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Hornsby Road, CM0 8RZ

In August 2018 I went to Ais Gill Summit on the border between Cumbria and Yorkshire - the highest point on the Settle-Carlisle Line and the highest main line in England but the sign which used to be there was nowhere to be seen. Then in September 2018 I spotted it - at Mangapps Railway Museum in Essex.

There was never a railway at Mangapps but a wealthy farmer who loved railways was able to create on his farm a huge collection of memorabilia, including sidings, buildings, stations and a mile long line to run trains on. The collection at Mangapps Railway Museum is believed to be the largest on public display in Britain. It features a ¾ mile standard gauge passenger carrying line, with restored stations, signal boxes and ancillary equipment removed from various sites throughout East Anglia and beyond. The Railway and Museum are owned and operated by the Jolly family assisted by volunteers. The website can be found at http://www.mangapps.co.uk/ There is so much to see that it is difficult to pick highlights, but the signal box from Haddiscoe Junction, being able to operate the signals in this exhibition area, and going inside a 1938 stock Northern line train must be included. This is a real hidden gem of a place. This is just a small part of the collection.

This is inside an old Northern line carriage at Mangapps Railway Museum. It was not so long ago they were taken out of service, having trundled around since 1938. This one was used in the film 'The Darkest Hour' where Churchill meets ordinary Londoners.

This was originally from a Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway cottage in Norfolk. The plate towards the top of the cylinder reads: "M&GNJR"

I am not sure what this is showing, unless reminding people you can have bad days in Southend as well as sunny ones.

This is one of the Engine Sheds at Image Railway Museum. The engine is Minnie (#358) an 0-6-0 saddle tank engine of 1878 by Fox Walker Ltd. One of only four survivors from this manufacturer. She worked at Skenningrove Iron Company for most of the twentieth century. She has been in the hands of railway preservationists since 1968.

A natty little railcar built in 1965, resides at Image Railway Museum near Burnham on Crouch. There is a chance that if “Novelty”, built by John Ericsson and John Braithwaite had won the Rainhill trials in 1829 the rail network might have developed more like modern roads with small cars like this one rather than the overgrown colliery haulage system which grew out of Stephenson’s ideas. However, in those days freight was the real money spinner so small rail cars were only ever used for maintenance work. You can see two London Underground Trains in the background.

There was never a railway at Mangapps but a wealthy farmer who loved railways was able to create on his farm a huge collection of memorabilia, including sidings, buildings, stations and a mile long line to run trains on. The collection at Mangapps Railway Museum is believed to be the largest on public display in Britain. It features a ¾ mile standard gauge passenger carrying line, with restored stations, signal boxes and ancillary equipment removed from various sites throughout East Anglia and beyond. The Railway and Museum are owned and operated by the Jolly family assisted by volunteers. The website can be found at http://www.mangapps.co.uk/ There is so much to see that it is difficult to pick highlights, but the signal box from Haddiscoe Junction, being able to operate the signals in one of the exhibitions areas, and going inside a 1938 stock Northern line train must be included. This is a real hidden gem of a place. This is the view looking beyond some old trucks to the end of the platform of the main station at Mangapps. The green coach beyond is used for admissions and as a tea room.