Skarloey Railway

## Commercial Operations

### Controller

Mr. Mack (1865-1889), Mr. Robert Sam (1890-1931), Mr. Peter Sam (1932-1957), Mr. Percival (1957-present)

## Commercial History

### Year Opened

1865

The Skarloey Railway (abbreviated as SR), also known as The Little Railway or The Narrow Gauge 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 the Blue Mountain Quarry and, more recently, an extension was built that goes to Ulfstead Castle.

## Engines

* Skarloey the Strong Engine - No.1 *(1865)*
* Rheneas the Brave Engine - No.2 *(1865)*
* ~~Proteus the Spirit Engine - No.3 *(1948)*~~
* Sir Handel the Snooty Engine - No.3 *(1958)*
* Peter Sam the Friendly Engine - No.4 *(1958)*
* Rusty the Maintenance Diesel - No.5 *(1958)*
* Duncan the Stubborn Engine - No.6 *(1958)*
* Duke the Lost Engine - No.7 *(1958)*
* Victor the Steamworks Engine - *(1960)*
* Luke the Narrow Gauge Quarry Engine - No.8 (1960)
* Mighty Mac the Double-Ended Engine - No.9 *(1964)*
* Freddie the Fearless Engine - No.10 *(1964)*
* Sandy the Railway Motorcar - No.11 *(1976)*

## 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 Crovan’s Gate Wharf for shipment. They relaid this line in 1820 with ”fish-belly” edge rail and extended it up the Ben Glas 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.

In 1866, a storm damaged the old trestle bridge between Glennock and Rheneas. Skarloey was unaware of it and almost fell off.

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. Handel Brown of Cros-ny-Cuirn. Mr. Brown was principal landowner in the valleys and prospective M.P. for Sodor East.

After the Sodor and Mainland Railway sold two of its locomotives to raise funds, the line was left with the problem of a lack of motive power in case of emergency. The solution devised was to build a haulage wagon, into which a narrow gauge engine could be hoisted and engage with the standard gauge tracks, albeit at very low speed. Rheneas' long wheelbase was deemed unsuitable for the wagon, so Skarloey would be used whenever an emergency arose while Rheneas continued to run the Skarloey Railway.

Slate boomed during the First World War, but slumped badly afterwards. Mr. Brown nevertheless kept quarries and the railway going for the sake of his tenants. The Railway’s Controller between 1890 to 1931 was Mr. Robert Sam. After that from 1932 to 1956 was Mr. Peter Sam and now, the current controller, from 1957 to the current year of 1976, is Mr Peregrine Percival or just Mr. Percival.

A third engine called Proteus arrived from the Corris Railway in Wales in 1948 when the railway was facing hard times. He was a hard working engine, much to Skarloey and Rheneas' relief, as Proteus used to take trucks back and forth from the Blue Mountain Quarry. But one night, as he was returning home, he ran over a loose stone in between the rails on the Old Iron Bridge. And so he and his crew fell over the bridge and into the swamp below, never to be found again. All the workmen could find of him was a big lamp he used to wear. They say his spirit remains inside the lamp, but others will say that when the moon is full, they can hear his whistle and even see Proteus’ silhouette as he tries to cross over for home. But he never reaches the other side.

As revenue further increased, Skarloey and Rheneas were at least over 90 years old and were in need of heavy overhauls. Skarloey was failing, so Rheneas ran the line himself for a few years. However, on the return journey to Crovan's Gate, Rheneas' valve gear had jammed. He managed to continue with his train despite his condition. In 1958, their drivers told them that two new engines which were called Stuart and Falcon (formerly Nos. 3 and 4 of the Mid Sodor Railway) were bought from the Peel Godred Power Company to help them with their struggling railway and renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam respectively. Rheneas still remained in service for a while before leaving the railway for a major overhaul. Skarloey was left in the shed to rest and to be kept as a spare engine while Sir Handel and Peter Sam ran the railway. Meanwhile, Edward was on his way to the Sodor Steamworks where he met Skarloey. Skarloey told Edward how much he missed Rheneas. Sir Handel had derailed off the tracks, so Skarloey was the only engine available to take over his train. Like with Rheneas, he broke down on the return journey, but managed to get the train back safely.

Another new engine called Rusty arrived to help repair and inspect the tracks of the railway and some tracks were gradually relaid. When Peter Sam was delivering slate, he had an accident with some trucks which permanently damaged his funnel. Shortly after, Duncan was acquired to take over Peter Sam's work while he was temporarily withdrawn from service. A few months had passed by, and Skarloey returned from his overhaul. Peter Sam told Skarloey about the changes to the railway while he was away.

Later on, a rescue team rediscovered the former Mid Sodor Railway locomotive Duke. One of the rescuers fell onto Duke in the grounds of his buried shed. Duke was dug out and brought to Crovan's Gate. Now rebuilt, he forms part of the SR locomotive stud and they are thus in the happy position of having locomotive power to spare.

In January 1959, the rough winds took a toll on Peter Sam's unstable funnel. Peter Sam's funnel was knocked off in Rheneas Tunnel by an icicle, and his old funnel got replaced by a geisel injector that was proved successful. Peter Sam still has this funnel to this very day. The railway held a celebration for Rheneas when he returned from his overhaul. All of the SR and NWR engines attended.

