We try and hold two open days a year May/ June and September.

Why we have open days? Through out the year you get people who say "I would love to come and see the railway". If you are not careful you find yourself doing the rounds showing every Tom, Dick and Harry around.

Not only do open days give you a date to which you can let Tom, Dick and Harry come, it is also the time when to see the railway at its best- busy with trains.

On a busy open day we have seen over 800 trains run.

Schematic of the Layout

Trains will be run in a clockwise direction offering the driver/signal man a choice of two routes.

PLEASE NOTE

The aim of an open day is to simply run trains + hopefully raise some money for our local hospice. The notes below are aimed at helping the day run smoothly and to try and avoid any confusion.

• DO NOT WALK ON THE TRACK - it is strong enough but ballast gets knocked on to the rail and derails trains.
• No foot acccess in the tunnel.
• Under 16 drivers need to be accompanied by parent/gaurdian on the train and only pull their own family members.
• We can demonstrate how to re rail trains but they are the responsibility of the driver.
• We do not do child minding services - visiting youngsters are more than welcome but are the responsibility of their parent/guardians.
• We appreciate common sense. If someone (adult or child) is doing something wrong then please tell them off and let us know.
• Obey the signals. There are several which are critical and missing these will cause an accident. If you are unable to follow the signals you will be asked to stop driving.
• Only embark and disembark in the station areas. Doing so outside the stations damages the garden + causes delays.

NOTES

Visiting locos

• We have 10' radius corners so no 0-6-0's(or bigger) or long wheelbase trains.
• We would prefer electric engines to have deadmans, spring return controllers or other emergency stop feature- essential for under 16 drivers.
• Steam engines must have current boiler certificate.
• Happy for you to park on the drive to load and unload but please park across the road to allow others to do the same.
• We have two main sidings for loading/unloading. Please let the signal man know if you would like to put your train on the track so it can be done with out stopping other trains.

Railway Hazards

• There is limited clearance all around the railway - keep knees and hands in at all times.
• Head room - low height in the tunnel and under the foot bridge.
• Points - the points in front of the top end shed are facing points - should be locked so do shout at any tampering little fingers.
• Obey the signals. There are several which are critical and missing these will cause an accident. If you are unable to follow the signals you will be asked to stop driving.
• Please be aware that some drivers seem to be oblivious to signals. Simple actions such as slowing in the tunnel and approaching crossings can greatly reduce the chance of an accident.
• Please report all safety issues to the signal man.
• Combined path and track - limited clearance for people to step out of the way

Garden Hazards

• Uneven paving and surface areas
• Pond - fenced but this may not stop young children getting in it
• Foot bridge - will take adult weight but the hand rail is low and does not provide any fall protection
• Tunnel top and the heap - dumping ground - please stay off
• Combined path and track - limited clearance so stay out of the path of trains
• May contain nuts

Paul Middleton