A RAIL ROMANCE
Miniature railways and former stations are hot tickets for train enthusiasts, says Mary Wilson
DeSPITe chaos on our commuter lines, we still go misty-eyed for trains. A new Channel 4 series, The Biggest little Railway In The world, is following a group of enthusiasts and volunteers as they build a 74-mile model railway along the Great Glen way in Scotland from Fort william to Inverness.
The plan is to replicate the track that the Victorians attempted, but failed, to build along this route 150 years ago.
For some enthusiasts, having a miniature railway in the grounds of their home is as essential as off- street parking or a south- facing garden.
One of the reasons Nick Dodson, 64, bought Red Chimneys, in south-east Devon, in 2010 was because it had a 50 ft long abandoned outbuilding as well as an acre of paddock — perfect for constructing a miniature railway track. Nick has been involved in railways — full size and miniature all his life.
Before retiring, he ran two charter trains offering upmarket railway trips around Britain and became interested in miniature railways in the late eighties.
‘I’ve built five railway tracks in the gardens of homes I’ve owned. At Red Chimneys, I converted the outbuilding into the railway shed and workshop and built a 500 yard 7.25 in track, which is a popular garden railway gauge, around the paddock,’ he says.
The railway includes a steam m engine, two battery- operated engines, a petrol engine and ten carriages and wagons.
Although Nick is now selling the house, he would like to take it all with him. ‘ But if someone really wanted to buy the railway, I would consider selling,’ he adds.
The four- bedroom Fifties house in Colaton Raleigh, near the Regency coastal town of Sidmouth, , lies in 2.4 acres and is for sale f for £1.25 million, humberts.com.
‘A home with a miniature railway appeals to a narrow market, but for someone who wants a hobby or has children or grandchildren who love trains, then this house is perfect,’ says Alex Coates, of Humberts’ Honiton office.
MEANWHILE, Armscote Farm, near Stratford-upon-Avon, is being sold with a rare Bavarian Fleischmann trainset built in the attic. The owner bought the property with the railway included 24 years ago and, though not a passionate hobbyist, has enjoyed using the trainset when friends come round, as have his children and grandchildren.
The six-bedroom house is priced at £1.65 million, knightfrank.co.uk.
George Barkes, of Stacks Property Search, says: ‘The chances of a substantial model railway attracting a buyer are remote, but it would rarely detract from a sale unless the buyer was under the impression that some value had been built into the price to reflect the feature.
However, something of this nature often presents a hurdle for vendors who are reluctant to say goodbye to a hobby.’
For ‘full size’ train buffs, there are two converted station houses on active railway lines that are on the market. At North Howden, east Yorkshire, the station house, which was built by the Hull & Selby Railway Company in 1838, has four bedrooms and original features such as station signs and a ticket office. It’s on the market for £240,000.
At Bootle Station, Cumbria, which is a request station, the 1851 granite and sandstone property has recently been converted by the current owner.
It has two bedrooms and the original station clock, and is for sale for £215,000. Both homes are on the market with railwaystationcottages.co.uk.
In Callington, Cornwall, the threebedroom Old luckett Station is also on the market. The house lies in 2.5 acres overlooking the Tamar Valley and is priced at £695,000, purplebricks.co.uk.