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37-613: The Matheran Hill Railway (MHR) is a 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow-gauge heritage railway in Maharashtra , India , which is administered by the Central Railway zone . It covers a distance of 21 km (13 mi), cutting a swathe through forest and connecting Neral to Matheran in the Western Ghats . The MHR is on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites . The Neral–Matheran Light Railway

74-470: A completely new station at Lintley and the new extension to Lintley opened to traffic on 1 April 2012. Rails extend across Lintley viaduct for a distance of about 200 metres (650 ft) from the new station to form a headshunt for works trains. The extended line from Kirkhaugh to Lintley Halt was officially opened in Saturday 12 May 2012 by Lord Inglewood , a long-time friend of the railway society. On

111-777: A contractor in Alston, two wooden-bodied coaches and two brake vans constructed in the railway workshops. Additions to the fleet in 2011 were an all-steel buffet coach, originally built by Gloucester Carriage and Wagon for Sierra Leone Railways, and re-gauged from 750 mm ( 2 ft  5 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) to 610 mm ( 2 ft ) for use at Alston, and a re-gauged former Romanian steel coach now converted to be fully accessible for disabled passengers. 2018 Season The timetable shows three return trips from Alston to Slaggyford. Outward trains leave from Alston at 1045, 1315 and 1515 hours. Return trains leave Slaggyford 55 minutes later. All trains stop at Kirkhaugh (reduced to

148-616: A former LMS design, although the signal to the carriage sidings is an unusual semaphore ground signal mounted onto a conventional signal post. Confirmation was received in November 2009 that a grant of £100,000 had been awarded by the Groundwork UK Community Spaces programme which will be used to fund the restoration of three historic railway bridges on the former Haltwhistle to Alston line. Northumberland County Council's west area committee also granted consent for

185-657: A saloon) to trains operating on the line. The saloons have sofas and LCD screens showing images from outside the train. The saloons had been available only to railway officers. The MHR and its assets, including the stations, line, and vehicles, belong to the Government of India and are entrusted to the Ministry of Railways . Central Railway handles day-to-day maintenance and management, and several programs, divisions, and departments of Indian Railways are responsible for repairs. Consulting engineer Everard Calthrop designed

222-425: A significant fund-raising issue to fully repair the 160-year-old wall, restore the lineside footpath and return the line to use. Temporary repairs were completed by mid-January 2013 whilst fundraising efforts continued to achieve a full repair. The main line was moved back to its proper alignment before the 2013 season began. During January 2013 the railway society's ambitions that, one day, trains will again run all

259-521: Is operated by a charity, The South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, which was registered in 1983. Passenger trains operate on the railway from Spring to Autumn and attract 40,000 people to the district every year. Information about exact dates are on the railway's web site. Special trains operate including Santa Special trains on certain days in December each year. Although no Santa trains ran in 2011 as volunteer efforts were put into completing

296-469: Is plinthed at Matheran Railway Station. Because of the line's sharp curves, only short-wheelbase four-wheel diesel units can be used; Class NDM1 and NDM6 locomotives are in use. Class NDM1 has two powered units, articulated with a central cab and initially developed by German builder Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik . The non-articulated Class NDM6 was manufactured by the Bangalore builders SAN. Neral ,

333-697: The 1 ft  11 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 603 mm ) gauge Brecon Mountain Railway . South Tynedale Railway The South Tynedale Railway is a preserved, 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow gauge heritage railway in Northern England and at 875 feet (267 m) is England's second highest narrow gauge railway after the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway in north Devon. The South Tynedale line runs from Alston in Cumbria, down

370-639: The COVID-19 pandemic and in September 2020 the operating company, South Tynedale Railway Ltd, went into administration. The attraction was awarded emergency funding from the Government, and resumed operations in July 2021, initially at weekends only. Download coordinates as: Trains are made up daily depending on predicted passenger numbers. There are four all-steel open-ended gallery coaches built by

407-764: The Ffestiniog Railway in Wales and the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado . World War I trench railways produced the greatest concentration of 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways to date. In preparation for World War II , the French Maginot Line and Alpine Line also used 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways for supply routes to

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444-610: The MLR Class 0-6-0 T s with Klien-Lindner axles to give a flexible wheelbase and four were supplied by Orenstein & Koppel . They ran from the railway's opening in 1907 until 1982, when they were replaced by diesel engines. By 1983, all steam locomotives were phased out. A B-class locomotive (#794) from the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was transferred to the Neral–Matheran line in 2001 to test

