Strathaven Miniature Railway on floor of the House of Commons for anniversary year acknowledgement!
THE Strathaven Miniature Railway made it to the floor of the House of Commons on Monday, March 18, when Dr Lisa Cameron MP tabled an Early Day Motion congratulating the railway and its volunteers for attaining 75 years of service.
Dr Cameron later presented a framed copy of the historic motion to volunteers at the line on Easter Monday as a curtain-raiser to the commemoration of the running of the first train 75 years ago, on
May 14, 1949. There will be a reenactment of the first train, hauled by the original locomotive, 2-6-0 Margaret, on Tuesday, May 14.
The motion also mentioned the 50th anniversary of Strathaven Model Society, whose volunteers run the 7¼in gauge railway, with special congratulations to Eric Chandler, Jim Lennox and Martin Simpson, each of whom have notched up more than 40 years of keeping the locally-known ‘wee train’ running round its 1000ft of track in Strathaven’s public park.
Dr Cameron, MP for East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow, said: “I put down the motion to mark the exceptional achievement of all involved with keeping the SMR, Scotland’s oldest miniature railway, running during the last 75 years, and I was delighted with the support it received at Westminster.”
Railway secretary Ian Samson said: “We are very grateful to Dr Cameron for putting down this motion. It’s wonderful as heritage railway volunteers to be recognised in this way, and an action like
this gives not just the SMR, but the whole movement, official recognition at the highest levels of government.
“It’s a wonderful curtain-raiser for our 75th anniversary celebrations on May 14, when miniature steam locomotives from clubs all over Scotland will be joining us to mark the event in style.”