Mr. Leo's Steam Dream

Story and photos by Keith Kellett

When my Dad came down to visit, we were rather restricted in the places we could take him. He’s 93 years old, and doesn’t get around too well … but loves a nice garden. So, we went to Exbury.

Exbury House, on the southern edge of the New Forest, is the home of Mr and Mrs Edmund de Rothschild. The gardens are ablaze with colour at most times; with flowers in Spring and Summer, and bright maples and colourful berry-bearing trees in the Autumn. And, there’s a buggy to ride around on, if you wish.

Since August, 2001, there’s been another way to take visitors around … the ‘Exbury Garden Railway’. It’s a 12¼ inch gauge steam railway, offering a 20-minute ride of about over just over a mile around the gardens. Notwithstanding its small size, it’s a train you ride in rather than on, and a remarkable point is that it’s not a preserved ‘heritage railway’, it’s all brand-new

The garden was laid out in the 1920s and 30s by Lionel de Rothschild and, during the construction of the beautiful Rock Garden, the contractors installed a temporary 18" gauge petrol railway to move their materials.

The little railway fascinated the de Rothschilds’ younger son, Leopold, and, ever since, he cherished the dream of one day having his own railway in the garden.

Many years later, Mr. Leo, as he’s affectionately known to his staff, investigated the possibility of his garden railway seriously. He first considered a 2-foot gauge layout, using restored industrial locomotives and rolling stock, as do many railways around Britain. But, the local authority refused planning permission for such a venture. That, however, was by no means the ‘end of the line’ for the dream.

‘I was visiting my friend Mike Schumann in Norfolk’ recalled Mr. de Rothschild ‘and when I saw his 12¼ in. gauge garden railway, I thought this might be the answer’

This is considered the minimum gauge which allows passengers to sit comfortably side by side, and it also permits easier operation in a confined area. And, a 12¼ in. gauge train is only a quarter of the weight of a 2-foot gauge one, which would considerably lessen the impact on the garden.

This was always an important consideration; the railway was carefully planned to complement the garden. One section would utilise a derelict area, which formerly held a gravel pit, then a rubbish dump. This are was to be cleared and landscaped, with an artificial lake, as well as a tunnel and a bridge created.

This time, permission was granted … and, probably for the first time ever, the planning team included gardeners, as well as architects and engineers.

Locomotives and rolling stock came from the Exmoor Steam Railway, in Devon. Here, Trevor Stirland’s family business not only operates a 12¼ in. gauge steam railway, but also manufactures locomotives and carriages for that gauge. Two steam locomotives, a diesel locomotive and several carriages were commissioned.

While these were being built, work began at Exbury in September 2000. One and a quarter miles of track had to be planned and laid, and an engine shed and two stations built. A turntable, a cut-and-cover tunnel, a bridge and a viaduct were to be constructed, while the gardeners, headed by Sue Sutherland, travelled the country sourcing suitable trees and plants for the landscaping.

The opening ceremony was held on 3rd August 2001, when Mr. Leo placed the last bolt on the track, and his sister, Mrs. Rosemary Seys, named the locomotive, delivered a few days earlier, Rosemary. The second locomotive, which arrived a few months later, was named Naomi, after another sister. The coaches carry the names of other members of the Rothschild family.

The Exbury Garden Railway has ten staff, under foreman Ian Wilson. And, unusually for ‘pleasure railways’, most of which rely heavily upon volunteer labour, they are all salaried. Some of them are dual-skilled … they have to be, for they’re just as likely to be asked questions about the garden as about the railway.

I first visited Exbury two months after the opening, and found it difficult to believe that the railway hadn’t existed a year ago. Everything looked as if it had always been there. Exbury Central station and its ticket office are also finished in the Rothschild blue and yellow, with the five-arrow emblem repeated in the specially commissioned ironwork of the roof brackets. The only give-away was the letters MMI (2001) on the plaque on the engine shed.

In its first year, the little railway carried 50,000 passengers, and already, its legend is growing. Train guard Stuart Granger told me of the lady who, after the ride, pressed a coin into the driver’s hand … not realising that he was Mr. Leo himself, a member of one of Britain’s richest families!

Exbury Gardens and Steam Railway website: www.exbury.co.uk