The SNBR is set in the
picturesque Swanley park, which contains apart from the railway, a large family
boating lake, sand pit, paddling pool, café, bouncy castle, kiddie electric
bikes and an excellent play ground, all inside the 60 acre park. The railway
however is not a pure pleasure line, with most of its custom coming from its
primary function as a transportation service of visitors and there bulky
luggage.
The SNBR is probably unique in the way it moves people from the main car park on
new barn road, up the hill and a quarter of a mile away to centre of the parks
attractions. The main station Lakeside resides between the main playground and
the café and is opposite the boating lake. This is why people coming to the
park, use the railway as a means of transport and also leads to the SNBR with a
rush hour style head ache on most high season afternoons.
Lakeside station also boasts an Ex-BR signal box, with its 36 lever frame. (for
more information about the signal box please use the link below). These levers
are miniature style levers, giving the impression that the signal box levers are
in keeping with the railways diminutive size. Lakeside station itself is a 4
road, 3 platform station, the 4th road being an engine release line. The station
also has a 16’ turntable at the far end, this is used to turn every engine after
arrival, so it can shunt round to the front of the train for its next departure.
On busy days it is often the case that a turn round engine is available, this
being a spare engine. The turn round engine would come off its arrival train,
turn round and wait for the following trains arrival to take its coaches. By
using this method, on very busy days it is likely that a signal or a point in
the signal box is being moved on average every 15 to 20 seconds, and a
locomotive being moved also at a similar interval. This makes lakeside one of
the most busiest stations and signal boxes in miniature anywhere in the world.
On gala days when a yard shuttle is being operated, and up to 7 trains on the
main line, the signal box is one of the most manic and hectic places to be. It
is common on busy days for the SNBR to require to strengthen or increase the
trains on the track at going home time, normally around 3.30pm. During our peak
period, trains are often sent out full and frequently to New Barn halt but will
return empty, as the visitors head home for the day, the rush normally ends
about 4.30pm. During these busy times, to accommodate the queuing public, we
often close platform 1, and place all services on platforms 2 and 3. This allows
us to keep the queue in order and also allows people to see the trains as they
run around for the next departure. On these busy days, even with a queue of 50
people, the time waiting for a train is normally only a maximum of 5 minutes.
The SNBR’s normal busy service sees a 3 train service with 4 engines (a turn
around engine), this leads to an average frequency of a train every 2 to 3
minutes around the circuit, with a total train departures in this situation
normally in excess of a 100 trains in a day.
The railway boasts a very demanding track, and although our trains on the flat
are very powerful, the SNBR only normally run a standard 5 coach train, 4
coaches for passengers and 1 coach for luggage. Each of our 4 sets are painted
in a different livery, and from the spares of each set and 5th set can be made,
often referred to as a patchwork set. We also boast a set of American wagons,
which are only used by our American engine, and thus are only seen on Sundays.
The SNBR circuit is 1km in length (just over ½ mile in old money) and is
notorious for its heavy and hard grades. Straight from leaving Lakeside, the
engine has to haul its train which can be anywhere up to 10tons in weight up the
1 in 80 gradient to the summit, before then descending down new barn bank at a
ruling grade of 1 in 50 to New Barn halt, a careful hand on the brake, is needed
to make sure the train stops at New Barn halt which is relatively flat by SNBR
standards. After leaving New Barn Halt the railway continues to fall at about 1
in 100 to what is known as cherry tree. This is the tree which is also the
closest to the main running line. From here it’s a steady 1 in 100 all the way
back to Lakeside, hard work for any engine. Every year a “wrong road running”
day is held, on this day the trains run the opposite way round the circuit,
meaning that each engine has to climb the 1 in 50 1/8 mile long new barn bank to
the summit, tough work for any engine.
The SNBR is also renowned for its fine collection of Diesel engines, which
supply the back bone of our revenue. Although we have a large collection of
steam engines, the diesel engines are the life blood of the railway. The Diesel
engines not only do all the winter work when we are relaying track or other such
repairs, but during the open season and especially during the summer holidays,
our diesel engines will clock up around 30 trips every day moving people around
the park. Unlike steam engines which require water stops to refill the tanks
with water, as well as time to rebuild the pressure and often the fire, due to
the heavy trains and demanding gradients, our diesels are able to just shunt and
go. Although our steam engines get the majority of the attention by the public,
being a transport service rather than a pleasure line, most of our passengers
are not fussed by form of motive power, they prefer to just get to the car park
as easily and as quickly as possible and so our Diesel fleet is essential for
this type of work. It is predicted that to do the same service (ie frequency of
trains) as offered by 4 diesels, we would require in the region of 5 or 6 steam
engines of the similar size of Sir Goss, and thus we would require not only more
members, but also more money to not only purchase or even build these engines,
but running costs would be substantially higher. Perhaps in years to come, we
will be in the position to run an intensive service with an all steam fleet, but
until then the diesels have a home, a use and a demand at the SNBR. Of the
diesels the two most popular by drivers and passengers alike are the Deltic
Tulyar and the experimental Kestrel. But our other diesels Hymek, 47 and the
SNCF are all extremely hard working, for more information about these engines
and other engines in the fleet the please go to the engines button the left.
Over the years the SNBR has matured (for the history of the railway see link
below) and grown, from a 1 engine service, to a peak of a 7 train service, and
for this our infrastructure has had to not only grow but also come reliable.
Over the years improvements to points and signals to make them further reliable,
as well as a complete reconstruction of the inside of the ticket office has had
to occur. To accommodate more and more engines and carriages a loco shed was
built and bigger and better workshop tools acquired to help maintain and improve
the infrastructure.
The SNBR is also proud of its youth members, and many of our adult members
started off as teenagers, helping to clip tickets, guard trains, logging train
movements and even shunt the trains. Since 1987 the membership has grown from
the founders to somewhere in the region of 50 members, with all these members
helping the SNBR at least 3 days a year, whether it be driving or replacing
sleepers on the track, our membership is the most important part of the railway.
As a voluntary organisation, we play trains with our giant 00 train set, for
pleasure and relaxation; this is why more often than not the driver has the
biggest smile on his face!!!
In 2007, the SNBR held a special Birthday party celebrating 21 years as a
railway. With visiting engines, model layouts, special train services to the
yard and road steam vehicles. An event that was opened by the Mayor of Swanley,
and was despite the weather still enjoyable.
Test Source:
SNBR