We have a collection of steam and diesel locomotives based here at the Watford Miniature Railway.
Diesel Locomotives
Our diesel locomotives pull the majority of our trains, and on most days we’re open you will see at least one of the diesels.
Conway Castle
Built in 1972 by Fenlow Engineering, Conway Castle was supplied to a new seaside railway at Prestatyn in North Wales.
The Prestatyn railway closed in the late 1970s and was relocated to Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire. After a few years this railway moved again to the Suffolk Wildlife Park at Kessingland, where Conway Castle stayed until the early 1990s.
In 1992 Conway Castle and the rest of the Kessingland railway moved to Watford. Following a rebuild in the mid 1990s Conway Castle has been our main diesel locomotive.
Nikki Louise
An 0-6-0 diesel hydraulic locomotive, Nikki Louise was built brand new by R. Prime for the Suffolk Wildlife Park in 1988. When this railway closed she moved to Watford with Conway Castle, where she was subject to an extensive rebuild before coming into use in the late 1990s.
Densil
A steam outline diesel hydraulic locomotive built in 1998 by Alan Keef. Densil was built for the Wells Harbour Railway in Norfolk and spent over 20 years here. In the autumn of 2021 the Wells Harbour Railway closed and was dismantled and moved to Cornwall; with Densil surplus to the new owner’s requirements he arrived with us in December 2021.
D7000
D7000 was built at the Poole Park Railway in Dorset around 1965. Originally built with a Ford petrol engine and a body inspired by the Hymek diesel locomotives, in the late 1980s it was rebuilt with a Kubota diesel engine and a body inspired by the Intercity High Speed Trains. From the 1960s until 2017 it was the main locomotive at Poole Park, until a change in operators saw it put into store. D7000 arrived at Watford in early 2025 and is currently awaiting overhaul.
Steam Locomotives
Our steam locomotives run less often than the diesels – we usually post on our Facebook and Instagram when one of our steam locomotives is running.
Marri
A 2-6-0 Baldwin style steam locomotive, built by Willis Light Engineering of Perth, Australia in 1993. She was imported especially for use at Watford and ran for 10 years, before being withdrawn for an overhaul. After completion of this long running overhaul, she entered service again in April 2018.
Currently out of service awaiting boiler overhaul
Chiltern Shuttle
An 0-6-0 American ‘Switcher’ style locomotive. Built in 1946 by R.H. Morse as 9½” gauge, she arrived at Watford in the early 1980s when she was rebuilt to our 10¼” gauge. Her small size hides the fact she packs quite a punch and can pull a full set of 10 coaches! An extensive restoration to “as new” condition was completed in November 2021. Chiltern Shuttle is privately owned but based at the railway.
Henry
Henry is a 4-6-2 tender locomotive built by Ernest Dove in 1950. Previously known as Silver Queen and Commodore Vanderbilt, it was originally built with an American streamlined outline.
For the first few years of its life, it ran in North Wales at Gwyrch Castle and then on top of the Great Orme at Llandudno! However it soon moved across to the other side of England to run at Skegness for most of the 1950s and 60s.
Leaving Skegness it briefly ran at a wildlife park in Cambridgeshire, before being stored whilst a site was found to run it. During this period the American bodywork was removed.
Henry is perhaps best known for running at the Ferry Meadows Railway in Peterborough from 1979 to 2007 – the railway was built for Henry to run on! When the railway was sold to new owners in 2007 Henry was not included, and he passed to a new private owner in 2008.
We acquired Henry in October 2021. After many years hard work Henry was in need of a thorough restoration, which started in early 2022.
Currently undergoing restoration
Evelyn
A 2-6-4 steam locomotive built by Brian Elliott and Roger Cockfield in 2015.
Evelyn is modelled on ‘Mountaineer‘, a locomotive on the Ffestiniog Railway in North Wales. The full size Mountaineer was one of a type built by the American Locomotive Co. for use on the British War Department Light Railways.
Although finished in 2015, Evelyn was unused until we bought her in 2023, and arrived in ‘as new’ condition.
Evelyn is named after the owner’s grandmother.