In 1962, Mr. Percival saw interest in expanding the Skarloey Railway to the Heart of Sodor, and he eventually built a new branch line to Ulfstead Castle. A grand opening was held at Lakeside Park. In this same year, an old coach was swept onto the line during the Great Storm of 1962. It was salvaged and converted into a tea shop on wheels for the Refreshment Lady.

In 1964, Percival purchased a double ended fairlie called Mighty Mac from the Ffestiniog Railway. During the same year, another former Mid Sodor Railway engine called Freddie was transferred from the Welsh Highland Railway and was brought to Crovan's Gate along with Duke, who had just come back from a major overhaul. They both met Sir Handel and Peter Sam for the first time in years, and Freddie also met Skarloey, Rheneas, Rusty and Duncan for the first time. They double headed a railtour from Crovan's Gate to Ulfstead Castle via Lakeside with some of the former MSR rolling stock that was previously used on the boat expresses.

In the same year, a statue respecting Proteus and his spirit was built and placed near the tracks before the Old Iron Bridge. A note was screwed underneath saying “PROTEUS, 1878-1948, REMEMBER TO WATCH THE TRACKS WHEN CROSSING THE BRIDGE.”

During January 1965, an avalanche blocked the railway, and a snub nosed lorry called Madge transported Duncan via road to Crovan's Gate from the sheds at Skarloey.

In 1976, a motorcar called Sandy arrives to inspect the tracks along the railway.

## Operations and Route

The Railway starts at Crovan's Gate near the Sodor Steamworks. It passes under a road bridge by the Thin Controller's house, then passes a junction that leads down south to the Crovan’ Gate Wharf. Some thirty chains beyond the bridge the line climbs sharply before leveling out for the last mile to Cros-ny-Cuirn. This is the stretch where Duncan came off the rails. Before Cros-ny-Cuirn, the line goes to a road crossing. Road and rail run side by side for two miles (where George crashed into Sir Handel’s train) until first the road and then the railway swing west across the river. When road and rail divide, the road dips sharply and swings west to cross the river by the Old Trestle Bridge (where Skarloey near fell off in the 1860’s). After a mile and a half, the line reaches Glennock.

Beyond Glennock, the line swings north once more through arable and pasture land, passing scattered cottages and farms. Still gently climbing, the line crosses the river again by another bridge (which was washed away and then rebuilt in Special Funnel) and enters a tunnel. North of the tunnel the line runs along a ledge and is subject to "wash-outs" after heavy rain. Here, Peter Sam's crew found a drain pipe along the line. The line crosses the viaduct, until it reaches Rheneas.

After Rheneas, the line comes to a junction to the old Slate Quarry, where the loop line was opened. The loop line runs round and above the lake on a ledge cut in the hillside among the trees. There is one station, Lakeside, which serves a picnic area. The line ends at the top station at Skarloey. Beyond there are a run round loop leading to Skarloey Viaduct, sidings, locomotive and carriage sheds and a junction to Lakeside Park.

A branch then continues south from Skarloey, crosses over the Old Iron Bridge, to the Blue Mountain Quarry.

In-between Skarloey and the Old Iron Bridge, there’s a junction to the Extension Branch Line. The extension goes west, cutting through the mountains of Shen Ven and Shane Dooiney. It then crosses over the Peel Godred Branch Line via a dual-gauge rail crossing, leading to Old Bailey’s Station by Hawin Lake. This is where engines can stop to fill up with water. The line continues up the hills before finally terminating in Ulfstead where it connects with the private Estate Railway at Ulfstead Castle.

The line's main traffic consists of passengers, local and tourist, and slate.

## Map

Skarloey Railway (Crovan’s Gate - Glennock, the Dark Red Line)Skarloey Railway (Glennock - Blue Mountain Quarry, the Dark Red Line)The narrow gauge extension (Skarloey - Ulfstead, the Dark Red Line)
## Trivia

* The line was inspired by and based on the Talyllyn Railway in Wales, where the Rev. W. Awdry volunteered as a guard in the 1950s. Additional inspiration was taken from the Ffestiniog, Corris, Welsh Highland, Welshpool and Llanfair and Croesor railways.
* Every Skarloey Railway engine, barring Duke, Freddie, Mighty Mac, Luke and Millie, has a counterpart on the Talyllyn Railway.
* Unlike its basis, the Talyllyn Railway, the Skarloey Railway has a loop-line near the top station and a tunnel.

## Gallery

Crovan's Gate ShedsCrovan's Gate YardsCrovan's GateCrovan's Gate WharfCros-ny-CuirnBen GlasBen Glas CrossingThe Old Trestle BridgeGlennock WoodsGlennockHawin Doorey BridgeGlennock HillRheneas TunnelRheneas JunctionRheneas (station)Rheneas WaterfallRheneas Slate QuarryLakeside CastleLakesideValley ViewSkarloey ViaductSkarloey (station)Skarloey ShedsSkarloey YardsLakeside ParkBlue Mountain JunctionOld Iron BridgeBlue Mountain QuarryShen VenOld Bailey's StationUlfstead Castle