Railway Blogs

Wee Trains 75th Anniversary

Tuesday the 14th of May

To celebrate 🎉 this auspicious occaision 🎇 we are holding an open track 🛤️ day for our members and their invited guests from all the other model societies across Scotland and the North East of England.
These folk and their locos will be arriving from 09:00 ! and displays of locos will likely begin at 11:00 ish ⏱️

At around 13:00 our Margaret (the original Wee Train), who will be 75 on the day, will pull a train load of VIPs from the club and lead a cavalcade of other locomotives 🛞
Throughout the day at different times ⌚ locos will take to the tracks.

There will be no public passenger hauling on the day, but everyone is welcome to come along and see everything that is happening and on show 🎪

From all of us at the Wee Train 🚂

75th Anniversary

TWO days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park. That day will also be the 75th birthday of Margaret, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive.

The FIRST passenger train through out new tunnel Saturday morning, Strathaven Castle emerging from the Cairnhill tunnel on its first run of a busy day in the park. Finishing touches will be completed on Monday ready for the anniversary day on Tuesday.

While the trains were running two of our members were working👷‍♂️ hard 💪 to restore Margaret to running order.
It’s almost finished tho’ we still need to fit some minor fixings to allow her to undergo her steam test on Monday (Close run thing, but it looks like we will make it🤞🏻🤞🏻 )

Thanks 🙏 Jim for leading this work .

From all at the relieved Wee Trains (Phew) 🚂

75th Anniversary

Four days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park.
It will also be the birthday of Margaret, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive,

A huge thank you to both Cairnhill Structures Ltd for donating the steel tunnel for the railway, which was installed in the park today, and Alan Motion who moved all the pieces into place today and had already donated his time in putting the foundations for the tunnel in the park 💪👷‍♂️

See some of the pictures from today from delivery to final placement. Our passengers tomorrow will be the first to go through our new Cairnhill tunnel .

Wow what an amazing gift for our 75th anniversary !

Thank you 🙏 from all of us at the Wee Train 🚂

75th Anniversary

Five days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park.
That day will also be the birthday of Margaret, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive

Abberton, our petrol driven diesel outline locomotive, returned to the park today.
After several weeks of major repairs 👷‍♂️, including new wheels 🛞, she was trundled back to her stamping ground.
Her test run was satisfactory and she is now back in active service along with the other locos.
Thanks 🙏 to the team for completing all this work 💪 over the last few weeks, in time for the big day, and thanks to Angus for painting her (she and he are looking smart).

From all of us at the Wee Train 🚂

75th Anniversary

Six days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park. Next Tuesday will also be the birthday of Margaret, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive

But – OH NO!!!! essential repairs, limited time to do it

🏃🏻‍♂️ The Race is On !🏃🏻‍♀️

Margaret, our birthday girl next week, needs urgent work to be ready for the big day

While testing her last week it was discovered that the packing material in both of her cylinders / pistons had reached the end of its useful life.

This means stripping a large part of the locomotive’s motion and pulling out the pistons to repack them with Graphite square rope (5×5 mm).
We now await in trepidation for the rope to be arrive by mail.

Hopefully this will arrive in time to let us complete both the repacking and testing before the big day.
Fingers crossed and everything else crossed too !!!!!

Stripping the loco down took four hours and it will take roughly the same to reassemble everything.
A big thank you to Jim L who is leading this work

From all the nervous folk (and other locos) at the Wee Train

75th Anniversary

Seven days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park.
This day will also be Margaret’s, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive, birthday

OLD and the NEW

Below are pictures of the railway over the years and we are looking to get these turned into postcards.
The Black and White ones are mainly pictures from the 50s and 60s.
The coloured ones are from the last five years.

From all of us at the Wee Train

75th Anniversary

Eight days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park. It will also be Margaret’s, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive, birthday on the same day

Calling all Guides and Scouts or collectors of Embroidered badges

If you have a blanket for badges or patches here is a limited edition badge from the miniature railway.
Only two hundred made and once they are gone, no more will be made.

Available from the kiosk at the park on running days.
Cost £2.00 each. 75mm or in old money 3″ in diameter.

From all of us at the Wee Train.

75th Anniversary Countdown

Nine days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park.
It will also be Margaret’s, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive, birthday on that day.

Abberton our petrol powered diesel outline has been in the workshop for over a month now, stripped down, engine out and new wheels made. Painting almost complete, hopefully ready for the anniversary celebrations.
All going well she will be rebuilt on Monday .

Thanks to Graham , Tom and Angus for this work.

From all of us at The Wee Train

75th Anniversary

Ten days and counting down to our 75th anniversary of the railway in Strathaven park on 14th May.
That day will also be Margaret’s, our 2-6-0 steam locomotive, 75th birthday.

The railway and it’s members will celebrate this milestone in the history of Strathaven and the railway with invited guests from all over Scotland and the North of England.
The celebrations will include a reinactment of the first day with Margaret pulling a train load of members at 13.00 hrs.

We are expecting visiting locomotives from other societies on the day, along with our own members running and displaying their own locomotives.

As this is a special day for us and because of the sheer number of locomotives in action we regret that no public passenger hauling will take place
Members of the public are very welcome to come along and observe the excitment and admire all the different items of rolling stock on display or in use during the anniversary.

From all of us at the Wee Train

On 18th March 2024, the Early Day Motion in the image below was read out in the Houses of Parliament acknowledging the longevity of the Miniature Railway in its 75th year, being the oldest miniature railway in Scotland ,
It also acknowledges the 3 longest serving volunteers each with over 40 years service to railway.
Additionally it recognises the 50th anniversary of our Model Society, where the volunteers carry out the engineering side of the Wee Train.

On Easter Monday, the Early Day Motion was presented to the volunteers at the railway by Dr Lisa Cameron.