Nethercote Light Railway formed 2003

1.Workshop and Engine shed 2. St. David’s Halt(Exeter) 3. Citedel Station 4. Triangle of points (No turntable) 5. Bank 1:100  6. Ponds and fish 7. Windmill 8. Line under tunnel of trees 9. Veg. Garden 10. Chicken pen 11. Straight 230 ft.  12. Lights 13. Warning Horn

The Nethercote Light Railway is situated in Naas, County Kildare, Eire at the home of Jack and Jean Taylor our only irish members. Jack regularly attends our steam events. His account of how his railway started is of particular interest to us at BMEG because in a roundabout way it makes a connection with the Derwent Valley Railway, our predecessor and model.

       In 2003 while visiting friends in Driffield (Yorkshire) Jack heard that Cheffins the Cambridge auction house was selling some 7 1/4” locomotives. He claims that at the time he knew nothing of     7 1/4”  but I suspect the idea must have been growing for sometime, since with the aid of a telephone he purchased the following,

   0-6-0 Koppel, 0-6-0 Hunslet Diesel Shunter,  Tenders x2,  Dean Valley open truck,  NE sliding door Van.  A number of passenger carriages were withdrawn from the sale . These were later to turn up on Ebay and have now been purchased by BMEG.  A dealer cast doubt on the quality of the Koppel and this led to contact with Ken Swan, and ultimately joining BMEG. Subsequent purchases include a Bagnell type 0-4-0, and a Cromer -White Battery shunter which although heavy runs and runs on two large batteries.

  Tony Martin of Cromer-White advised on the layout and this was pegged out in one day with maximum curves of 30 degrees. A large oak tree was cut into 3-4 metre planks and a chopsaw used to produce some 2000 sleepers to be soaked in creosote and engine oil. The building staff of three started in March 2004 and the job was largely complete by August .

staff  Jonathon ( son) and digger operator

         Paul ( grandson) and dumper driver.

        Jack (grandad) and Wacker operator

  Because of peat some 10 tons of crushed hardcore was laid under the track. (George Stevenson had the same problem at Chat Moss). Drainage pipes were laid into the stream. Finally the digger slid into the cutting and had to be pulled out with the dumper. The neighbors christened them “Fred Karno’s Army”.

  The Koppel and carriages had been put up for auction by Roy Chipchase who acquired some of the rolling stock from the Derwent Valley Railway when it closed on the sale of the property.