SecretLeeds - History, culture and architecture in Leeds

I am going into the mists of time here, but I seem to remember a small railway - circular - in the 1960's at the top of a wood that ended at Templenewsam. If I remember rightly as a youngster I found the tracks and then one Bank holiday walked there to see it in full use with really small steam engines pulling people along in sit astride open carriages. Does anyone know any more about this?

I remember this well. No trace now remains of the track or any building but the railway lives on. Here is the link for the Leeds Society of Model and Experimental Engieers with lots of info and pictures of the track at Temple Newsam.http://leeds.smee.googlepages.com/

Where abouts on the estate was it? It's before my time I'm afraid but fascinating nonetheless.

This was the location. My memory fails me as to the exact layout but this is a rough approximation. There layout included a tunnel [corrugated iron sheeting, like an Anderson shelter, with earth on top and show in one of the Leeds SMEE photo’s] and a small building to the north of the site, near the boundary with the football pitch. There was also a spur off of the track running towards this building. All traces of the building and the tunnel have now gone.

There's an old out building somewhere near to Temple newsam. It's very dilapadated. It seems to have an anderson shelter too.I've seen pictures of it before but can't find them now.Anyone any ideas to what/were it is?

Your right it was where the photo is the track was there for many years after the little steam train stopped and then it went don't know where. the last one was at roundhay park that was fun then that went.

Thanks liitsThat link with the photos was great. It has brought back a lot of distant memories. That is the track I saw and those small steam locomotives pulling rows of children. I moved to Halton in 1961 and walked up the woods. On other explorations I remember finding the tracks. What amazes me is that such a small locomotive can pull a 'train' of children, it certainly illustrates the power of steam.Let alone the engineering skills of the people who built these minature locosFascinating.

Is there still a narrow gauge railway at Kirkstall?

There still is. It’s the Abbey Light Railway. It’s owned and run by Peter Lowe, a great chap. He taught me Engineering Principles when I was at college.A couple of links covering the subject:http://www.freewebs.com/abbeylightrailw ... iary/alr/I also think that the Abbey Light Railway has been covered in a previous thread.

There is the remains of a Narrow Gauge Railway just off Bankhouse Lane Pudsey i dont know if the track is still there.There is a tunnel if you put Fulneck Pudsey into the search on Google Earth you can zoom in with Bankhouse Lane on the left, to the right you will see the football pitches for Fulneck School between the pitches and Bankhouse Lane is the site i am talking about to the left at the bottom of the site is the Bankhouse Pub.