(All copyright Steve Sainsbury/Rail Thing 1.6.2014)
As far as I know this is the first railway of any type in Hartcliffe, south Bristol. It's 7¼" gauge and runs the length of my garden, linking the incinerator, shed, compost bins and outbuildings. It's about 25-30 feet in length! The only piece of rolling stock is a tipper wagon, which is currently pushed by hand. I do have a long term aim of getting a small loco.
The line was originally sited at Horningsham in Wiltshire, about a mile from the 15" gauge Longleat Railway. I had a much bigger garden there and had an elaborate route planned with a large oval and a couple of branches. Unfortunately it was a rented property and the Longleat Estate built a ROAD through the middle of my garden, killing the railway stone dead.
So when I inevitably moved the line came with me, and probably sees more use here than it did at Horningsham. Sadly there's no scope for expansion although my neighbour was keen to extend the line into her garden, until we built a wall!
This does show that almost anyone can have their own little railway if they want one!
Since this article I've worked out that there IS scope for expansion. I'll be demolishing the shed and building a greenhouse on the other side of the hard standing. There WILL be room for a branch into the greenhouse, together with at least one storage siding on the hard standing. It will also be extended into the ramshackle white building in the pics (through the wall) which will give me a working area about 2-3 feet above the ground. So all in all quite a little working line is possible, linking workshop with compost bins, branch to the greenhouse and proper storage - plenty of scope for bringing a loco in! I've started saving ...
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