Our History

The history of the early Railway in Barking Park seems to have been lost in the mists of time. The more senior park users assure me that the Railway first ran along a small spit of land between the Lake and Loxford River. We have walked this length of land and tried to find any photographs of the line but alas to no avail, maybe you have some?

The first account of the Railway dates back to the early 1950's when the railway was mentioned as a Park Attraction. Also mentioned were the boats and a Paddle Steamer, 'Phoenix II', which operated on the lake. The Railway was an unusual 9 1/2" gauge and steam hauled by a locomotive at the time called The Empress, built by H.C.S Bullock in 1932. She operated at Barking Park for many years, before being passed through various private owners, before being restored by Bob Bullock (no relation to builder). She now operates at the Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway, in the more conventional 10.25" gauge.

New carriages for the Railway were purchased in 1972 and were the sit-in type, small and comfortable for children, though adults with long legs found them a trial.

The Railway ran in a cutting alongside the roadway in the park, and water from the road would gather on the track. This led to corrosion of the metal sleepers and deterioration of the track bed. The high cost of maintanience along with the fall in passenger numbers forced the owner to close the railway and it was sold back to the council.

After several unsuccessful attempts to find an operator, the railway look doomed and plans were made to remove it completely. At the eleventh hour an operator was found and with the utmost co-operation from the council a plan was formed to relay the track using the gauge of 7.1/4". The track was purchased and laid by a father and son team, the Council bought and craned in a 'Station', in the form of a 40' long container, clad in wood to resemble a challet, witha Ticket Office at one end and a loco store at the other.

The last loco to run on the Railway, 'Little Nan' is still in store, she has seen much better days. She was powered by a Ford Popular 1179cc side valve engine, driving a generator and two large motors on each axle. Alas she no longer starts or runs and currently awaiting funds re-gauging and a new power plant in the hope that one day she may once again pull passengers on our track. The old turntable at 'Lakeside Halt' remains, with our track laid over the top, this will be needed if we are to remove and repair Little Nan.