Knebworth Park and Winter Green Railway

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Knebworth Park and Winter Green Railway
Locale	England
Dates of operation	1972–1990
Successor line	abandoned
Track gauge	1 ft 11½ in (597 mm)
Length	1½ miles
Headquarters	Stevenage

The Knebworth Park and Winter Green Railway was a narrow gauge railway built in the grounds of Knebworth House in 1972 as a tourist attraction.

The railway was built by Pleasurerail Ltd. a private company set up to build and operate private tourist railways. Pleasurerail built the Great Whipsnade Railway and in 1972 they started construction on a 1 ft 11½ in (597 mm) gauge railway in the grounds of Knewbworth House near Stevenage. The initial line was about a mile in length, running from a station and locomotive shed west of the main house down to a junction where a balloon loop returned trains to their starting point.

During its existence the line hosted a number of steam and diesel locomotives. The line continued to run until 1990 when it was lifted and the remaining stock transferred to other lines

[edit] Locomotives

These are the locomotives that stayed at Knebworth for extended periods. Not all ran there at the same time and the exact dates when they were present are not always known.

Name	Builder	Works No.	Built	Type	Operating period	Notes
Triassic	Peckett	1270	1911	0-6-0ST	on site 1979	Now at the Bala Lake Railway
Sezela No. 4	Avonside	1738	1915	0-4-0T	Arrived in 1972	Now at the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway
No. 1	Hunslet	1429	1922	0-4-0ST	Arrived in 1972	Now named Lady Joan and at the Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway
Lilla	Hunslet	554	1891	0-4-0ST	Arrived in 1972	Now on the Ffestiniog Railway
Sezela No. 23	Hunslet				0-4-0T	Now at the North Gloucestershire Railway
Sao Domingos ^[1]	Orenstein & Koppel	11784	1925	0-6-0WT	on site 1979	Static display only at Knebworth. Moved to South Tynedale Railway in 1980. Now restored to working order at the Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway
Pedemoura	Orenstein & Koppel			0-6-0WT		Now at the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway after spending many years at the Welsh Highland Railway
^[2]	Motor Rail	8717	1941	4wDM	On site 1987	Dismantled and converted into a brake van
No. 6 Horatio ^[2]	Ruston & Hornsby	217967	1942	4wDM	On site 1987
^[2]	Motor Rail	8995	1946	4wDM	On site 1987	Dismantled and converted into a brake van
No. 2 ^[2]	Motor Rail	21513	1955	4wDM	On site 1987
^[2]	Motor Rail	40S273	1966	4wDM	On site 1987

[edit] References

^ South Tynedale Railway stocklist.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Bryant, R.S. (ed.) (1987). Industrial Locomotives, including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 0901096555.

Thomas, Cliff (2002). The Narrow Gauge in Britain & Ireland. Atlantic Publishers. ISBN 1-902827-05-8.
(1979) Industrial Railway Locomotives 1979: including preserved and minor railways. Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 0901096385.