Strawberry Line (Miniature Railway)


The Strawberry Line is a length of gauge railway inside Avon Valley Country Park. It is Britain's only commercial ground-level railway. As a conventional ridable miniature railway it provides train rides for visitors to the park, but it also runs demonstration freight trains using correctly scaled wagons. Driver experience courses are offered in the winter.

History

The railway was started at the Avon Valley Country Park in May 1999, with the first trains running on a demonstration track. A trackbed was roughed out in June and the first services ran on the new track in August 1999. A tunnel was added in 2003.

The railway

An area is set aside for the coaling and preparation of steam locomotives, including a fire-dropping pit.
The whole railway was resignalled by 2006 with track circuits replacing the treadle-operated signalling system. The signalling recreates the prototypical railway operational scenario, with signals not clearing unless the section ahead, or the intersecting line, is clear.

Steam locomotives

The line has a growing number of steam-powered locomotives. These currently include:
The line also owns several locomotives modelled on diesel prototypes. These are battery-powered.