The Beeches Light Railway was a private narrow gauge railway in Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire, England, in the garden of Adrian Shooter. The line contained one station, Rinkingpong Road (Bengali: রিনকিংপং রোড) at an elevation of 351 feet (107 m) above sea level.
History
Adrian Shooter (driver, right) with Jeremy Davey (fireman, left) onboard locomotive No.19 at Beeches in 2019.
In 2019, Shooter announced that the Beeches Light Railway would close at the end of the year. It was planned to move the railway to a new, larger location, reopening in spring 2020. As of December 2022 the railway remained in situ, but was dismantled in the months following, after Adrian Shooter's death. The house, including the station building and sheds were put up for sale in 2023.
Track
The nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) railway track with a gauge of 2 ft (610 mm) was built between 2002 and 2004. It resembled a figure of eight, with a loop around the back garden and another around the front, where it crossed the main drive. An Indian-style railway station and sheds were behind the house. The theme of an Indian railway was present throughout, including the name of the station ("Ringkingpong Road Station"), fare evasion signs citing Indian rupees, and some interior decorations as well. Although the railway was private, and not subject to rail regulations, it was run professionally by Shooter and experienced volunteers with railway rulebooks and regulations, and the steam engine had to be certified each year.
Two modern replicas of the carriages used on the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway were occasionally used to transport invited guests. These carriages were commissioned from Boston Lodge works, to accompany the locomotive.
Draisine
Adrian Shooter's draisine of the type 'Ford Model T' on the Beeches Light Railway
Shooter owned also a replica Ford Model-T motorcar that he ran on the tracks. It is based on a modified car used by the USA railway to inspect tracks on the Sandy River and Rangeley Lakes Railroad. The replica was commissioned from the Statfold Barn Railway. It includes a jacking system that will lift the wheels free of the rails and allow it to be rotated on its axis in order to go the other way round.
Additional rolling stock
Stored in the railway shed there was some rolling stock from the London Mail Rail, an underground goods railway line, which was used to transport letters and parcels between sorting depots before it was mothballed.
Visiting locomotives
On 1 July 2018 the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Society celebrated its twentieth anniversary at the line. Two visiting locomotives were in steam: W. G. Bagnall 0-4-0ST Woto, and Baguley 0-4-0T Rishra (formerly of a Kolkata (Calcutta) water works in India).
Works #3518; DHR No.19. Rebuilt at Tindharia Works (1908). Overhauled (1956). Withdrawn (30 September 1960). Purchased by Elliot Donnelley (1962) for Ampersand, Reset and South Eastern Railroad, Lake Forest, Illinois, US. Relocated to Hesston Steam Museum, US (1967; 1982‒). Damaged by fire (26 May 1985), restored (1985), retired (1988). Purchased by Adrian Shooter (2002). Arrived at Tyseley Locomotive Works (19 January 2003‒). Rebuilt with tender and railway air brakes (2003). Beeches Light Railway, England (2004‒2023). Purchased by Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust (21 June 2023). Relocated to Statfold Barn Railway, England (2023‒). Planned overhaul (2024).
Beeches Light Railway, England; 4 windows, door, 5 windows Purchased by Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust (21 June 2023). Relocated to Statfold Barn Railway (2023‒).
Beeches Light Railway, England; 1 window, door, 6 windows, door, 1 window; end window Purchased by Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust (21 June 2023). Relocated to Statfold Barn Railway (2023‒).
As of March 2023, after Adrian Shooter's death, the 1 mile (1.6 km) of track, plus rolling stock from the railway were auctioned for sale in June 2023. The winning bid for 778 was by The Darjeeling Tank Locomotive Trust, who managed to buy both 778 and the two replica coaches, which are now based at Statfold Country Park.
References
^Plumb, Geoff (24 June 2011). রিনকিংপং রোড [Rinkingpong Road] (JPG). Retrieved 25 February 2013.
^Davis, Samuel; Heritage Collection (30 July 2019). Conclusion(PDF). Heritage Assessment The Beeches, Steeple Aston (Report). Cherwell District. pp. 18, 26. The railway that runs around this field and the garden is unusual, but it was built in the 21st century and so has no heritage interest. … The Beeches consists of a house built c.1908, a number of outbuildings, a field to the west of the site and a miniature railway built between 2002 and 2004. The proposal is for the construction of eight residential properties. Two replacing the outbuildings to the north-east of the site and six within the field to the west.