481-516: The Newcastle and Carlisle Railway at Haltwhistle . The popular South Tyne Trail shares the trackbed with the railway, fenced off for safety. It is a walking and cycle trail that provides a cut-off for part of its length for the Pennine Way national trail. The standard gauge branch line was closed by British Rail on 1 May 1976. The track bed is mostly intact, except at Lambley , where

518-656: The South African Class NG15 2-8-2 locomotives started their career on the 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge. The Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa (now Namibia ) were transferred to the 2 ft gauge railways in South Africa and currently some surviving locomotives reside in Wales on the 1 ft  11 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 597 mm ) gauge Welsh Highland Railway and

555-638: The South Tyne Valley, via Gilderdale, Kirkhaugh and Lintley, then across the South Tyne , Gilderdale and Whitley Viaducts to Slaggyford in Northumberland. The narrow gauge railway line is built on the track bed of the southern section of the former Alston Line , a standard gauge branch line between Haltwhistle and Alston which was closed by British Rail in May 1976. The railway

592-696: The South Tynedale's mainly volunteer workforce in March. The one-year project is in partnership with the North of England Civic Trust backed by a bursary and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The scheme is specifically aimed at overcoming skills shortages in traditional engineering crafts. The new trainee will work alongside the railway's skilled volunteer engineers looking after the railway's locomotives and rolling stock. The new member of

629-576: The UK. The frame has had a varied life as it was constructed for the Highland Railway by McK&H and first installed at Kingussie in Scotland. It was removed in 1926 when a replacement level crossing mechanism was installed in an emergency. The frame had developed a crack and had to be sent to England to be repaired by Westinghouse, which had taken over McKenzie and Holland in 1920. The frame

666-608: The appearance of the old steam engine. Locomotive no. 738 is plinthed at the southern end of Neral Toy Train station, in a small garden. It was the engine in which Sir Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy traveled, when he visited Germany to order the original four locomotives. (according to a plaque on the locomotive). No. 739 is preserved in the National Rail Museum, New Delhi, while No. 740 had been restored to full working order at South Tynedale Railway . No.741

703-557: The branch line to Redmire , prior to being acquired from British Rail and re-erected on a new brick base. The level crossing barriers and mechanism came from the now-closed How Mill Station on the Newcastle and Carlisle line. The signal box houses a 21 lever frame, made by McKenzie and Holland . In addition there is a manually operated gate machine to control the level crossing barriers – this combination of manual gate wheel and lifting barriers (rather that gates) being somewhat rare in

740-406: The extension to Lintley in time for the 2012 season, they ran again in 2012 on two successive weekends, 15–16 and 22–23 December. In 2013 Santa trains ran on 14–15 and 21–22 December. At Alston station there is a cafe and gift shop both operated by the railway company. Free car and coach parking is available adjacent to the station which is located about 1 ⁄ 4 mile (0.40 km) north of

777-569: The feasibility of steam excursions. It was sent to the Golden Rock workshops for conversion to oil firing in 2013, and returned to Neral soon afterwards. Rail enthusiasts can once again enjoy and witness the 'steam-engine' on the Neral-Matheran toy train route. The steam engine will be fired either by electric power or hydrogen. Minister of Railways , Ashwini Vaishnaw informed that an electric and hydrogen propelled engine will be given

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814-536: The fixed border defenses. Australia has over 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) of 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge sugar cane railway networks in the coastal areas of Queensland , which carry more than 30 million tonnes of sugar cane a year. Many 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge and 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge railways are used in amusement parks and theme parks worldwide. The interchange of rolling stock between these similar track gauges occasionally occurred; for example,

851-467: The monsoon season (from June to October) because of the danger of landslides. During the 2012 monsoon season, Central Railway (CR) tested the railway's air brakes and, after approval from the Commission of Railway Safety , ran the train during the monsoon for the first time. CR planned to shorten the monsoon service suspension to 15 July – 1 October. In November 2012, CR added a special coach (known as

888-457: The railway's buildings, equipment and infrastructure in and around Alston. The final outcome of the bid is anticipated in January 2014. In December 2012 a serious wash-out of a retaining wall about 50 metres (160 ft) north of Alston Station threatened to stop the popular Santa trains. Quick work by the railway's track gang to skew the main running line saved the day. The STR was left with

925-616: The railway's team concentrated on developing a new works train to support the STR's specialist permanent way team as they prepared for work on the 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (2.0 km) extension from Lintley Halt to Slaggyford. The opening of the new extension was delayed, and finally opened in June 2018. At the Annual General Meeting in November 2013 the railway society's chairman signed agreements that handed responsibility for

