Gartell Light Railway


The Gartell Light Railway is a privately run narrow gauge railway located at Yenston in the Blackmore Vale, south of Templecombe, in Somerset, England. It operates a narrow gauge railway running for, partly along the track of the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway. The railway has 4 stations – Common Lane, Pinesway Junction, Park Lane and Tower View.
The railway is controlled using a comprehensive signalling system operated from two signalboxes – Common lane and Pinesway Junction. Both signalboxes control a mix of semaphore and colour light signals with mechanically operated points.
The railway is open to the public on selected dates through the year when it normally operates an intensive 3 train operation with departures from Common Lane station every 20 minutes through the day between 10:30 and 16:30.

The route of the GLR

  • Park Lane
  • Pinesway Junction
  • Tower View

Locomotives

NumberNameBuilderTypeDateWorks numberNotes
1AMANDAGartell Light RailwayBo-BoDH2000Ex Southend Pier Railway, rebuilt on the railway
2ANDREWBaguley-Drewry4wDH19733699Acquired in 2007, Sold to Amberley Museum in 2025
5ALISONAlan Keef4wDH199310
6Mr. GNorth Dorset Locomotive Works0-4-2T1998698Newly built for the line, based on the design of W.G. Bagnall locomotive Polar Bear
8FaithNorth Dorset Locomotive Works0-4-2T
9JeanAlan White0-4-0T+T2008

Accidents and incidents

In April 2025 a volunteer worker was seriously injured when alighting from a moving train, a practice forbidden by the rule book.