| From small acorns, large oaks grow - The history of the South Arbury Railway |
| You'll probably all remember the crisis facing the council
of Cambridge in the early 1990's, the constant road traffic gridlock problem, the shambles
of a public transport system, constant complaining by local MP's of having no real alternative
to cars & lorries on the increasingly congested roads - what was the answer? Was there
an easy fix? Is there ever? Well, in this case it was thought there was. The authorities looked at the small 2ft gauge railway that was then operating in the north part of the city. The railway at the time only carried freight, mostly sugar beet (partly the reason the system had been constructed in the first place), but also coal & other below ground minerals brought in from the fen areas to Chesterton exchange sidings (for transfer to standard gauge trains) & also to the wharf at Horningsea to be loaded on to vessels. At this time there was no passenger traffic, but could this a possible answer to the city gridlock problem… After much consultation, it was decided by both the railway company & the city authorities to greatly expand the system & start carrying passenger traffic. Once the expansion was complete, the railway had grown considerably. The line from the centre going west to High Cross via Newtown & Newnham croft became an immediate commuter success using the new purpose built 'Arburystar' three car diesel multiple units, whilst the line to the north east via East Chesterton, Barnwell, Meadowlands, Fen Ditton, Horningsea wharf & Waterbeach continued to carry vast amounts of freight as well as continually growing numbers of passengers. To the south you could now travel by train to Petersfield, North Romsey, Romsey Town, Cherry Hinton & beyond, whilst the original part of the system continued to serve South Arbury, North Arbury, New Chesterton yard & Kings Hedges.Most of the system is now double track with line speeds of up to 40mph in places. Although Beyer-Garratt type locomotives had been used extensively from the start, many more were required due to the increased volume of traffic now in daily use. A few different types exist, but the bulk of the fleet are an improved NG16 design, all being assembled in the railways own workshops - New Chesterton Works. Well, allegedly… |
| The 16mm scale South Arbury Railway |
| The 16mm version of the SAR is double track throughout (Tenmille & Peco) & has curves of no less than 6 ft radius with gradients of no steeper than 1 in 200. One whole circuit of the 32 mm gauge layout is approximately four scale miles & is suitable for radio or manual control. Train lengths are generally twelve bogie wagons or more. As the whole line has generous clearances, any type of locomotive (diesel, steam-meths, gas or coal) can be run. There are many passing loops of between 9 & 11 metres in length & a large steaming area. Once a year, the South Arbury Railway is host to 'Garratt Sunday', the annual gathering of the 16mm Garratt Owners & Operators Association. As well as this special occasion, there are other days in the year that the railway opens it's doors to all, please read on for opening dates. |
| The 16mm Garratt Owners & Operators Association |
| This Association was formed with the intention of bringing together all those who had an interest in Beyer-Garratt type locomotives. This organisation is free to join, we simply ask for 4 self addressed stamped envelopes so that members can receive the quaterly newsletter which has articles, open day dates, for sale/wanted etc. As already mentioned, 'Garratt Sunday' is held once a year giving all the members a chance to meet & run/discuss Garratts. |
| STEAMING DATES | ||||
|
2008 running days & events 15 June – Garratt Sunday 30 August – Darjeeling day 20 Dec – The Great South Arbury Steam Festival All meetings run from 12:00 until 6pm |
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