962-632: The same day Cumbria County Council handed over documents confirming a Community Asset Transfer of the Society's leased land in Cumbria. Work to gain a similar status in Northumberland is ongoing with Northumberland County Council . In September 2012 the Heritage Lottery Fund made an award that allows development work on a full bid for the Slaggyford extension to proceed. The bid also included innovative 'green' initiatives to update

999-629: The society to approach Network Rail for agreement to use its land alongside the platform and the platform itself. Additionally a small parcel of land that allows access to the station area from the Alston Arches Viaduct will be made available to the railway society. In early February, the South Tynedale Railway joined the Heritage Skills Initiative and an engineering skills trainee will join

1036-399: The starting point, is near Mumbai . The 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow-gauge line runs parallel to the broad-gauge line west of Hardal Hill before turning east to ascend towards Matheran. The rail and road meet near Jumapatti , and meet again after a brief separation at Bhekra Khud. After a short level stretch, there is a sharp ascent just before Mount Barry. A large horseshoe embankment

1073-545: The station house and garden are in private ownership, and near Haltwhistle, where construction of the A69 Haltwhistle by-pass road severed the trackbed on the bypass itself and on an adjoining secondary road. The Society hope to eventually reopen the branch all the way to Haltwhistle . The signal box at Alston was dismantled when British Rail closed the branch so a new box had to be sought and erected. The replacement signal box at Alston formerly stood at Ainderby , on

1110-407: The town on Hexham road. The line is currently 5 miles (8.0 km) in length, having been extended by a further 1 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (2.0 km) to Slaggyford in July 2017. The STR is built on the southern section of the trackbed of the disused 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge Haltwhistle to Alston Branch Line , which formerly connected with

1147-530: The viaducts at Lambley and Haltwhistle to the society. They were formerly owned by the now defunct North Pennine Heritage Trust. This important acquisition lays down further building blocks towards the society's aim to eventually reopen the full length of the branch line. On 4 February 2014 the STR announced a £5.5 million development project that includes just over £4.2 million awarded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.(source HLF and STR press information releases). The railway did not operate at all during 2020 due to

Matheran Hill Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

1184-439: The way from Alston to Haltwhistle moved a couple of steps closer. British Railways Board (Residuary) Ltd. improved upon and changed an earlier offer that now transfers a 7-metre (23 ft) wide strip of land to the society. The land runs parallel to the Alston bay platform at Haltwhistle mainline station and provides sufficient space for proper station and run-round facilities for narrow gauge trains. This important step allows

1221-484: Was built between 1901 and 1907 by Abdul Hussein Adamjee Peerbhoy and financed by his father, Sir Adamjee Peerbhoy , at a cost of Rupees 16,00,000. Adamjee Peerbhoy visited Matheran often, and wanted to build a railway to make it easier to get there. Hussain's plans for the Matheran Hill Railway were formulated in 1900, and construction began in 1904. The consulting engineer was Everard Calthrop . The line

1258-683: Was built to avoid a reversing station here. The line runs for a mile or so northwards around this before turning to take the One-Kiss Tunnel through the embankment. Two more zig-zags through deep cuttings remain before Panorama Point is reached, and then the line bends back to Simpson's Tank and ends at Matheran . It takes about two hours and 20 minutes to complete the 21-kilometre (13 mi) journey, although CR plans to reduce this to one hour 30 minutes. 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways Most of these lines are tourist lines, which are often heritage railways or industrial lines, such as

1295-583: Was open to traffic by 1907. Its tracks were originally 30  lb/yd (14.9 kg/m) rails , but were upgraded to 42 lb/yd (20.8 kg/m) rails. The ruling gradient is 1:20 (five percent), with tight curves, and speed is limited to 12 km/h (7.5 mph). When the railway was opened, the rolling stock consisted of just two locomotives, fifteen First Class, two Third Class coaches, two luggage vans with postal accommodation, twelve open goods wagons, along with two saloons that were in verge of completion at GIPR's Parel Locomotive Workshops. One Locomotive

1332-441: Was taken from the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway as well. Around 1907, only one locomotive would run on the railway at a time. The service had two trains each way per day. The railway was closed because of flood damage in 2005 and was not expected to reopen before April 2007. However, the first run on the repaired railway was on 5 March 2007. The line observed its centenary on 15 April of that year. Service had been suspended during

1369-664: Was then installed on the North Staffordshire Section of the LMS when a road at a level crossing was realigned to cross the railway. The old frame with the gate mechanism at this box was inadequate because of worn bearings so the repaired spare frame from Kingussie was installed by Westinghouse. It remained in service until the NS signal box closed. The frame was then sold to the South Tynedale railway and installed at its present location. The signals are standard BR ones using

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