Warley Model Railway Club
Railway modelling in most scales and gauges
Warley Model Railway Club, Unit 1F Pearsall Drive, Oldbury, West Midlands, B69 2RA
Registered as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) Charity No: 1153792
Nancledre Harbour started life as a commissioned project being built by Warley member Lawrence Stibbs. The commission was subsequently stopped and Lawrence continued to build it for his own pleasure.
Sadly this was not to be and following his untimely death, his widow passed it on to the club. Since then it has undergone a fair bit of rebuilding, although the original concept is still in place. The layout is freestanding, approx. 3m long x 0.6m wide. The control panel is mounted on the right hand end, whilst operation is from the front using a NCE system. This easily lets the operator discuss various aspects with the visitor. Space behind is only needed to recover any derailed stock!! A single 240 volt 13A supply is required.
Nancledre is a small Cornish village midway between St Ives and Penzance. The harbour came into being when the local landowner joined the rush to extract tin from the moorland above the village and realised the best way to get the raw material out of the Duchy was by sea. With the coming of the railways, the cart track was converted and a narrow gauge line was put in place, known affectionately as O&DLR (Oneslip & Downe Light Railway). This eventually fell into disuse until the upsurge in holidays and railway preservation brought about its re-opening, in the process of which a long closed warehouse was opened to reveal a veritable Aladdin’s cave of rolling stock from times long passed. Locos were more of a problem but most were rescued or borrowed from abandoned or other preserved lines both in the UK and Europe. At the same time the opportunity was taken to extend the line along the coast to the local beach and on towards Penzance. Suddenly Nancledre (Harbour) became a through station. To maintain the link between the old and new, some of this old stock has been renovated and as well as the passenger service, freight trains typical of times past are to be seen.
Today the members of the local Home Guard re-enactment group have gathered for a parade on the station, whilst Glascotts Hotel (previously Sea View Hotel) hosts a wedding, where the bride and groom (the secretary of the local car collectors club) are having their picture taken prior to greeting their guests.
We hope you enjoy your visit to our bit of Cornwall and that it evokes memories of
"Last year in Cornwall - remember?”
But remember - we seldom display it twice without some development having taken place - latest being the caravan park and associated railway Halt
For more info, contact:
Alf Fantham
Nancledre Harbour - On16.5
