News

 

A Press Statement from Sanday Light Railway,
Sanday Orkney Islands, Scotland - January 2007. (Updated 2008.)

PLEASE ALSO SEE FOOT OF THIS NEWS PAGE FOR   ONGOING  INFORMATION  IN REGARDS TO MISSING GOODS &  UPDATES,   AND  FURTHER INFORMATION DISPLAYED ON OUR LOCOS & STOCK PAGE.

With deep regret due to a change in Orkney Islands Council policy in December 2006 and after significant investment on our part, AND IN STRICT ACCORDANCE WITH OIC PLANNING REQUIREMENTS OVER EIGHT YEARS, & due to goods we have not received, we are unable to comply with OIC legal services demands, to continue with the running of Sanday Light Railway.  

Over the last eight years it has been our wish not to charge any visitors to our railway here on the island of Sanday, the U.K’s most northerly passenger carrying railway. We have given any donations received to local causes on our island, either to the R.N.L.I. or to Sanday Community School & its wonderful support of Minga School in Malawi Africa, after the school won a competition backed by the Scottish First Minister. Those children & teachers then visited Sanday Light Railway with government and council officials in September 2005.  (see this website.)

Our last donation was during December 2006 when an anonymous couple from Gloucester sent a donation of £100.00 for the school after visiting our railway here in the summer. Each time this amount or more has been raised, as in our wartime weekend last September,previous 'Ghost Trains' at Halloween, Easter Egg Hunts, and 'Santa Specials' and  all other previous events, £100.00 is the equivalent funding for the education of a pupil in Africa for a full year. (Source Malawi figures and our school from its visit to Africa.). Unfortunately we were unable to run the last planned events, this years Santa Specials due to the council’s last minute notice & conditions combined with the 'disappearance'  & non arrival of our goods as notified on our website during 2006.

This matter is currently still UNRESOLVED EITHER OF OUR LOSS OR GOODS WE LEFT IN GOOD FAITH IN CONTRACT WITH THIRD PARTIES SINCE REMOVED  FROM WHERE WE LEFT THEM IN DEVON BY ANOTHER  SEVEN & QUARTER  SOCIETY MEMBER ' IN DOCUMENT RETAINED CLAIMING TO BE REPRESENTING' THAT  FIRST OFFENDING PARTY..  ( REFERENCE STATEMENT ON,LOCOS & STOCK PAGE & 'LOST CONTAINER'.- FULL EVIDENCE RETAINED)

Throughout the railways existence we have taken great care with safety and in complying with the Health & Safety Executive and its guidelines for the safe operation of passenger carrying miniature railways as set down in its publications. Additional consideration for our passengers has also been taken through advice from the society we are proud to be members of, the Seven & Quarter Inch Gauge Society, meeting requirements and carrying public liability insurance for our railway. We are proud that during its life no accidents have occurred on our railway, injury to any passengers, visitors, or voluntary staff and no claim has been made against us or through our policy with our insurers on any occasion throughout our existence.  

The Orkney Islands Council has now without any prior notice in December 2006, in spite of being fully aware of the railway and heralding us as an ‘Established’ part of Sanday and this community and  our careful complying fully with all planing conditions, placed on the railway, and our venture, the council,  have decided   and implied we must have an entertainments licence. Insisting in addition we now need to hold increased liability insurance for a minimum of ten million pounds. The other additional conditions of the licence are far beyond that of a small independent non profit making railway that has been a labour of love that we have shared with both the island and it visitors over seven years.  Those demands have come to us in the same notice in regard to other duties we carry out as Appointed Registrar in Scottish Law to perform duties of appointment and that of a request to us by our Patron 'Sir Peter Maxwell Davies' Master Of The Queens Music to perform a civil partnership on our premises.Those facts  however are recorded by other parties  and in the media elsewhere.

 It is also ironic that had we received the goods in which we had invested significant funds over a year ago, we would have in part, complied with council demands and may have had other options to continue in the running of the railway. We would not however have compromised either safety or our policy of not charging, and continued giving any donations to our causes here and in Africa in which we believe most strongly .  

It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that Sanday Light Railway has no other option than to close the United Kingdoms most northerly passenger carrying railway with immediate effect. (December 2006.) 

We wish to thank those many thousands of visitors of all ages, from the UK, the States, Japan, Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond who visited us here and our beautiful islands. Our railways legacy will remain in the press and media coverage we have had over the last seven years, and our website will remain a permanent reminder of those who came and shared something that was unique for the Orkney Islands. It remains to be seen if in time our listing by H.M.S.O. ordnance survey maps for Orkney & Sanday will state, ’Miniature Railway.’ (Disused.) It would remain our lasting epitaph.   At this time our tearooms & B&B which fully complied with many additional O.I.C. conditions throughout building, will reopen at Easter 2007.(Although this may change.) 

