Warwick Castle Leisuretrack Ltd.

Good People...

In some NG books there are mentions of a railway in or around Warwick Castle, called Leisuretrack, or set up by a company called Leisuretrack?

Can anyone kindly shed some light on this railway, where it was and what happened to it?

The only link I can find is that a steam outline Ruston 'Horatio', now based at Devon Railway Centre, was run here.

Thanks in advance!

-Rob

 

As far as I know, and I’m open to correction / additions:

A short lived line, it was started c1973 by Leisuretrack, a Stratford-upon-Avon company who also had lines at Burford Wildlife Park and Woburn Abbey. Leisuretrack were associated with dealers Track Supplies & Services, Wolverton.

2ft gauge Ruston 217967, a 20DL class, went to Track Supplies early in 1973 from MoD Shoeburyness, and moved from Wolverton to Warwick Castle later that year. Operation of the line (and the loco) was taken over, I believe by Servern Lamb, certainly by 1979. The line closed that year and the loco went to Knebworth Park and is now, as you say, at Devon.

Ken Scanes
Industrial Railway Society
http://www.irsociety.co.uk/
http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/IndustrialRailwaySociety/

 

Thanks for that Ken!

Are there any pictures of the line that are known to exist?

Thanks Again,
Rob

 

I've never seen any.

 

I travelled the line in June 1977 and scratched Horatio for haulage - it was a neat set-up with a run round loop at each end - the coaches were painted in a quaint way to make them look old fashioned - see the attached picture - sorry it features my younger brother and I! Paul

CORRECTION - Just wracking my brains, I think it was a tennis racket layout - balloon loop - then a run round at what would be the tennis racket handle!