Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway

Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway

Bronhilde pulling into Stony Shaw station
Track gauge 2 ft (610 mm)
Website http://www.bwlr.co.uk
Locomotive Bronhilde on woodland track near Warren Wood station

The Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway (BWLR) is located near the villages of Wormshill and Bredgar in Kent, just south of Sittingbourne. It is a 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge railway about half one-half mile (0.8 km) in length.

The BWLR is a private line which has been built up as a hobby by a group of friends since the early 1970s.[1] It is a fully operational line, operated to a high standard, with a station, engine sheds and workshops at Warren Wood station and a smaller station at the other end of the line, known as Stony Shaw.

The line is open to the public on the first Sunday of each month throughout the summer to raise money for various charities. On open days, a number of other attractions are on display including: a model railway, a Showman's road locomotive, a traction engine and a steam roller.

In June 2011, the railway appeared briefly in a segment filmed for the BBC's Saturday Kitchen programme which aired on 18 June 2011.[2]

The Stations

Rolling stock

Operational steam locomotives

Manufacturer Works number
and year		 Wheel
arrangement		 Number and
name		 Notes Photo
L. Schwartzkopff 9124/1927 0-4-0WT No. 1 Bronhilde Used at the Norddeutsche Affinerie copper smelting works, Hamburg. Sold to Bressingham in 1976. Acquired in 1979, the first steam locomotive at the Bredgar and Wormshill.[3]
W.G. Bagnall 2088/1919 0-4-0ST No. 4 Armistice One of two locomotives used on the Birmingham, Tame and Rea District Drainage Board Railway. Preserved in 1961 and renamed Lady Luxborough. Acquired in 1991 by Bredgar and Wormshill and restored in 1992, regaining her original name.[3]
Orenstein & Koppel 5668/1912 0-4-0WT No. 6 Eigiau Ex Penrhyn Quarry Railway. Sold to Bressingham in 1963. Acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 1995.[3]
Decauville 246/1897 0-4-2T No. 7 Victory Used at the Invicta Sugar Mill, Giru, Queensland, Australia. Sold in 1963 and used on a tourist railway. Acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 1984.[3]
Hunslet Engine Co. 1429/1922 0-4-0ST Lady Joan Used in north Wales slate quarries until 1967. Has been used at Woburn Abbey and Knebworth. Acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 1996.[3]
John Fowler & Co. 13573/1912 0-4-2T No. 10 Zambezi Originally built to 500 mm (19 3⁄4 in) gauge. Used on Sena Estates railway, Mopeia, Mozambique, hauling sugar.[4] Worked until 1965 then became derelict.[5] To UK in 1998, regauged to 2 ft (610 mm) gauge.[4] Steam test passed in 2009 and expected to enter service in 2010.[5]

2 ft 6 in (762 mm) and 750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in) gauge locomotives

Manufacturer Works number
and year		 Wheel
arrangement		 Number and
name		 Notes Photo
Henschel & Sohn 29582/1956 0-6-0WT No. 105 Siam Worked on a sugar plantation in Chonburi Province, Thailand. Has visited Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway. 750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in) gauge.[3]
Completely overhauled, the locomotive is currently (June 2009) offered for sale in excellent condition.

Steam locomotives undergoing overhaul or restoration

Manufacturer Works number
and year		 Wheel
arrangement		 Number and
name		 Notes Photo
Arne Jung 3872/1931 0-6-0WT No. 2 Katie Used in sugar plantations in the Cameroons. Preserved in 1973 and acquired by the Bredgar and Wormshill in 1980. Has flangeless centre driving wheels.[3]
Orenstein and Koppel 12722/1936 0-4-0WT No. 8 Used at various construction sites in northern Germany until 1957. To UK in 1970 and used on the Brecon Mountain Railway. Acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 1999.[3]
John Fowler & Co. 18800/1930 0-6-0WT No. 9 Limpopo Ex Sena Sugar Estates, No. 17. Used at sugar mill in Mopeia, Mozambique. Acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 1998 and restored to working order, entering service in 2003.[6]

Operational diesel locomotives

Manufacturer Works number
and year		 Wheel
arrangement		 Number and
name		 Notes Photo
Baguley-Drewry 3775/1983 4wDH No. 5 Bredgar Worked on the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge lines at MoD Milford Haven. Acquired in 1995 and regauged to 2 ft (610 mm) gauge.[3]

Diesel locomotives undergoing overhaul or restoration

Manufacturer Works number
and year		 Wheel
arrangement		 Number and
name		 Notes Photo
Hudswell Clarke DM1366/1965 0-6-0 15 Ex National Coal Board Harden Colliery and Seaham Colliery. Sold to South Tynedale Railway in 1990. To Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway in 2006.[7] As of November 2010 undergoing a major rebuild.[8]
Motor Rail 9869/1953 4wDM Supplied new to Great Ouse River Authority, Ely. In service until 1977. Acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 2010 from The Hop Farm Country Park, Beltring.[9]

Traction engines

The museum has four steam road locomotives in the collection; some are operational and steamed on open days and others are undergoing repair, restoration or overhaul.

