A celebration of Haigh Woodland Park's various trains over the decades

News this week that land trains are returning to Haigh Woodland Park to transp ort visitors up to the newly restored Plantation Gates was a timely reminder of the estate’s long association with novelty railway engines of various types.

There has been a model railway running on a third-of-a-mile-track there since the 1950s (on and off), but since then there have also been excursions on tractor-drawn trains and the miniature railway is also being prepared for a comeback.

Here’s a picture retrospective celebrating them.

1. Wigan & District Model Engineering Society: Maurice Webster, who had taken 10 years to build William Nevada, with his wife Brenda , a long-suffering "train widow", after firing it up for the first time at Haigh Hall

. Photo: NICK FAIRHURST

Photo Sales

2. Haigh Country Park's new leisure train launch day in 1976

. Photo: gb

Photo Sales

3. The launch of the Santa Express at Haigh Hall in 2013: train driver Derek Moss with passengers, councillors Couns Chris Ready and Ron Conway, Edna and John Hulme, of the Friends of Haigh Country Park, and Joanne Ramdewor, of Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust

. Photo: Nick Fairhurst

Photo Sales

4. A Wigan and District Model Engineering Society Open Day

. Photo: Paul Heyes

Photo Sales

Previous

1 / 4

Next Page