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Wales West Light Railway

Coordinates: 30°30′10″N 87°47′13″W / 30.50278°N 87.78694°W / 30.50278; -87.78694
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Wales West Light Railway
Overview
Locale30°30′10″N 87°47′13″W / 30.50278°N 87.78694°W / 30.50278; -87.78694
Silverhill, Alabama
Dates of operation2001–present
Technical
Track gauge2 ft (610 mm)
Length1.6 kilometres (1 mi)
Other
WebsiteWales West Light Railway

The Wales West Light Railway is a 1.6-kilometre (1 mi)[1] 2 ft (610 mm) narrow gauge tourist railway in Silverhill, Alabama owned by Ann and Ken Zadnichek.[1] It is built to simulate a Welsh narrow gauge railway.[1][2] The railway and associated RV park host over 30,000 visitors annually.[1]

Rolling stock

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Locomotives

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Dame Ann

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Steam locomotive Dame Ann in "Pumpkin Patch Express" livery
Dame Ann Exmoor Steam Railway builder's plate showing year of completion and works number.

Dame Ann is an 11,700-pound[1] 0-4-2ST steam locomotive built by Exmoor Steam Railway[2] in Bratton Fleming, England.[1][2] Her steam trials were completed at the Launceston Steam Railway in Cornwall.[2] She was delivered to the Wales West Light Railway in 2004.[1][2] Dame Ann is based on the Penrhyn Port Class locomotive built by Hunslet Engine Company in the 19th century.[2] At the time of her construction, she was the first Port Class Hunslet engine built in 83 years.[1][2]

Gareth

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Diesel locomotive Gareth, built by Motor Rail Ltd. operating at Wales West Light Railway in Silverhill, Alabama, USA

Gareth is a Simplex 40S[3] diesel locomotive built by British locomotive-building company Motor Rail in the mid 1960s.[2] The two thousand pound locomotive was purchased from Alan Keef Ltd for use in the construction of the Wales West Light Railway.[2] Gareth originally featured steam out-line body and had been used to pull a single car train in Scotland.[2] His new owners replaced the steam out-line body with a body modeled after the Simplex-type diesels produced by Alan Keef in the 1980s.[2]

Passenger cars

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Passenger cars on the Wales West Light Railway are replicas based on plans dating to the 19th century.[2] They are built of wood over steel frames with wheels imported from England, and are equipped with modern air brakes.[2]

7.5-inch railway

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Wales West Light Railway also operates a shorter 7.5" gauge miniature ridable railway.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Struck, Taylor Peyton. "All aboard! Wales West Light Railway offers an Alabama twist on a British tradition". AL.com. Alabama Media Group. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Wales West Light Railway official website". Wales West Light Railway. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Simplex Locomotives". Simplex 40S Locomotive. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
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