The Old Kiln Light Railway[1] is a narrow gauge railway at the Rural Life Living Museum in Tilford, near Farnham, Surrey. It has a collection of historic locomotives and rolling stock including two steam locomotives. It operates on most weekends in the summer and occasionally certain midweek days during school half term.
Founded in the early 1970s as a heritage Wey Valley Light Railway, it was first located around a disused pumping station in Farnham. In 1982 the land was sold for housing and the track and equipment were moved to the Old Kiln Museum, now known as the Rural Life Centre. The line has since lengthened around the centre and a small stretch of track serves the museum's heritage timber yard demonstration area.
The railway has four stations: Reeds Road, Old Kiln Halt, Oatlands and Mills Wood.
Reeds Road was built in 2003 to replace a sleeper-built platform,[2] is the south-western terminus, has a passenger waiting room, a run-round loop and a siding for storing rolling stock.Old Kiln Halt is where the locomotive works and carriage sheds are located, along with further storage sidings. The platform at this station is currently not open for public use.
Oatlands was the far terminus of the line until extension to Mills Wood. It has a platform with a small waiting room with a stove. It is located behind the museum's playground and is sometimes used as the passenger boarding point during events. It was previously named "Waverley End Station".
Mills Wood is the other terminus of the line, on the north-east side of the Rural Life Centre. It has a waiting room partly built from the body of an old Portsdown and Horndean Light Railway passenger tram, a run-round loop and a branch connection to the woodyard. Passengers typically board trains here on normal running days.
| Name | Builder | Works No | Built | Notes | Photograph | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pamela | Hunslet | 920 | 1906 | Rebuilt by Penrhyn Quarry in 1950s, resulting in unique appearance. Requires a new boiler before it can return to service. | |||
| Elouise | Orenstein & Koppel | 9998 | 1922 | Supplied new to Servicios` Florestais, Portugal. | |||
| Emmet | Jim Haylock | 2005 | Currently on loan from The Moors Valley Railway. This loco was constructed using the frame of a 1937 O&K diesel loco. |
| Name | Builder | Works No | Built | Fuel | Notes | Photograph | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Altonia | Baguley | 1769 | 1928 | Diesel | Supplied new to the Lilleshall Abbey Woodland Railway. Moved to the Alton Towers Park Railway in 1952. Purchased for preservation by a private owner in 2002 and moved to Surrey. Sold in 2010, and then permanently loaned to the OKLR in 2012.[3] | |||
| Motor Rail | 8981 | 1946 | Diesel | Midhurst Whites. Purchased by OKLR in 1986.[4] Re-gauged from to . | ||||
| Phoebe | Motor Rail | 8887 | 1944 | Diesel | Built in 1944 for the Ministry of Defence. It is unknown where it first worked, as locomotive movements between military bases during World War 2 were not recorded, however by 1952 Phoebe had been allocated to the British Army of the Rhine in Arsbeck, Germany. 1980 returned to England, moved to Shoeburynes Proof & Experimental Establishment in Essex. Finally moved to Lydd Ranges before being sold into preservation in 1987. Moved to OKLR 1990. | |||
| Bluey | Motor Rail | 9655 | 1951 | Diesel | Supplied new in 1951 to R. Fielding & Son's Warbreck Hill Brickworks in Blackpool. Early 1960s sold to G.W Bungey before being sold on to J&A Jackson's Windmill Lane Brickworks, Denton. Sold 1971 to Henry Oakland's Escrick Tile Works near York. 1981 donated to North Ings Farm. Sold to OKLR in 1985, later sold to Stevington & Turvey Light Railway. Returned to the OKLR November 2022, making it the only locomotive that has been at the railway twice. [5] | |||
| Eagle | Motor Rail | 5713 | 1936 | Diesel | Supplied to the Staveley Coal and Iron Company Campbell Brickyard. Moved to Stanton & Staveley Concrete Pipe works in Ilkeston in 1968. Purchased by Alan Keef, then sold to Brian Gent in 1980 and moved to the Wey Valley Railway. Moved to the OKLR in 1982. | |||
| Fido | Motor Rail | 5297 | 1931 | Petrol | Used at the Weydon Lane sand pits in Farnham. | |||
| Sandrock | Ruston & Hornsby | 177639 | 1936 | Diesel | Supplied to the County Borough of Derby. | |||
| Red Dwarf | Ruston & Hornsby | 181820 | 1936 | Diesel | Ex-Severn Trent Water Authority. | |||
