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Rio Grande 2-8-2 "Otto Mears” No. 498 at Dobwalls Adventure Park Forest Railroad Station, Cornwall. This is an actual model of K37 (No 498) a three foot gauge prototypes of the Denver and Rio Grande system. It was built to a scale of 2 inches to the foot (one sixth scale), compared to the one eighth scale for a 7¼ inch gauge model of a standard gauge locomotive. This plus five other steam locomotives and four diesels, all scale models of American locos and built from the original drawings, belonged to the Southern family at Dobwalls Adventure Park, Cornwall, England. After 35 years and some 7 million passengers the last train ran at the end of the summer season in 2007. At that time the family were undecided as to the future of the railway. The following year while talking with Malcolm Southern as he showed me the changes he was making to the park he did tell me that they had decided to sell everything to do with the railway. His and the families greatest wish was that the whole collection would be keep together but he admitted that with a price tag of around £300,000 per loco they were not hopeful. Photographed 19th September 2001. © Adrian D. Smith. Plymouth, England.

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Rio Grande 2-8-2 "Otto Mears” No. 498 at Dobwalls Forest Railroad Station, Cornwall. This is an actual model of K37 (No 498) a three foot gauge prototypes of the Denver and Rio Grande system. It was built to a scale of 2 inches to the foot (one sixth scale), compared to the one eighth scale for a 7¼ inch gauge model of a standard gauge locomotive. Many of the locomotives at Dobwalls were built by Severn-Lamb UK Limited from the original drawings of the full size locomotives, which were then exactingly scaled down, with every part reproduced in perfect detail. Photographed 19th September 2001. © Adrian D. Smith. Plymouth, England.

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Amtrak liveried Co-Co + Co-Co E8 twin unit "Spirit of America" Nos. 248/258 in a siding by the engine shed at Dobwalls Adventure Park Forest Railroad, Cornwall. The park had two separate tracks modelled on routes of the Rio Grande and Union Pacific Railroads following a spectacular route that took them through cuttings, into tunnels, across bridges and embankments allowing the lines to pass over or under each other. The only interconnection of the routes was at the station. The need to pull heavily loaded trains up the significant gradients of the Forest Railroad meant that one eighth scale models of British locomotives were not going to be anywhere near strong enough for the task. The Southern family decided to use far more powerful American-style locomotives in various scales. The engines normally pulled eight bogie cars with passengers saddle sitting and carrying between forty and fifty people at a time. That was some weight to pull but it was never a problem to these fantastic machines. Photographed 19th September 2001. © Adrian D. Smith. Plymouth, England.

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Union Pacific DDA40X Do-Do "Centennial" No. 6908 in a siding by the engine shed at Dobwalls Adventure Park Forest Railroad, Cornwall. The good news is that this most unique collection of passenger carrying miniature steam and diesel locomotives anywhere in the World and widely regarded as the premier collection of 7¼ inch exact replicas of original locomotives built by the Union Pacific and Rio Grande railroad companies were all sold to an English businessman, owner of Plowman’s Nursery and Plant Centre in Ferndown, Bournemouth, England. THe bad news is that he had problems with planning permission so the colloction has now been sold to Colin Rees a transport magnet in Melbourne Australia. They will be part of a private project to build a seven and a quarter inch railroad next to the 'Puffing Billy' Railway at Old Monbulk Road, Belgrave 3160, Victoria, Australia. The locomotives now in Australia are:- Steam Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 "William Jeffers" (Big Boy) No. X4008 Union Pacific 4-8-2 "Queen of Wyoming" No. 818 Union Pacific 4-8-2 "Queen of Nebraska" No. 838 Rio Grande 2-8-2 "General Palmer" No. 488 Rio Grande 2-8-2 "Otto Mears" No. 498 Freelance 2-6-2 "David Curwen" No. 88 Diesel Union Pacific DDA40X Do-Do "Centennial" No. 6908 Rio Grande GP35 Bo-Bo "Mathias Baldwin" No. 3008 Santa Fe FP45 Co-Co "Pioneer" No. 5908 Amtrak liveried Co-Co + Co-Co E8 twin unit "Spirit of America" Nos. 248/258 Photographed 19th September 2001. © Adrian D. Smith. Plymouth, England.

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'Teddy Bear' D9555 at Norchard on the Dean Forest Railway in 2002. Photo by David Roberts (david_roberts84@hotmail.com)

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GWR class 5700 0-6-0PT No.9681 built by Swindon in 1949 shunting at Norchard on the Dean Forest Railway on 21 august 1994. Photo: Henk van Vuren Scan: Kodak Photo CD

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Industrial engine seen at the Dean Forest Railway at the depot at Norchard on 21 august 1994. Photo: Henk van Vuren Scan: Kodak Photo CD

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GWR class 4800/5800 No.1450 0-4-2T 'Ashburton' built at Swindon in 1935 , seen at the yard at Norchard of the Dean Forest Railway . It is normally based at the East Somerset Railway . Only the 4800 series were fitted with auto-train gear. They were later renumbered as 14xx numbers. 9 august 1997 Photo: Henk van Vuren Scan: Kodak Photo CD Website: www.vanvuren.cybercomm.nl

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GWR class 5700 No.9681 0-6-0PT built at Swindon in 1949 , at the Norchard station of the Dean Forest Railway , waiting for depature to Lydney junction . 9 august 1997 Photo: Henk van Vuren Scan: Kodak Photo CD Website: www.vanvuren.cybercomm.nl

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GWR class 5700 No.9681 0-6-0PT built at Swindon in 1949 , at the Norchard station of the Dean Forest Railway , waiting for depature to Lydney junction . 9 august 1997 Photo: Henk van Vuren Scan: Kodak Photo CD Website: www.vanvuren.cybercomm.nl

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GWR class 5700 No.9681 0-6-0PT built at Swindon in 1949 , shunting at Norchard station of the Dean Forest Railway . 9 august 1997 Photo: Henk van Vuren Scan: Kodak Photo CD Website: www.vanvuren.cybercomm.nl