Railway Blogs

Strathaven Miniature Railway is well on track for another splendid season.
We will be open, weather permitting all Saturdays, Sundays AND occaisional other days – so keep a sharp look out on FaceBook and here on the website for additional info.

We also hit the headlines in our local newspaper “The Echo” with an article on the railway and the recent local library visit to the Wee Train (Copies available in shops and cafes locally in Strathaven and Chapelton)

The Scots Magazine for this month also published articles about places to go in the Lanarkshire area. Guess who is featured in the magazine..? See images attached .

Looking forward to seeing you all in the Park every weekend from now on until end of Autumn – best wishes from the Wee Train.

The start of the Easter holidays means one thing….

THE WEE TRAINS ARE FIRED UP AND STARTING THE SEASON IN STYLE..!

This weekend the first train departed the station at 10.30am on Saturday and the last one will depart circa 16:00 on Sunday ..!

Our carriages will still be cleaned between trips per covid measures for the time-being, but other than that, it’s full steam ahead for a fantastic season of journeys on the wee train

The boating pond , café and motorbikes are also open so plenty to do in Strathaven park this weekend.
Wrap up warm and we’ll hopefully see you there

Not long now

Our first running day is the 2nd of April.
We have been busy in the park over the last few weeks checking over the rolling stock and putting the finishing touches to the locos.
One of our members has just finished putting the lining on Eva and she is looking very resplendent in her new paint and gold lining
Others have given the carriages a final check over ready for Saturday and now with Abberton’s engine rebuild finished she is running extremely well
Thank you to all the members for their hard work over the winter getting us ready for the big day.

See you soon !

Work continues in our workshop on Mondays and also Tuesday evenings. Holmside, our 0-6-0 locomotive has had more paintwork completed and the start of the copper water and steam pipes being fitted.

Work continues at the park as and when the weather allows.

Two of our members have been working on Abberton throughout the winter stripping and rebuilding the engine and other ancillary parts. The pictures below show her on her first run after all the work has nearly been completed, with some minor work to have her ready for the start of the season 2nd of April..!

NOT LONG TO WAIT NOW !!!.

At the same time we have started laying out the new rail for the extension to the raised track. The first pieces are already in the park with more to follow in the near future. This has taken a long time to start due to the Covid restrictions of the last two years. We are planning to have this work finished for our October open weekend this year if all goes well.

All the other locomotives are being worked on and prepared for the new season commencing on the 2nd of April weather permitting.

After a busy year in the workshop, we have put down our tools and stopped the machines for the Christmas holidays. 

Over the year we coped with the Covid restrictions about how many people can gather together inside the workshop, until the restrictions were lifted.  Over the Summer and Autumn in the workshop several projects have been undertaken.
On the last working day in December we managed to finish the last piece of new rail for the raised track, which we intend to install at the park next year thus extending the raised running track for 5″ and 3/12″ locomotives.  
Work is also nearing completion on the renovation of our 0-6-0 locomotive Holmside. All the major work on the boiler is now complete and the reassembly of the loco components has commenced.  Painting of all the parts has started, the wheels are now finished and the saddle tank and cab will be finished by the end of January.  Thereafter it will be final assembly and a steam test before the loco can return to the park. It would be good to have her hauling passengers during the running season of 2022.

We would like to wish all of our volunteers and followers a Safe and Healthy 2022.

Merry Christmas from all the volunteers at the miniature railway

At this time of year the workshop and the track are closed over the holiday period. We hope to get back to some serious maintenance of all the rolling stock in the park in January if Scot Gov. Covid rules allow

We very much appreciated all the support from our regular visitors along with the new families that found us over the summer
It has been a difficult year keeping ourselves and our customers safe over the running season and we thank everyone who volunteered to run the railway and the families that attended the park.
We look forward to seeing everyone again when the new season commences, we hope that will be in April

So as we see 2021 finish we wish all our friends and families a Safe and Healthy 2022.
from all of us at the Wee Train
(73 years old in 2022)

At the end of September this year, and after several minor tweeks, EVA is now ready for the track. See below pictures of the loco leaving the workshop and arriving home at the park.
She has been steamed a couple of times at the park and has now pulled passengers for the first time this year after all the work to get her back to working order.
She looks resplendent with her new paint and fittings.

Thank you to all the members of the society who have been involved with this major work.

For the last two days of the SLC school holidays this weekend we will now run locomotives and trains on both days

Saturday commencing running by 11:00am to 16:30 and on Sunday 12 noon to 16:30. Definitely the last train rides for 2021! come along and see your favourite locomotives either on the track or on show.

The ‘Wee Train’ wishes to thank everyone for their support during a very challenging year for the railway 2022 will be 73 years in the park!!!!

Strathaven Miniature Railway will hold its annual Open Track Weekend over the 9th and 10th of October, another first for this year with 2019 being the last time we were able to hold this event.

The Open Track weekend is when we invite all the other clubs/ societies in Scotland and the North of England to visit our track and bring along a locomotive or two to run on our tracks. It is also an opportunity for our members to show off what they have been building or renovating (locomotive or rolling stock) over the last year.

You can visit the track and stand and look on from the public path, and see the visiting locomotives as well as our own engines being run on our home track.

NO PUBLIC RIDES AVAILABLE for this weekend.

We are planning on running over the October holiday on one or two days weather permitting.
Look out for an update early next week