Knebworth Park and Wintergreen Railway

Hello all,

Ive been doing a bit of reserch on the old narrow gauge railway at Knebworth Park, however i cant find out what happened to the coaches and track. Does anyone know? Also, is there any remains of the line at Knebworth?

many thanks!

Rob

 

I was at the enthusiast's evening a couple of weeks back. The operator now runs the 10.25" line there, which is in a different location.

There are some very minor earthworks left - but there weren't many in the first place. The sheds have gone. There are a handful of sleepers embedded in a level crossing but really nothing worth viewing - it was a lightly laid park line that was not there for many years.

At least one loco (steam outline 2ft) I'm sure has now gone to the Devon Railway Centre.

 

A lot of the stock went to Bygones Village, Fleggburgh in Norfolk http://oldenginehouse.users.btopenworld.com/bygvill.htm. Sadly this was auctioned off 2 or 3 years ago. Where it is now I don`t know. As you probably know Sezela is now at Leighton Buzzard. I`m pretty sure a couple of the coaches ended up somewhere in Devon a few years ago when they were offered for sale.

 

Lilla was based at Knebworth for several years:
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p53026065.html
http://miniaturerailwayphotos.fotopic.net/p41672426.html
http://miniaturerailwayphotos.fotopic.net/p41672424.html

Also...
Pixie:
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p37265514.html
Isibutu:
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p37265516.html
Triassic:
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p34392627.html
No. 1/Lady Joan:
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p37265517.html
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p37265519.html
Chaloner:
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p37265520.html
Peter Pan:
http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p46633637.html

 

thank you everyone for the info! im supprised there is not much written about the line, as it hosted some quite well known locos!

Rob

 

This s/o loco: http://johnlawontherails.fotopic.net/p36415370.html

Is now certainly at the DRC, after an interim stint at the short-lived Stoke Place Railway in Buckinghamshire.
When I visited Knebworth as a child in the mid/late 1980s, my parents recall being told that the line was soon to be lifted and some of the stock sent away to "a children's home". I'm not sure if that was poor memory or fact.

Horatio, I do remember seeing in a NGN issue was at Stoke Place. Along with some other stock. Does anyone know what that line was about and what was there?

 

Alongside "Horatio" I think one or two of the carriages at the DRC are ex. Knebworth, as is a Simplex loco "Sir Tom". I drove through Knebworth Park today and can confirm that, as Tim has said, there is very little left on the ground - although one locomotive shed remains and is now the workshop for the 10 1/4" gauge line.

 

I found out this past weekend, that the spare bogie underframe on the Hayling Seaside Railway is from one of the carriages of the Knebworth Park and Wintergreen Railway. The links to the photos above do prove this. It is currently in the railways workshop (after years of storage elsewhere on Hayling), having new sprung bogies fitted. After this work has been completed, it is planned to be sold.

 

Here are photos by Les Tindall of 12 locos at a steam up at Knebworth in 1976.

They include Trixie, an 0-4-0ST built by Trevor Barber in 1974 and now apparently in France, and a Little Giant 4-4-2 which was apparently named Sedgefield at the time though it did not carry name or number. Further info about these two welcome, Andrew N

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.co...worth-Park-Wintergreen-Railway-1976/i-h552B5G

 

IIRC Trixie was on the CfD Chanteraines, however she does not currently appear to be listed on their website. The "Little Giant" is most likely Princess Elizabeth, now owned by Francis Ford Coppola and, at last report, stored at his vineyard in California.

 

I don't recollect seeing Trixie at Chanteraines when I visited in June last year. Co-incidentally Les Tindall was the tour leader.
Ray.

 

How very unexpected!