La'al Ratty

We went for a ride on La'al Ratty today from Ravenglass to Dalegarth and return.  This line originally opened in 1875 as a 7 mile long 3ft gauge line to carry iron ore from Eskdale to the Furness Valley but the company went bust and the line closed in 1913.  The line was acquired by Bassett-Lowke who regauged it to 15 inches and it reopened in 1915.  The line had new ownership again in 1925 and in 1948 but the new companies each closed in turn and it looked like the end of the line when the quarries closed in 1960 and the land was put up for auction.  The line was saved again in 1967 by a group of railway enthusiasts and it is now flourishing as a tourist attraction and running five or six steam locomotives and a number of diesels.