About Us
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Owners of the Gartell Light Railway John and Christine Gartell and also their family and friends who operate the railway on open days, all look forward to welcoming you to the narrow gauge Gartell Light Railway (GLR). The GLR opened its doors to the public in 1991 and from its humble beginnings has steadily expanded its operations to become a popular Somerset tourist attraction.
Step back in time to a more leisurely age and ride through the beautiful Blackmore Vale countryside along the route of the old Somerset & Dorset Railway - sadly closed to 'main line' trains in 1966. Our delightful trains are operated in exactly the same way as their full-size counterparts, with every train movement safely governed by an interesting array of semaphore and colour-light signals controlled by the signalmen in two signal boxes. It is therefore no exaggeration to say that the Gartell Light Railway is a working museum of traditional railway practice with its steam engines, signal boxes and 'old fashioned' signals! |
Gartell Railway owner John Gartell pictured here at the regulator of his own steam locomotive No.6 'Mr G'.
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On our popular open days we operate our trains to a frequent timetable and trains leave our main station at Common Lane every 20 minutes through the day. We have a further 3 stations, Pinesway Junction, Park Lane and Tower View, where each train stops at the platform and performs and interesting manoeuvre where the engine 'runs-round' its train before departing in the opposite direction. Another unique feature of our busy timetable is that 2 trains regularly depart, side by side, for different destinations before one descends the gradient and passes under a bridge as the other one passes overhead!
Our Open Day visitors often tell us: "We live locally, but we had no idea that the railway was here. We shall certainly come again - everyone was so friendly and it's such good value for money."
A visitor to the GLR commented:- "One of the best railways I have been to in a long, long time. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff and a railway enthusiast's paradise. The whole ambience was terrific. No hassle, get on and off where and when you wanted and all in a beautiful setting. I don't think it will be long before I make a return visit".
So come along to the GLR and see for yourself - it really is a great place to visit for all the family. There are lots of interesting things to see together with the 'Pines' buffet serving hot and cold drinks and tasty snacks, our Visitor Centre containing lots of local railway memorabilia, the GLR Shop selling mementos of your visit and our lakeside picnic area - ideally placed for watching the trains pass by!
The GLR is also pleased to say that, despite the size of our trains, we can accommodate our disabled and less-abled visitors. We have level access straight from the car park at Common Lane Station providing easy access to the shop, buffet, station and some other features of the railway. Two sets of our coaches also have been adapted to convey wheelchairs by providing a much larger space - our helpful staff will remove the seats, open the double doors and assist with the loading of wheelchairs etc. Simply ask the guard or a member of staff on the day and we will make the necessary arrangements to assist you.
Details of our programme of 2022 open days will be published when they are confirmed.
We do hope you will visit us and all the staff at the GLR look forward to seeing you in 2021.
Our Open Day visitors often tell us: "We live locally, but we had no idea that the railway was here. We shall certainly come again - everyone was so friendly and it's such good value for money."
A visitor to the GLR commented:- "One of the best railways I have been to in a long, long time. Very friendly and knowledgeable staff and a railway enthusiast's paradise. The whole ambience was terrific. No hassle, get on and off where and when you wanted and all in a beautiful setting. I don't think it will be long before I make a return visit".
So come along to the GLR and see for yourself - it really is a great place to visit for all the family. There are lots of interesting things to see together with the 'Pines' buffet serving hot and cold drinks and tasty snacks, our Visitor Centre containing lots of local railway memorabilia, the GLR Shop selling mementos of your visit and our lakeside picnic area - ideally placed for watching the trains pass by!
The GLR is also pleased to say that, despite the size of our trains, we can accommodate our disabled and less-abled visitors. We have level access straight from the car park at Common Lane Station providing easy access to the shop, buffet, station and some other features of the railway. Two sets of our coaches also have been adapted to convey wheelchairs by providing a much larger space - our helpful staff will remove the seats, open the double doors and assist with the loading of wheelchairs etc. Simply ask the guard or a member of staff on the day and we will make the necessary arrangements to assist you.
Details of our programme of 2022 open days will be published when they are confirmed.
We do hope you will visit us and all the staff at the GLR look forward to seeing you in 2021.
© Copyight Gartell Light Railway 2020. All rights reserved.
The Gartell Light Railway (GLR) is a privately owned and operated railway. The GLR reserves the right to alter or cancel its advertised open day dates and train services without prior notice though every effort is made to adhere to the advertised dates and schedules.
GLR. Common Lane. Yenston. Templecombe.Somerset.BA8 0NB
Telephone: 01963 370752 Fax: 01963 37391
The Gartell Light Railway (GLR) is a privately owned and operated railway. The GLR reserves the right to alter or cancel its advertised open day dates and train services without prior notice though every effort is made to adhere to the advertised dates and schedules.
GLR. Common Lane. Yenston. Templecombe.Somerset.BA8 0NB
Telephone: 01963 370752 Fax: 01963 37391