 Irrespective of the loss of the railway here, Sanday ( As indeed are all the Orkney Islands.) remains a beautiful, wonderful and most desirable place to live and work. For our part it took both vision and dedication to achieve what we did here at Sanday Light Railway.We were more than happy to share what we created with our many visitors. (We estimate over Twenty Five Thousand since 2001.)  

It  was  in our trust and respect of others within our own fraternity and  those officials in local authority who are placed in a position of trust and against  internal politics and events that Sanday Light Railway has most regrettably been forced to close.  

We leave for those who visited us and rode on our trains here, and shared with us the stunning views of our islands and those around us, as they rode on our line, memories that we sincerely hope will be cherished, as will our own of those who visited Sanday Light Railway for many years to come… (  N.B. SEE ALSO FOOT OF THIS PAGE AND LOCOS & STOCK PAGE.)

www.sandaylightrailway.co.uk  
Sanday Light Railway

January 2007

 

BELOW :- SOME BACKGROUND NEWS FROM OUR WEBSITE ARCHIVE:-

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Sanday Light Railway is proud to state  we opened 'officially' with the ribbon cut by the 'Master of the Queen's Music' Sir Peter Maxwell Davies on 11th August 2006 with full press and TV in attendance (S.L.R. DVD to follow this winter). Our special thanks to 'Max' for a wonderful opening speech after returning to our island from London and an appointment at the 'Proms' with Her Majesty the Queen, to honor us and the islanders and visitors who attended our long awaited opening celebrations from those humble beginnings seven years ago...

The railway now runs from 'Sanday Central' and the car park down to our new 'Brief Encounters' tearooms .( Please be advised some building work remains outstanding and visitors are NOT ALLOWED TO WANDER FREELY AROUND THE ADJOINING FIELD or around the original line. (Completion A.S.A.P.) We also hope to commence both B&B En Suite from 12th September and more excitingly our new 'Pullman A La Carte Silver Service' evening meals three times a week.(Subject  still to building completion and weather conditions.!)  Our chef has come our of retirement from both the old 10 o'clock from King's Cross 'The Flying Scotsman' and Pullman chef on the celebrated North York's Moors Railway.

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INFORMATION FROM OUR WEBSITE SHOWING OUR WORK.

Updated  31st August  2006

** NEW  TEAROOMS  ARE NOW OPEN  AFTER UNEXPECTED DELAYS AND PROBLEMS WITH  THE NEW BUILDING WITH OUR  ** PULLMAN A LA CARTE SERVICE COMMENCING 12TH September. **( BOOKING ESSENTIAL  BUT SUBJECT TO  BUILDING AND WEATHER CONDITIONS..!.)

DETAILS OF WORK COMPLETED THIS YEAR. (2006)

Work on the line extension to the car park is now  complete. Bridges & crossings are in place (The only level crossing in the Orkney Islands!). The approach to the new sSeptember the car park, 'Sanday Central' is  now finished AFTER COMPLING WITH ADDITIONAL COUNCIL PLANNING CONDITIONS AND FULL DISABLED PARKING AND ACCESS REQUIREMENTS,  with fencing,picnic area, gates,water column &  barrow crossing in place. The wonderful scale Great Western signal box for  'Sanday Central' ( A second  is also in place  now at  'Northern Lights' ) has arrived from Scaleway Signals near Bristol ,( With its own original  Victorian full size Southern lever frame.) along with two new Lynton & Barnstaple carriages  fetched from SCALEWAY SIGNALS   near Bristol by  Mcadie Reevie our Orkneys mainland carriers.  Both signal boxes are in position one  painted in'Midland Railway' colours to compliment its surroundings at Sanday Central... (Sanday Central station now has its new roof giving protection to our passegers whilst waiting for a train.. ) A second box has arrived from Joe Nemith at Scaleway Signals and is now painted  in Southern Colours and in postion  outside our tearooms at 'Northern Lights'  We have had to extend  'Northern Lights Station due to the numbers of passengers to double its original length to accomadate the demand of four & five carriagScale way final stage this autumn is to install a traverser at SandayCentral  along with a 40' trestle bridge on one of the most stunning parts of the line before the Hallooween Ghost trains run in Ocotber & Santa Specials before the winter storms set in from the Atlantic.

