Blenheim Park Railway


Blenheim Park Railway is a gauge miniature railway operating in the grounds of Blenheim Palace, in Oxfordshire, England.

History

The railway opened in 1975 as a tourist attraction within 'The Pleasure Gardens', an area of visitor facilities inside the grounds of the Palace, but some distance from the house itself. Miniature railway operating company 'Pleasurerail' operated the service on a short out-and-back line. There were no passing loops or run-round loops, so the line was push-pull operated. The original locomotive was named Sir Winston Churchill, and was later joined by locomotives Muffin and Tracy-Jo.

Later Development

The facilities at The Pleasure Gardens include a maze, a plant centre, a cafeteria, the popular butterfly house, and the main car park for visitors. The railway was adapted to provide an actual transport facility between the Pleasure Gardens and Blenheim Palace itself, and during the tourist season trains run in each direction every half hour. The line is now an end-to-end operation laid out roughly in the shape of a figure '7', and extending over a distance of. There are run-round loops at each terminal station, and there was a central passing loop allowing the operation of two trains. This loop has now had one set of points removed, thus changing it into a siding. The line also has a three-road engine and stock storage shed.

2013/14 Replacement

Over the winter of 2013/14 the original passenger carriages were replaced with new carriages constructed by Alan Keef Engineering. A new engine named simply Winston also entered service, replacing the locomotive Anna which was sold.
A 31 m tunnel was added which also serves as a storage shed for the new carriages, and as a result of this investment a small charge was introduced to cover the costs.

Rolling stock

Passenger carriages

The three original passenger carriages were 16-seat semi-open vehicles, painted dark green, with canvas canopy type roofs originally made in Germany in the 1930s. In 1994 a fourth matching coach was built by Alan Keef. These vehicles remained in service until 2014, when they were sold.
Four new passenger carriages entered service in 2014. They are also 16-seat semi-open vehicles, painted dark green and red, but with fixed roofs and facilities for disabled access. They were built by Alan Keef.

Locomotives

Locomotive NameLocomotive TypeYear of BuildingBuilderIn serviceNotesImage
Sir Winston Churchill1949Guest NoSteam. Black livery. At Blenheim from 1975 until 1982.
Muffin1967Berwyn Engineering of ChippenhamNoSteam. At Blenheim for a short while with Pleasurerail.
Tracey-Jo1964Guest Engineering & Maintenance NoDiesel. At Blenheim from 1975 until 1981.
Anna4-6wDM1960Guest NoDiesel. Green livery. Sold in 2014.
Sir Winston Churchill1992Alan KeefYesDiesel. Red livery.
Winston2013Alan KeefYesDiesel. Red livery. Principal engine from 2014.