| Susan | Ruston & Hornsby | 211609 | 1941 | Diesel | 4wDM | New to War Department and worked at various military locations, including Eastriggs, Portsmouth and Lydd Ranges. Gained name 'Susan' whilst in military service. Sold by MoD to short lived Stoke Place Railway in Buckinghamshire and dismantled in 1989. Bought by private owner and moved to OKLR in dismantled condition in 2021 and restored to running condition by 2023. | ||
| Corbiere | Hibberd | 2528 | 1941 | Diesel | War Department, Ministry Of Defense, Liphook. | |||
| Walter | Moës | 1955 | Diesel | Built for a brickworks in Rumpst, Belgium.[6] | ||||
| Stinker | Hudson Hunslet | 1944 | 1939 | Diesel | Supplied new in 1939 to Enfield Rolling Mills. 1976-1982 was used in the restoration of the Basingstoke Canal. | |||
| Champion | Hunslet | AD36 | 1971 | Diesel | Ex-Lydd Ranges in Kent. | |||
| Wey Valley | Hunslet | AD37 | 1971 | Diesel | Ex-Lydd Ranges in Kent. Rebuilt in 1988 by Andrew Barclay. | |||
| Weyfarer | Hunslet | AD38 | 1971 | Diesel | Ex-Lydd Ranges in Kent. | |||
| Liz | 3031 | 1941 | Petrol | Rebuilt in 1973 by Jim Haytor from an unmanned target trolley with a single cylinder Petter engine. | ||||
| Sue | Wickham | 2981 | 1941 | Petrol | Rebuilt by E.J. Stephens in 1977 from unmanned target trolley with an 850cc Reliant engine |
| Origin | Number | Type | Build date | Notes | Photograph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Open carriage | 1928 | Lilleshall line closed upon the outbreak of WWII. Later sold to Alton Towers in March 1953 and was there until purchased in 1996, then went to OKLR in 1999. A roof was fitted in 2015. Operational. | |||
| 2 | Open carriage | 1928 | Lilleshall line closed upon the outbreak of WWII. Later sold to Alton Towers in March 1953 and was there until purchased in 1996, then went to OKLR in 1999. Operational. | |||
| Old Kiln Light Railway | 3 | Open Carriage | 1989 | Replica of type used at Penrhyn Quarries that were used on works trains. Operational. | ||
| East Hayling Light Railway | 4 | 4-wheel third | 1996 | Built at Mill Rythe Workshop on the EHLR as No. 6. It was purchased from the East Hayling Light Railway in 2008. Operational. Painted red and cream. | ||
| Old Kiln Light Railway | 5 | 4-wheel third | Unknown | This coach was originally a side-tipping stone wagon, purchased by the OKLR and converted into a passenger carriage. Replica carriage of a Glyn Valley Tramway third. Operational. | ||
| East Hayling Light Railway | 6 | 4-wheel third | 1992 | Built at Mill Rythe Workshop. Was built as EHLR no. 4. Purchased from the Great Bush Railway. | ||
| East Hayling Light Railway | 7 | 4-wheel brake | 1996 | Built at Mill Rythe Workshop. Requires overhaul. Painted green and cream when bought but now cosmetically refurbished to crimson and cream. Purchased from the Great Bush Railway. | ||
| East Hayling Light Railway | 8 | 4-wheel third | Unknown | Green and cream. Purchased from the Great Bush Railway. Requires overhaul. |
| Origin | Number | Type | Notes | Photograph | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Brake Van | Build date unknown. Purchased from the EHLR as a mobile ticket office, later converted into a brake van. Operational and used on most passenger services. | |||
| A. Holt C&W Works | 11 | Manrider | Built 2023. Personnel transporter for works trains. Operational. | ||
| RNAD Dean Hill | DH 417 | Fish Van | Build date and manufacturer unknown. Was in service at RNAD Dean Hill, hence the 'DH'. Regauged from . Design is similar to that of two MoD vans at the MRC. | ||
| RNAD Dean Hill | DH 453 | Covered goods van | Build date and manufacturer unknown. Was used at RNAD Dean Hill, hence the 'DH'. Regauged from . Design is similar to that of two MoD vans at the MRC. One of the doors has been removed and filled in for the time being. | ||
| RNAD Dean Hill | DH 132[7] | Brake van | Built 1943 by Chas Roberts & Co. Later used at RNAD Dean Hill, hence the 'DH'. Regauged from . | ||
| RNAD Dean Hill | DH 323 | 1-plank open wagon | Built at an unknown date. Ex-RNAD Dean Hill. Sides of wagon removed, common practice with RNAD wagons. | ||
| RNAD Dean Hill | DH 178 | Flat wagon | |||
| RAF Fauld | Steel sided dropside | Original body removed. Painted in a grey livery with white lettering. | |||
| RAF Chilmark | C50 | 2 Plank End Door | Original body removed. Ballast wagon. | ||
| RAF Chilmark | C108 | Flat | Painted in 1930s Military Green | ||
| RAF Chilmark | C69 | Dropside | |||
| RAF Chilmark | C91 | Flat | Painted MOD Grey |
The OKLR received the "Surrey Industrial History Group Conservation" award in 1994[8] [9]