A Brief History
The Barnards Miniature Railway opened on Sunday 5th September 2010, at first 260 meters of single line was laid from the station at Burtonshaw, past the bottom of the runway, and round into the woods and towards the engine shed. Following its success the line was extended to Belvedere in 2011, then to Sitooterie in 2015 and finally Angel Green in 2016, the line is now 1.5Km in length making it the longest end to end 7 ¼” gauge line in the country. As of 2021 a branch line was added that runs from Belvedere station to Lake End (on selected days only).
The main station, Burtonshaw Terminus, was relocated to its current location. It now boasts three platforms with two locomotive release roads (allowing the locomotive to go from one end of the train to the other), covered waiting area, toilets, and a refreshment and ticket counter.
The next station on the line, Belvedere, has also seen significant development over the years, it now has four platforms as well as a ‘middle road’ for movements around the Belvedere loop (where the trains briefly leave Belvedere and come back facing the other direction). Belvedere is also the junction where the new branchline splits off to venture to Lake End. Generally, Lake End trains start at Burtonshaw and then deviate at Belvedere.
The line reached Sitooterie Halt in 2015 and is named after the Thomas Heatherwick sculpture nestled on the edge of the lake en route. It has one ‘island’ platform with a few release roads and sidings. Steam trains terminate here whilst diesels carry on to Angel Green.
The line to Angel Green runs parallel with the C2C mainline (Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness), and is one of the more challenging gradients on our line. Angel Green was reached in 2015 and is the terminus for all trains venturing up here. It is nestled on the edge of one of the lakes in the gardens, named after ‘The Angel on the Green’ nearbye.
Signalling Installation
Signalling has become a key and vital part of our railway since the BMR opened in 2010. Different geographical areas of the railway have different ways of signalling to add variety whilst optimising the number of trains that can be run.
Burtonshaw Terminus has its own signalbox, rescued from the Bolebroke Castle & Lakes Railway, it has a 30-lever frame which controls all movements in and out of the station – which can get quite busy at times. Signalling is traditional semaphore signalling, once seen in mass on the UK railway network in the 20th century. The nearby Pardoe Lane Signalbox (controlling movements in and out of the locomotive depot) also has semaphore signalling.
The long section between Belvedere and Sitooterie station is controlled by a plunger ‘ready to start’ button. When no trains are in section (or reserved), this will approve and show a green signal, ready for the train to leave. Counters detect movement of trains so will know when a train enters and leaves the section.
Motive Power
The Barnards Miniature Railway is home to an extensive fleet of steam, diesel, and electric locomotives. Some are front-line passenger hauling locomotives whereas some are smaller locomotives traditionally used for rarer services or on work parties for maintenance.
You can look at our locomotive fleet, for yourself, on the ‘Meet The Fleet‘ page.
The railway is also home to three rakes of CMD Engineering built carriages. Two rakes are in a burgundy livery, whilst an additional set (first used in 2025) are in green. These are the rakes typically used on public running days.