Rhyl Miniature Railway
| The Rhyl Miniature Railway is a 15 inch gauge
miniature railway line located in Rhyl on the North Wales Coast. The line runs
in a circle around a boating lake near the promenade to the west of the town
centre and is the oldest miniature railway in the UK.
The line was built by Bassett-Lowke and ran its first public trains on May 1st 1911. From 1920 onwards the RMR was re-equipped with four "Atlantic" steam locomotives built by Barnes Engineering of Rhyl. The locomotives carried the names of the children of the Butler family, the owners of the railway for many years. The first Barnes 4-4-2 to enter service was named "Joan." It all came to an end in 1969. Rhyl Amusements was by then a subsidiary of Trust House Forte Leisure Ltd, whereas the Marine Lake itself belongs to the Borough Council. Trust House would not invest further in the Marine Lake site without a very long lease being granted, which the Council refused. As a result, Trust House decided to concentrate all its resources at Ocean Beach, and handed back the Marine Lake to the Council in 1970, completely bare. The trackbed then lay bare until 1978 when it was relaid. The railway then started running trains on 1 July 1978. On Sunday May 1st 2011 the Railway celebrated its 100th birthday with a dinner. |
2007
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'Billy' in the museum |
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'Cagney' approaching the cycle path crossing |
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'Cagney' receiving attention at Central Station |
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'Clara' 0-4-2T inside Central Station |
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'Joan' en route round the lake |
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'Joan' receiving attention at Central Station |
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'Joan' sets off on another trip |
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Central Station |
2022
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Clara at Central Station |
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Clara heading for another trip round the lake |
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Clara approaching the cycle path crossing |
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Train at the far side of the lake |