| The two railways at Pleasurewood Hills seen during a visit in 1988.
The 7 1/4" line opened in 1982 and forms an attractive 1300 yard loop with one station. The track is heavily laid with 12lb steel rail and throughout the 1980s it was a very slick and professional operation with lots of trains and frequent departures. In terms of passenger numbers it soon became the busiest miniature railway in the country with ridership well into six figures. Those glory days are now a distant memory and the railway today is a much more modest affair, although it still carries a respectable number of passengers. The line is operated by a pair of US outline 12-wheel diesels which have been running here for many years. The 2ft gauge track opened around 1984/5 and forms an 1100 yard loop around a different area of the park. However the two railways do cross each other twice - one via a bridge, the other on the level. The line has three stations and performs a useful transport link. The Chance 'C P Huntington' trains were acquired second hand from Europe. |
Aerial view of 7 1/4" track layout |
Aerial view of 2ft gauge track layout |
The station on the 7 1/4" line |
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7 1/4" carriages |
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One of the station on the 2ft gauge line |
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One of the US-outline diesels |
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Photo taken from the chairlift. The new theatre in the background had only been built a few months earlier. A section of the miniature railway track was realigned to accomodate it. |
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