way” was laid from Cros-ny-Cuirn to Balladwail. The Crovan's Gate Mining Company had a copper mine in the lower slopes of Ward Fell. The ore was brought to Cros-ny-Cuirn by pack-horses and sent down in wagons to Balladwail for shipment. They relaid this line in 1820 with ”fish-belly” edge rail and extended it up the Benglas valley to the mine. It was called quite simply "The Railroad", for there was no other in the whole Island. It was considered a marvel in its day. From Cros-ny-Cuirn a chain of five successive inclines strode boldly up to Ward Fell and their remains, much overgrown, can still be seen from the road north of the level-crossing at Cros-ny-Cuirn.

Following the Ffestiniog Railway’s lead in 1863 however, improvements were called for. James Spooner was engaged to survey a line suitably graded for steam haulage. It was at first intended that this line, like its predecessors, should be a mineral line only. The valley it served was sparsely populated and it was thought that perhaps one coach in addition to the set of quarrymen's coaches would suffice for local needs. When, however, during the survey, the long-forgotten lake and hidden hollow of Skarloey was accidentally rediscovered, the Board’s thinking underwent a change.

Spas were popular at the period and offered the possibility of a lucrative passenger business. Skarloey's mineral springs and sheltered situation took hold on the minds of some members of the Board, among them Shamus Tebroc who conceived the idea of developing Skarloey as a spa. A hotel and a number of villas were built as a speculation and the gravity worked incline which had been installed for the conveyance of materials was retained and upgraded for coals, merchandise and passengers' luggage.

They renamed the line The Skarloey Railway. A set of the then most up-to-date passenger coaches were ordered from Brown, Marshall & Co. and the engines, Nos. 1 and 2 were built by Fletcher, Jennings & Co. of Whitehaven and named Skarloey and Rheneas respectively after the two places to which they hoped to attract people with their publicity campaign. At the time of the Railway's opening, its Controller was Mr. Mack.

For a few years the plan worked, but then, apart from a few keen anglers and a steady trickle of summer visitors, numbers fell. This, though better than nothing, was far from the profitable venture for which the promoters had hoped.

By 1900, there were signs too that the veins of copper were beginning to run out; but miners searching for further copper in the foothills came upon good slate. The Company's main interest was in copper, but they had no objection to using slate as a secondary freight. They lost interest, however, when the copper ran out at last and sold out in 1909 to a Mr. Lowham Hatt of Cros-ny-Cuirn. Mr. Brown was principal landowner in the valleys and prospective M.P. for Sodor East.