Newby Hall: Fascinating history of miniature railway at Yorkshire stately home where Lord Mountbatten and Jackie Stewart have driven trains

The Royal Scot and Countess de Grey miniature engines are celebrating 70 and 50 years of passenger service respectively and, from August 26 to 28, they will be joined by two guest miniature engines.

The railway in the grounds of the stately home near Ripon opened in 1971 and more than two million passengers have enjoyed journeys over its one and a quarter mile track through the estate’s award-winning gardens, which is operated today by a team of 12 volunteers.

Famous train drivers around the track have included Lord Mountbatten and racing driver Jackie Stewart.

The 10 1/4″ gauge railway was originally an end to end line, built by miniature railway equipment suppliers Cromar White, but the 12-minute journey has since been extended, and its dumb-bell loop even features a tunnel.

The Royal Scot steam engine, described as the ‘Rolls Royce’ of miniature locomotives, was built in 1953 by engineer Stanley Battison for a train enthusiast mill owner and ran around his private estate until it came up for auction after his death in 1971.

The loco is an exact one fifth miniature replica of the Royal Scot passenger express that ran between London Euston and Glasgow Central on the West Coast Main Line from 1927, and it was the first engine to run on the newly opened track at Newby.

Two year later, t he hall’s owners commissioned the Countess de Grey engine from manufacturer Severn Lamb.

S he is loosely based on Western region engines that ran between Paddington and Penzance.

Once powered by LPG, she is now driven by electric battery, with electricity generated via a turbine in the River Ure which runs through the estate’s grounds, producing zero emissions.

Bob Corrie is one of Newby’s engine drivers and engineers. Along with the rest of Newby’s volunteer team, he helped rebuild six train coaches, as well as working on the track, overhauling all the moving parts of the Royal Scot over last winter and building a new signalling system, enabling two trains to run in the busy summer season.

“Although my career was in IT, trains and railways are in my blood with my brother and two nephews working in the industry,” he said.

"We operate three engines on Newby’s track, but the Royal Scot is definitely our flagship engine with visitors being fascinated by all the moving parts, as well as its rarity value so we’re expecting a huge turnout for our special celebration of steam engines over the bank holiday.”