Railway with a bob's worth of Salt

Image: © A-M-Jervis Taken: 25 Feb 1968

In 1954 Sir Thomas Salt commenced construction of the 10¼-inch gauge Shillingstone Light Railway (SLR) in the fields surrounding Shillingstone House to show that small-gauge railways could be of use in farming. Eventually it formed a complete circuit with two spurs in the middle leading to rolling stock sheds. Most of its "stations" served pig-sties but the one in the picture, furthest from the house, sat in the middle of a field and was called Four Oaks on account of the surrounding trees. When Sir Thomas, who was also president of the Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway, died in 1965, his widow approached that railway for advice on maintaining the SLR. Some of its members more local to Dorset than Wales then enlisted the Bournemouth Railway Club to assist and from 1966 until about 1972 regular visits were made to relay or repair vandalised track, solve drainage problems, mow the grass round the sheds and -- er -- play trains. The snaller locomotive, "Belle", stands on freshly ballasted track with wagon No 2, whose sides were hinged at the top to enable the contents to be shovelled out. Unfortunately, diminishing interest eventually resulted in the railway being lifted and auctioned, but the line's three locomotives, at least, still survive elsewhere.

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