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| - In 1964, Sir Topham Hatt was concerned over the congestion in Tidmouth Harbour and Knapford Harbour. He took interest in Arlesburgh Harbour, a port connected by rail to his system but which had been little used following the closure of the Mid Sodor Railway in 1947, so he decided to develop the line and make it use again. He noted also that while this line was heavily overgrown, the one of the Mid Sodor Railway was comparatively weed free. The Mid Sodor Railway had used spoil from the lead mines as ballast; material which they could take and use merely for the asking.
- The Arlesdale Railway, more commonly known as the Small Railway, is a fictional railway on the Island of Sodor from the Railway Series books by Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry. It is a miniature railway based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. In the stories, it was originally built to bring waste from the lead mines in the hills to Arlesburgh at the end of Duck's branch line, where it would be distributed to the other railways on Sodor for use as ballast. The line also carries tourists.
- The Arlesdale Railway, also called the "Small Railway", is a 15"-gauge railway running from Arlesburgh along the old route of the Mid Sodor Railway to Arlesdale. It opened in Easter 1967. The line is mainly used to transport waste materials from several of the abandoned mines at Arlesdale for use as ballast, but it also attracts popularity due to the novelty of being pulled by a 1/3 scale engine. From Arlesburgh the line stops at Arlesburgh Bridge Street, Ffarquhar Road, Marthwaite, and Arlesdale Green before turning south to Arlesdale.
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| abstract
| - In 1964, Sir Topham Hatt was concerned over the congestion in Tidmouth Harbour and Knapford Harbour. He took interest in Arlesburgh Harbour, a port connected by rail to his system but which had been little used following the closure of the Mid Sodor Railway in 1947, so he decided to develop the line and make it use again. He noted also that while this line was heavily overgrown, the one of the Mid Sodor Railway was comparatively weed free. The Mid Sodor Railway had used spoil from the lead mines as ballast; material which they could take and use merely for the asking. Once exhaustive tests had proved that this spoil really was weed-resistant, Sir Topham suggested to management of Culdee Fell and Skarloey Railways that they join the NWR in a consortium to exploit it, and that a railway along the Mid Sodor‘s former trackbed could be laid to take it away. At this point in the negotiations, Walter Richards, the Manager of the Culdee Fell Railway, proposed that “Bearing in mind the scenic attractions of the valley the basis of the Company be broadened to encourage investment from those engaged in the Tourist Industry”. This proposal, seconded by Sir Handel Brown, was carried unanimously and met with a good response. The Arlesdale Railway Company was formed as a separate concern to buy up the 10 miles or so of MSR trackbed together with the remaining stations and buildings, and lay a new railway thereon; while the Ballast Company acquired not only the lead mines, but also a granite quarry at Marthwaite which had just come on the market, and finally called itself the Arlesdale Granite and Ballast Company Ltd. It was decided that the railway must not only be capable of handling loads of ballast, but that it should also be of a character sufficiently out of the ordinary to attract visitors to the valley and thus bring benefit to hotels and guest houses in the area. Three engines were acquired, Bert, Rex and Mike, together with a number of Open and Semi-open coaches. The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway had abandoned their former ballast and road-stone business, but they allowed to search their records for designs of bogie Hopper wagons, along with a Chute gantry for unloading them quickly with the minimum of effort. The Mid Sodor trackbed had been soundly and solidly constructed, and wherever possible their stations and structures were used. Tracklaying therefore went ahead rapidly under the direction of Mr F. Duncan, the General Manager, who is of course the Small Controller in the books. The line was inspected and passed for Opening by Easter 1967, and Small Railway Engines records incidents which occurred during the first year of operation. Many improvements have since been made. The "semi-opens" were replaced by closed saloon coaches built at Arlesburgh Works. The "Opens" have been retained and are always popular in fine weather. Blister I and Blister II were acquired ever since the line was in construction, and are there for shunters at Arlesburgh. The railway also acquired Frank, in 1967, and Sigrid of Arlesdale, in 1969, both take employees to their places of work, as well as other work trains. The most reliable of steam engines sometimes fail, or as more often happens, extra passengers require the provision of a Relief train when no steam engine is available. The traffic increased so much, that a fourth steam locomotive has already been required. It was designed and built in Arlesburgh Works in 1976. Douglas named him Jock. The railway’s popularity has brought further problems arising from those mentioned above. Unexpected upsurges in passenger numbers requires ability to provide Relief trains. These “extras” upset normal traffic working but have to be sent through with the minimum of delay to avoid spoiling the passengers’ enjoyment. This was not always possible under the former system of traffic control. Ravenglass have had the same problem, and have countered it by a system of Radio Control in 1977. They suggested to the Arlesdale Railway to adopt their system too, and gave them every assistance. So far, apart from ”teething troubles” the system has worked well. It has the conditional approval of the Railway Inspectorate. The Small Controller has however no doubt of the final outcome. He is looking forward to the day when other railways in the Island are recommended by the Inspector to follow Arlesdale’s lead.
- The Arlesdale Railway, also called the "Small Railway", is a 15"-gauge railway running from Arlesburgh along the old route of the Mid Sodor Railway to Arlesdale. It opened in Easter 1967. The line is mainly used to transport waste materials from several of the abandoned mines at Arlesdale for use as ballast, but it also attracts popularity due to the novelty of being pulled by a 1/3 scale engine. From Arlesburgh the line stops at Arlesburgh Bridge Street, Ffarquhar Road, Marthwaite, and Arlesdale Green before turning south to Arlesdale. The ownership of this railway is shared by the Small Controller and the Owner of the Skarloey Railway.
- The Arlesdale Railway, more commonly known as the Small Railway, is a fictional railway on the Island of Sodor from the Railway Series books by Rev. W. Awdry and Christopher Awdry. It is a miniature railway based on the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria. In the stories, it was originally built to bring waste from the lead mines in the hills to Arlesburgh at the end of Duck's branch line, where it would be distributed to the other railways on Sodor for use as ballast. The line also carries tourists. The railway's controller is Mr Fergus Duncan, a dedicated man known as the Small Controller. This nickname is a joke, as he is a very tall man. The Arlesdale Railway made its first appearance in the book Small Railway Engines, and was the main focus of the book Jock the New Engine. It has also made cameo appearances in Oliver the Western Engine, Duke the Lost Engine and Wilbert the Forest Engine. It is set to make its onscreen debut in the 2015 film Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.
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