Narrow Gauge Railway
Narrow-Gauge Railway
Running from the doors of the main pumping engine-house, alongside the rhyne and away towards the car park area, is a stretch of 2 foot narrow-gauge railway. This was built by the members some years ago, to assist with transporting wood to the boiler-house. Although not an original layout, it does, however, reflect a method of transport that was used at various peat works and by land drainage workers on the Somerset Levels in the distant past. Small narrow gauge railways of this type were used to allow workers to push trucks loaded with peat, or materials, along the embankments of the rhynes on the Somerset levels where land drainage works were being carried out.
The Lister railcar is a typical engine used to pull the trucks along the track. The one in the picture was originally used at Shapwick peat works. A lot of track renovation work has been done, and the Lister can now run the full line-length. It can be seen doing this in our video productions.
This is our Lister railtruck, parked in the rear courtyard.
The Lister railtruck's identification plate.
Our Simplex engine, parked at the back of the exhibition hall.
During 2008, a lot of extra track-work has been done, bringing the line across the rear courtyard and up to the back of the Marshall boiler. Visitors can now watch the engines pulling trucks, filled with wood, from the car-park end of the site and right along past the main hall to the boiler.
