About Our Railway
Opening in 2025, the Severn Beach Miniature Railway is set to bring back a slice of history while creating an exciting new attraction for families, railway enthusiasts, and visitors of all ages. Decades ago, Severn Beach was home to a beloved miniature railway that delighted generations of locals and visitors alike. While that railway is no longer in operation, we are thrilled to rekindle its spirit and create a modern experience that honors its legacy.
Nestled in the picturesque coastal village of Severn Beach, this new railway will offer scenic train rides, family-friendly play areas, and plenty of opportunities to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings. Our mission is to create a unique destination that combines nostalgia, education, and fun while celebrating the charm of miniature railways.
Whether you’re a local eager to reconnect with a cherished past or a traveler excited to explore something new, the Severn Beach Miniature Railway promises to be a must-visit destination. Stay tuned for updates as we bring this dream to life and let the magic of miniature railways live on!
Follow Our Progress
Well we are waiting patiently on the decision of the planning officer for the planning application. Many people have objected to this planning application and sadly without reading all the supporting documentation of does it brings more benefits in planning terms or not. Ive stated here that we will be setting up the railway on the Severnfest day as a temporary railway. We can do this without any planning for up to 28 days, however we will run it for the festival and remove it straight after the event. No site preparation is required other than wood packers to ensure stability of the track. This is exactly the same as the travelling fairground which will also attend. We would like to reassure everyone that no matter what you read or believe we have not done anything illegal or without prior permission on the promenade gardens. Had South Gloucestershire Council believed we had acted illegally then we would have been served a PCN planning contravention notice, which we most certainly did not. We have done everything we were told we could and we do hope we get the go ahead. Some of the many statutory bodies have already responded in writing that they have no objections. I write here honestly as always as we are aware that not every follower of this page wants to see this go ahead. This scheme will hopefully be granted but if not then we must move on. It's in the lap of the gods and we wish to thank everyone of you that has supported us.
Regards SBMR team.
Planning updates. The 21 days for the planning application expired last Sunday. I imagine the planning officer and her team will now be sifting through all the statutory bodies reports , ie Environmental Agency, Natural England and others. My team of amazing volunteers, my wife and I are so grateful to everyone who have supported us so far. Comments of support can still be posted on the South Gloucestershire Council website right up to the time the officer makes a decision. Heres a link.
developments.southglos.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?keyVal=SVKDWXOKJ7U00&acti...
We will definitely be setting up the railway for the Severnfest. This will give many people the chance to see how it looks and runs including objectors.
I'm in the process of designing and making some 1/3 rd scale working Westinghouse style steam air pumps for our locomotives. The diameter of the pistons will be around 4" with a 6" stroke. I have lots of pictures or these original pumps but no detailed parts drawings. Does anyone have any or a pump which i could study? Now understand how this amazing design works and can't wait to start pattern making.
Dear followers. We apologise for the lack of updates recently, myself and the team have been very proactive in the planning of and promoting the SBMR railway. Castle Coombe was a huge success and over 600 people carried on the railway with hundreds of comments of support. Many younger people enquired about volunteering and some have since joined up. We are now preparing for the Berkeley Show which is an amazing show, sadly just one day but this is a fairly local event which will generate awareness .. Some local people have commented "why not just do a portable railway and not install a permanent line" i actually ran a portable line for many years and its not what we want to do now. As the line hasn't been built yet this is the only way the public can see how it will look. One of the most popular comments for the public was how quiet the train was and how little the smoke was. We explained this locomotive is a very efficient design and in one day around two household buckets of coal will be used. At Castle Coombe we used one and a half 20 kilometres bags and the combined ash half filled a carrier bag. We recycle the ash just as the massive pewr station on Seabank does with its ash. If you all want a great day out then go to the Berkeley show.
We have been invited to the Berkeley show on 29th June in the grounds of the stunning Castle. This is an amazing country show with everything. This is one to go to.
Berkeley Show
Following last weekend at Castle Coombe Steam Rally we are now sifting through all the amazing pictures that we took. One of our team does high quality photography and heres some of his work.
This weekends Castle Coombe Steam Rally attracted so many people and even new volunteers. Several younger generations brought their parents so they could join up. One young confident chappy named Adam was so enthusiastic we offered him a ride in the locomotive. It was a jot to see his little face light up with excitement. He knew quite a few thi as about railways already and asked all the right questions.
Heres a clip of the miniature railway being set up by us at Castle Coombe Steam Rally last Friday.
URGENT: We Need Your Support! – Severn Beach Miniature Railway Needs Your Help to Become a Reality!
Our planning application is now live — and your support could make all the difference.
Another stunning day at Castle Coombe Steam Rally. Our train has been running again all day entertaining the visitors to the show. Thought I would make a short video clip of part or the run. We go out and back twice giving everyone a 400 metre run.
We're at Castle Coombe Steam Rally and the railway is very busy. We have several people who want to join up as volunteers. The comments for everyone has been very positive and many residents from Severn Beach and Pilning have come to the rally. So many locals have said how beautiful the train and locomotive is and how quite, they liked how easy it was to get in the carriages. We are all thrilled and it's only the first day!
SUCCESS! we're all built up and tested, everyone has put in a Stirling effort and in the evening we will be steaming the locomotive for track testing.
We're off to Castle Coombe Steam Rally!
Thankyou to all that helped today to get our Severn Beach Miniature Railway loaded on to the lorry. This lorry and driver was kindly sponsored by Red Hot Logistics. We all had lots of last minute jobs to finish off prior to loading. Eventually everything was loaded and strapped down then off to the rally field. Tomorrow we will all unload the railway and start assembly, steaming of the locomotive later in the afternoon for testing the track. Thanks again for all our amazing volunteers and staff. See you at Castle Coombe Steam Rally this weekend.
