| Railroad Name: | Abbey Light Railway |
| Start Year: | 1974 |
| End Year: | 2012 |
| Hq City: | Leeds |
| Locale: | England |
| Website: | Abbey Light Railway (Internet Archive) |
The Abbey Light Railway was a [1] narrow gauge railway in Kirkstall, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England.Built by enthusiasts, the Railway ran from the nearby Bridge Road commercial area into the grounds of Kirkstall Abbey,[2] operating most Sundays.[3]
In 1974, local engineer and lecturer at Kitson College Peter Lowe applied for planning permission to build a railway at Kirkstall.
From 1976, the line was built from scratch by a group of local enthusiasts, most of whom were members of the Ffestiniog Railway. Second hand rail was acquired from the Ffestiniog and the line was built over a number of years, eventually extending to from Kirkstall Abbey to Bridge Road, Kirkstall.
Initially the line ran purely as a private railway, but in 1986 it received permission to start public passenger services. These ran from Spring to Autumn, every Sunday and most Bank Holidays. The highlight of the year was the weekend Kirkstall Festival.
In 2006 plans were made to extend the line to the Armley Mills Industrial Museum nearby. This would have involved crossing both the River Aire and the Leeds and Liverpool Canal. The project was never realised.
After Peter Lowe died in October 2012, the railway closed and even though there were plans to resurrect services the following spring, without its Chief Engineer, it became difficult to obtain insurance[4] The decision was reluctantly made by his widow to sell off the rolling stock and infrastructure. All but one of the locomotives[5] and much other material was sold to the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in Porthmadog and work to dismantle the railway began in February 2013.[6]
| Number | Name | Builder | Type | Date | Works number | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loweco | Lister | 6HP | 1942 | 20449 | Supplied new to Kelby Sand and Gravel Co. Lincolnshire. Later worked at Hoe Hill Tile works, Barton-upon-Humber. Became the first locomotive of the ALR. Now at Poppleton Community Railway Nursery, York. | |
| 2 | Atlas | Hunslet | 20HP | 1943 | 2465 | Supplied new to the Ministry of Defence, then to the Strensall Brick and Tile works, finally worked at the Alne Tile works, near Selby. Now at Statfold Barn Railway. | |
| 3 | Odin | Motor Rail | 20HP | 1934 | 5859 | Originally used as a contract locomotive, purchased by the Ham River Grit Co. Ltd then by Joseph Arnold & Sons, Leighton Buzzard. Now at Gelert's Farm works (WHHR), Porthmadog. | |
| 4 | Vulcan | Ruston | 48DL | 1940 | 198287 | Supplied to Harpur Hill, Buxton then sold to the Royal Air Force at Burtonwood, some time spent at Fauld. Finally acquired by Yorkshire Water for use at Chellow Heights and Thornton Moor near Bradford. Taken back by Yorkshire Water and Donated Embsay and Bolton Abbey Steam Railway 2013. Vulcan was Advertised for sale in June 2022. | |
| 5 | Ruston and Hornsby | 20HP | 1946 | 235654 | Supplied new to the Elsham Lime Co., sold to the Barrow Haven Tile works, Lincolnshire. Informally known on the ALR as Little Ruston. | ||
| 6 | Druid | Motor Rail | 20HP | 1941 | 8644 | Supplied new to the Ministry of Defense. Sold to the Alne Tile works. Purchased by the Creekmoor Light Railway at Poole. Has been heavily rebuilt at the ALR, with only the chassis, wheels, transmission and nameplate surviving from the original. It went to the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway before being sold on to Pen-Y-Bryn Railway which is a private railway. | |
| 7 | Orenstein & Koppel | 11HP | 1935 | 5926 | Supplied new to Cape Universal Building Products Ltd., Uxbridge. Preserved at the Chalk Pits Museum, Amberley. Currently being rebuilt. Now at Gelert's Farm. | ||
| 8 | Robert Hudson Ltd | 20HP | 1924 | 39924 | New to Lanarkshire county council, Cairngryffe Quarry near Biggar. | ||
| 9 | Muir-Hill | 20HP | 1925 | 110 | New to Meeth Clay works, Devon. Purchased by Rich Morris and moved to Gloddfa Ganol. Purchased by the ALR in 1998. Now at Gelert's Farm. | ||
| 10 | Baguley | 10HP | 1917 | 736 | New to War Department Light Railways. Returned to Baguley's and sold to Bristol Corporation water works, Blagdon reservoir. Now at Gelert's Farm. | ||
| 11 | Baguley | 10HP | 1917 | 760 | New to APCM Ltd., Bidwell Clay pit, Dunstable, then to Alan Keef, Aylesbury. Purchased by Rich Morris in 1965 and moved to Gloddfa Ganol in 1978. Sold to the Abbey Light Railway in 1998, now at the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway.[7] | ||
| 12 | "George" | Greenbat | 1957 | 2848 | New to Chemical and Insulating Co. Ltd, Faverdale, Darlington thence to R. Stewart, North Yorkshire. Now at Ripon & District Light Railway[8] (private line). |