User:Dobwalls

Dobwalls Adventure Park, Near Liskeard, Cornwall, is home to the Forest Railroad. Two 7.25inch gauge railroad networks modelling the Union Pacific and Rio Grande railroads of the USA. 7 Steam and 4 diesel locomotives take to the tracks on rota 1 steam and 1 diesel each day, one on each railroad.

6 steam locomotives are resident, 3 Rio Grande examples and 3 Union Pacific examples.

The first to be delivered was a Rio Grande 2-8-2 No. 488 'General Palmer' built by David Curwen of Devizes, UK and arrived at Dobwalls in 1971. This was followed a year later by another David Curwen example a Rio Grande 2-6-0 No. 88, named after its builder, and was delivered in 1973.

By 1974, Dobwalls was home to another locomotive, this time being a Union Pacific 4-8-4 supplied by Severn Lamb, from Stratford upon Avon, No. 818 was named 'Queen of Wyoming'. Sticking with the Union Pacific theme, Big Boy 4-8-8-4 No. 4008 'William Jeffers' arrived from Severn Lamb in November 1978, becoming the largest locomotive at Dobwalls.

July 1980 saw another order from David Curwen a Rio Grande 2-8-2 No. 498 'Otto Mears' this is a similar model to No.488 'General Palmer' delivered 11 years before.

Finnaly, in 1981 Severn Lamb's Union Pacific 4-8-4 'Queen of Nebraska'. An improvement to 'Queen of Wyoming' with a double chimney, smoke deflectors and a larger tender'.

4 diesel locomotive replicas reside at Dobwalls. 1 from each major railroad; Union Pacific, Rio Grande, Amtrak and Santa Fe, but all diesels usually run on the Rio Grande line leaving the steams on the Union Pacific.

The first diesel to be delivered was No. 6908 'Centennial' in 1979. It is modelled on the EMD DDA 40X 'Centennial' class locomotives of the Union Pacific and was built by Severn Lamb of Stratford Upon Avon.

Next was a Rio Grande example in 1980 a GP 35 locomotive, again from Severn Lamb, numbered 3008 and named 'Mathias Baldwin'. After this came the Amtrak example in 1983. No. 248 is a two unit locomotive, The A unit with the driving controls and the B unit which carries the engine and power drive. This locomotives, named Spirit of America' was supplied from Severn Lamb. Finally, the last addition to the Dobwalls fleet - making 10 locomotives, was #5908 'Pioneer' in 1989. Representing an EPD FP 45 'Cowl' loco, Pioneer was built by Severn Lamb and is the strongest diesel locomotive in the fleet and represents the Santa Fe.