Welcome to the P.&A.R.
The preservation of the P&AR dates from 2008, when a railway enthusiast formed the Penyale & Appleby Railway Society at Penyale. Initial efforts succeeded in raising the cost to purchase the closed 13-mile section of the diversionary loop line off the Great eastern mainline, built to serive the towns of Penyale and Appleby. By late 2008, the first rolling stock, and engines had been received. The next three years were spent in restoring the line to operating condition, and obtaining the legal authority, a Light Railway Order, from the Department of Her Majesty's Domestics, gained only after experiencing considerable difficulties. The section was opened for public passenger services in 2008 too and the railway has prospered since.
Following the closure of the British rail sheds at Bury St Edmonds, which the line had been using, a campaign was mounted to raise a further sum of money was spent on purchasing the railway yards near Appleby, where a big railway development took place. Spearheaded by T. Noakes, the fund raising was successful, and after a huge effort by the engineering volunteer, the sheds were opened, using victorian buildings sourced from around the country, and new facilities.
The line has now been closed to all traffic for the forseeable future, pending a large rebuild to higher standards, and it is hoped to use Rose hill sheds for mainline locomotive servicing, to bring in desirable income.
Following the closure of the British rail sheds at Bury St Edmonds, which the line had been using, a campaign was mounted to raise a further sum of money was spent on purchasing the railway yards near Appleby, where a big railway development took place. Spearheaded by T. Noakes, the fund raising was successful, and after a huge effort by the engineering volunteer, the sheds were opened, using victorian buildings sourced from around the country, and new facilities.
The line has now been closed to all traffic for the forseeable future, pending a large rebuild to higher standards, and it is hoped to use Rose hill sheds for mainline locomotive servicing, to bring in desirable income.