^Malcolm Payne Group (26 July 2019). Indicative Layout(PDF) (plan). The Beeches, Steeple Aston. Cherwell District. Existing buildings/structures to be removed
^Savills. The Beeches(brochure) (Report). Guide Price £2,250,000 … two generous steel frame corrugated metal sheds with full height double doors to one end, one with a full inspection pit … A railway station (replica of one on the Darjeeling/Himalayan railway line), … with four sets of double doors to the platform/terrace and paddock … brochure prepared July 2023
^ Sinha, Kounteya (18 September 2014). "Love for Darjeeling toy train makes Briton buys off world's oldest surviving locomotive". Times of India. Retrieved 13 January 2016. model number 778 … run it in his personal garden … tracks over 1.5 km is in the form of a loop … Ambassador car that runs by the train when it chugs through his garden to give it a real feel of Darjeeling. … station that looks exactly like the original Sukna station
^Hearn, Dan (28 May 2010). "Rail boss with a special train set". Oxford Mail. Retrieved 10 December 2015. three-acre estate at Steeple Aston, near Bicester.
^Debroy, Bibek (1 January 2016). "Locomotive number 778". Business Standard. India. owns Beeches Light Railway. Indeed, it operates out of his residence in Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire.
^Sharma, Anuradha (14 August 2014). "An Indian Relic in Oxfordshire". Forbes India. Retrieved 13 January 2015. Shooter bought an "arts and crafts" style house in Steeple Aston village, shipped in a Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (DHR) steam locomotive and set up his own private railway—the Beeches Light Railway—in his three-acre garden.
^Sinha, Kounteya (19 September 2014). "Oldest toy train chugs through British garden". Times of India. Retrieved 13 January 2016. two replicas of DHR carriages were constructed at the Boston Lodge Works of the Ffestiniog Railway. These and the locomotive run in Adrian Shooter's private garden railway.
^Hewitt, Sam (15 August 2018). "Darjeeling society marks its 20th anniversary at Beeches". News. The Railway Magazine. Mortons Media. Retrieved 20 June 2024. Bagnall 0-4-0ST Woto worked a train of replicated DHR goods stock, while Baguley 0-4-0T Rishra steamed back and forth along the station loop line; a wheel profile incompatibility with the station turnouts preventing running on the main line circuit.
^"Lot 161: The 19B Darjeeling 'B' Class locomotive. 1889". H J Pugh. Retrieved 20 June 2024. Sharp Stewart & Co, Glasgow engine number 3518 of 1889 … original roof. The locomotive has 8 replica plates attached to it, the original plates are to be sold as separate lots after the sale of the 19B. The plates also show the Hindi equivalent. … Hammer: £250,000
^ Murray, Andrew (25 August 2018). "The Beeches Light Railway". Fixture Reports. Branch Line Society website. The Branch Line Society. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
^"Hunslet Diesel Locomotive 9349 of 1994 originally built as tunnelling contractors locomotive". H J Pugh. cab being modified for the Beeches Light Railway. Originally used for construction of the Jubilee underground line. It weighs approx 12 ton and is rated at 85 hp, it is fitted with twin pipe air brakes. 15ft … has to stay onsite until all the other trains are cleared as this is being used for shunting Hammer: £14,000
^"Lot 168: Model T petrol car modified to run on 2ft gauge railway". Retrieved 20 June 2024. Fitted with a turntable allowing the car to be lifted from the rails turned and then lowered to face in the opposite direction. Still with its original engine. The Ford Model T was converted by Neil Tuckett of Tuckett Brothers Model T specialists. This vehicle was modelled on an inspection car from the Maine (USA) Narrow gauge railway. Hammer: £25,000
^Seabrook, Ian; Miss HubNut (1 June 2024). New rail museum! Vale of Rheidol Railway, Aberystwyth(offset 11:28). HubNut. Retrieved 17 July 2024 – via YouTube. …this is a recreation that someone built, for their own garden railway … based on a Model T Ford … has a turntable mechanism built into it.
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