Manufacturer Works number
and year		 Registration
number and name		 Notes Photo
Garrett 33305/1918 HT 7112
The Mighty Atom		 Road locomotive built for the Ministry of Munitions and used in France during World War I. Sold as war surplus and converted to a showman's engine.
Preserved since 1964, acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 2002.
Operational and used on open days.[10]
Garrett 33442/1919 BL 9009 Agricultural engine used at Hartford Manor, Faringdon until 1943, then at Witney until 1950. Relegated to heating a greenhouse at Brize Norton until preserved in 1964. Has been named King of the Road and Caroline in preservation but did not carry a name during its working life.
Acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 1988.
Operational and used on open days.[10]
Ruston & Hornsby 115023/1922 XM 6373 Steam roller new to Henry Woodham, Catford in 1922. Used on road repairs until the 1950s.
Preserved in 1978 and acquired by Bredgar and Wormshill in 1988.
Operational and used on open days.[10]
Burrell 2551/1903 Steam roller exported to Magdeburg, Germany in 1903. To Belgium by 1921, where it worked until 1957.
Undergoing restoration.[10]

Cars

Bean cars

The Bredgar and Wormshill railway is home to a collection of Bean cars.[11]

Model Power Year
built		 Registration
number		 Notes Photo
Model 6 Tourer 14 HP 1923 SV9172 Exported to Australia in 1923, re-imported in 2001.[11]
Model 2 11.9 horsepower (8.9 kW) 1922 ME5904 Under restoration as of May 2015 .[11]
Model 2 11.9 horsepower (8.9 kW) 1923 BU2789 One of the most original Bean cars in preservation. This car left the collection 2012.[11]
Model 3 14 horsepower (10 kW) 1925 PE2445 Converted to a pick-up in the early 1930s. Restored to five seat tourer in 1974. This car left the collection 2012.[11]
Model 4 12 horsepower (8.9 kW) 1925 XW8431 Used by a funeral director as a following car. This car left the collection 2012.[11]
Model 4 12 horsepower (8.9 kW) 1926 FD3435 Car has original body, which has four identical doors. This car left the collection 2012.[11]
Model 6 1927 SV8671 Exported new to Australia. Fitted with a body made locally in Adelaide. This car left the collection 2012.[11]
Omnibus 1929 UL1771 Body by Birch Bros, Kentish Town on a Bean 1½ Ton chassis. Used as a caravan 1941 - 1966, bought for preservation in 1966 and restored 1988 - 1991. This vehicle left the collection 2012.[11]
Model 11 1930 FG6161 Built on a 1½ Ton chassis. Spent its working life in Wooler, Northumberland. Bought for preservation in 1970 and restored 1990 - 2000. This car left the collection 2012.[11]
Pick-up Truck 1926 This vehicle left the collection 2012.
Van XM7525 This vehicle left the collection 2012.

Other cars

Manufacturer Model Year
built		 Registration
number		 Notes Photo
Rolls Royce Phantom I 1928 YX4095

Other exhibits

Other exhibits to be found at the Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway include:

Beam engine

Beam engine

An 1870 beam engine built by Thomas Horn to a design by James Watt. One of two supplied to a waterworks at Ashford. Acquired in 1988 and restored to working order.[12]

Twinning

The Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway is twinned with the Chemin de Fer de La Valée de l'Ouche (CFVO), Bligny-sur-Ouche, Côte-d'Or, France.[13][14]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway.
  1. ↑ BBC Kent article on the Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway
  2. ↑ "Episode broadcast 18 June 2011". Saturday Kitchen. BBC iPlayer. Retrieved 20 June 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Visitors Guide. Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. 2008.
  4. 1 2 "Un-named Fowler". Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  5. 1 2 "Fowler resteams after Bredgar rebuild". Heritage Railway (132, 22 December 2009 – 20 January 2010): 11.
  6. ↑ "No9. Limpopo". Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  7. ↑ "Hudswell-Clarke Diesel". Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  8. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-25.
  9. ↑ "Waterworks locomotive moves to Bredgar". Heritage Railway (139): 23. 28 October – 24 November 2010.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Traction Engines at the BWLR". Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Bean Automobile Collection". Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
  12. ↑ "Beam Engine". Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. Retrieved 2008-08-04.
  13. ↑ "CFVO twins with BWLR- October 2007 (Jumelage avec le Bredgar & Wormshill Railway octobre 2007)". The Tourist Railway of the Ouche Valley "CFVO". Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  14. ↑ "BWLR and CFVO". Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway. Retrieved 2008-07-31.

Coordinates: 51°17′50″N 0°40′58″E / 51.297128°N 0.682891°E / 51.297128; 0.682891

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