Lappa Valley Steam Railway

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Lappa Valley Steam Railway
15 in (381 mm) gauge steam locomotive Zebedee leaves Benny Halt with a train
Locale	Newquay, Cornwall, UK
Terminus	St Newlyn East
Commercial operations
Built by	Great Western Railway
Original gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
Preserved operations
Owned by	Privately owned
Operated by	Lappa Valley Railway Co. Ltd
Stations	2
Length	1 mile (1.6 km)
Preserved gauge	15 in (381 mm)
Commercial history
Opened	4 February 1905
Closed	4 February 1963
Preservation history
16 June 1974	Lappa Valley Railway opened

The Lappa Valley Railway is a 15 in (381 mm) minimum gauge railway located near Newquay in Cornwall. The railway functions as a tourist attraction, running from Benny Halt (50°22′32″N 5°02′28″W / 50.3756°N 5.0412°W / 50.3756; -5.0412 (Benny Halt)) to East Wheal Rose (50°21′44″N 5°02′30″W / 50.3623°N 5.0416°W / 50.3623; -5.0416 (East Wheal Rose)), where there is a leisure area with two miniature railways.

In 1843, Joseph Treffry suggested building a tramway between Par and Newquay, with a branch line to the East Wheal Rose silver lead mine, which at the time was entering its most prosperous period. Treffry spent six years trying to overcome public opposition to the tramway and was forced to modify his intended route. The Treffry Tramways were eventually built from Newquay to St. Dennis with the branch line to East Wheal Rose, and the first load of ore left East Wheal Rose on 26 February 1849 in horse-drawn tubs. 1874 saw the Treffry's network of tramways taken over by the Cornwall Minerals Railway, who introduced steam locomotives to the line.

The Great Western Railway took over the Cornish Minerals Railway in 1896, and incorporated the East Wheal Rose branch into a new railway from Newquay to Chacewater via. Perranporth. This new railway was opened in 1905, and enabled passengers to reach the market town of Truro much quicker than they had before. The Newquay to Chacewater branch line also proved popular for holidaymakers. The railway closed on 4 February 1963 under the Beeching cuts.

The Lappa Valley Steam Railway was established by Eric Booth in the 1970s. The trackbed was cleared of the thick undergrowth that had grown since the closure of the railway in 1963, and 15 in (381 mm) gauge track was laid for 1 mile (1.6 km) between Benny Halt and East Wheal Rose. A brand new steam locomotive Zebedee was built for the line by Severn Lamb, arriving in early 1974 with 4 locally-built carriages. The railway opened to the public on 16 June 1974. A large boating lake was dug at East Wheal Rose in 1975 to drain the area, and the whole East Wheal Rose area landscaped. More locomotives arrived from Longleat in 1976, with more carriages also being built at the time. In the 1970s a 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge railway was laid around a smaller boating lake, whilst a third railway, of 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge, running a further 1⁄2 mi (805 m) along the old trackbed was opened in May 1995.

In 2014 a new owner acquired the railway and made various improvements. A new visitor attraction called the 'Engine Shed' opened in 2021.

• Benny Halt
• East Wheal Rose

At East Wheal Rose, the 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge Newlyn Branch Line and 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge Woodland Railway depart from the top station on the Newlyn Branch Line, where there is another children's play area.

There are two lakes, the biggest being the boating lake, the second smaller lake being the wildlife lake, a crazy golf course and many children's play areas. Also there are a gift shop and licensed café, and a brick path maze depicting the first steam locomotive built by Richard Trevithick, along with many walks through the valley.

Number	Name	Gauge	Type	Builder	Built	Origin	Notes
1	Zebedee	15 in (381 mm)	0-6-4T	Severn Lamb	1974	Built for Lappa Valley	Rebuilt from 0-6-2T in 1990.
2	Muffin	15 in (381 mm)	0-6-0	Berwyn Engineering	1967	Longleat House	Arrived in 1976
3	Ruby	15 in (381 mm)	0-4-2T	Exmoor Steam Railway	1997	Formerly named Dennis, built for Brocklands Adventure Park	Arrived July 2015
4	Ellie	15 in (381 mm)	0-4-2T	Exmoor Steam Railway	2006	Originally built for a private line, was regauged from 12 1/4 inch gauge	Arrived August 2017
50	City of Truro	15 in (381 mm)	B-B DH	Alan Keef Ltd	2023	Built for Lappa Valley	[1] [2]
	City of Derby	15 in (381 mm)	BR Class 23 'Baby Deltic'	Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway	2003	Markeaton Park Light Railway	Arrived September 2016
	Arthur	15 in (381 mm)	0-4-0DM	RA Lister and Company	1952	Worked at Longleat for a number of years	Works Number 20698
	Duke of Cornwall	10+1⁄4 in (260 mm)	4w-4wPH	Severn Lamb	1981	Carlyon Bay, St Austell
	Eric	10+1⁄4 in (260 mm)	0-6-0DH	Alan Keef	2008	Built for Lappa Valley	Named after the founder of Lappa Valley
	The Duke	10+1⁄4 in (260 mm)	0-6-0DH	Alan Keef	2014	Built for the Wells Harbour Railway	Arrived in 2021
	Howard	10+1⁄4 in (260 mm)	0-6-0DH	Alan Keef	2005	Built for the Wells Harbour Railway	Arrived in 2021. Steam Outline.
		7+1⁄4 in (184 mm)	4-4wPH	Mardyke	1980		HST
		7+1⁄4 in (184 mm)	4w+4wPH	Mardyke	1982		Model of Advanced Passenger Train

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lappa Valley Steam Railway.

• Railway website