Souvenir Pens Pencils  & enamel pin badges have arrived for the railway  along with postcards  to form a part of our 'Railway Letter Service'...We also have original  size Edmondson ticketsSCALE WAY for all those who ride on the line that also make wonderful keepsakes.... (  Or if you can't visit & collect them drop us a line..! )

If  you do visit us here on Sanday this year, you will receive a 'warm Orcadian Welcome'  from the minute you turn off the  ferry road and approach the station.  Our aim is for you & your family to step back in time  to a 'narrow gauge' world  in minature....To relax in our tea rooms with linen table cloths...bone china...and home made cakes and scones, surrounded by railwayana of a bygone era  along with stunning views to enthrall you throughout your visit....( Which will also continue as you explore our beautiful island...)  

 Our 'Brief Encounters' tearooms & Victorian conservatory are  now  ( ALMOST.) complete  to share with  the islanders and the many visitors who come to us each year here on Sanday... Phase three on the railway  began in October 2005,  ( Click here for more photos ) with steel rail & pointwork from Cromar White  collected from Aberdeen before Christmas. Over two thousand sleepers have been  treated, cut, drilled & laid on a trackbed that has taken four months to complete. This stage is now finished down to 'Northern Lights' outside our new  'Brief Encounters' tearooms.( We expect to complete the ballon loop in the next two weeks to return passengers to the carpark for a complete 'Park & Ride.'  Although passengers will be able to stay on the trains and continue around the rest of the line.)  Both Tinkerbells are serviced on a weekly basis and are in full running order with 24 hr.heating in the engine shed.  'Eday' the 0-4-2  narrow gauge petrol loco we purchased & collected from Devon has now been correctly repainted  & serviced by a local engineering agent after the  poor state she was in, and is now carrying out  daily 'permanent way' duties building the new line. 'Papay (Named after the island of Papa Westray you can see as you ride around our line, and the shortest commercial air route in the world.) is our original outline petrol loco, her engine  is thirty years old...(Originally a Mardyke loco.) and is on light 'Pilot' duties only....

New finials for our signals have come to us from one of the islanders here who has had a 'cottage industry' going making them for us...They look superb around the line  discouraging the gulls, oystercatchers & curlews from trying to perch on them although its a joy to see our resident Robins using them for dawn & evening chorus to mark their territory & attract a mate for nesting....When the otters return again, and migrating whales pass us through 'Lashy Sound' overlooked by our croft, we will be sure spring perhaps has finally arrived and another 'Orcadian Summer awaits'....Long days of wonderful light and only the briefest of hours of darkness with possible 'Northern Lights' dancing across our skies here in the land of 'The Midnight Sun'...Perhaps you too this year may join us...

STOP PRESS ** If you want to read another viewpoint of the railway here and its dramatic setting, local journalist Jules Welstead has written an article published in the 'Scotsman' supplement on Saturday 4th MARCH  under ' Island Life' . Both TV , Radio &  latest press releases will be available here through links in the next few weeks.

We are still  after  almost a year expecting the purchased 'delayed' 4 Lynton & Barnstaple carriages & the 11 HP Narrow gauge diesel 0-4-0 loco from Ireland along with the two car  electric Pullman unit to arrive from  East Sussex. When they do finally arrive here we will post photo's in the Gallery next update.( 'Late Arrival's ' still sometimes happen even here..although  leaves on the line' don't occur as we have no trees..! )

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Goods still  owned by and retained in  LEGAL contract by Sanday Light Railway . ( CLARIFIED AND UPDATED ON OUR HOME PAGE 2008.)  None of these goods have a clear title to any party offered them by other parties without our expressed permission...  2007,  (Updated 2008. ) Please contact us or the police if you have any knowledge as to their whereabouts. sandaylightrailway@hotmail.co.uk

Click photos for larger image:

ALL GOODS 7 1/4'' GAUGE UNLESS RE-GUAGED BY THIRD PARTIES.

ONE:-     1 x RS2 Roanoke Petrol Hyd Locomotive & Tender. (Royal Blue) Serial no. 0403015

TWO:-    2 x Scale way carriages AS DISPLAYED HOMEPAGE. (Both  Royal Blue with S.L.R. on carriage sides.* Update photos now sent to us show S.L.R. painted out in East Sussex named location.2007.)

THREE:-1 x 0-4-0 Narrow Gauge Diesel Locomotive ' Green Gremlin' (Believed to be possibly somewhere in  East Sussex)

FOUR:-  1. G.W.R. Class 1366  super detailed locomotive & scale GWR cattle wagon driving car with fitted water tanks.

FIVE:-    1 x  2 car electric Pullman set, in contract photos sent to us which 'appear' to in fact be the well known set 'Doris' in Sussex.

Any information  would be most gratefully received to us here, the Seven & Quarter Society Limited ,or to your local police who can contact us or Kirkwall Police.

sandaylightrailway@hotmail.co.uk