The Ruislip Lido Railway has secured a grant from HS2 to convert its diesel locomotive to battery power, removing its reliance on diesel.
Locomotive No.7 ‘Graham Alexander’- credit Ruislip Lido Railway Society
Forming part of a fleet of six locomotives that operate on the site, the locomotive, Graham Alexander – currently a 4.5 Litre Perkins Engine weighing three tonnes in total – will be converted as part of a wider drive from the Society to reduce local noise pollution and remove CO2 costs associated with running the 12-inch narrow gauge railway.
Ruislip Lido was originally built in 1811 as a reservoir to supply drinking water for London via the newly built Grand Junction Canal. After World War II, the Grand Union Canal Company developed the Lido as a tourist attraction for war-torn Londoners, including establishing a miniature railway running around the perimeter of the 60 acre lake.
Today the railway runs over 200 days a year and is entirely managed and operated by a team of over 130 active volunteers.
Matthew Thomas, a Member of Ruislip Lido Railway Society, said: “Graham Alexander is expected to re-enter operation later this year, hauling visitors around our unique Railway.
“A local organisation recommended we looked into a HS2 grant, we were pleasantly surprised with how simple and user friendly the application process was and would certainly encourage other organisations to take full advantage of this great scheme.”
“We believe this project is likely to be the first narrow gauge railway in the UK to convert an existing diesel powered locomotive to an entirely renewable energy source The project will be a important test bed for improving the long-term direction of narrow-gauge railways diesel fleet renewals across the UK.”
The railway will be holding a weekend of behind the scenes tours on Sat 16th and Sun 17th September.
The CEF & BLEF schemes will provide up to £45 million of funding throughout the construction timeline of HS2, supporting community-led projects that improve the environment, such as tree planting and energy efficiency measures.
The Funds also support initiatives that bring benefits to local communities, such as the provision of new community facilities or support for local heritage and culture.
As lovely as this is, I can’t help but question money going to community-led projects when HS2’s budget is sky rocketing. I’m sure people will argue that it’s a ‘drop in the ocean’.
It’s funny how the country seems obsessed with the cost of HS2 spread over 20 years, but barely registers the cost of supporting Ukraine for 18 months (£6.5bn), the cost of the lower Thames Crossing (£9bn) or the cost of the Stonehenge Tunnel (£2.4bn). Not to mention numerous other road schemes that add up to a much higher annual spend than HS2.
The reservoir at Ruislip was built for the sole purpose of topping up the Grand Junction Canal below the lock at Cowley. This ‘reservoir to supply drinking water for London’ quote often gets bandied about but simply doesn’t hold water.
The feeder from the reservoir ran some seven miles across the fields of Middlesex before meeting the Paddington Branch of the canal roughly 100 metres north of the Uxbridge Road near Hayes. It was, and is, basically a ditch.
The Paddington Branch of the canal was built to follow the contours of the land and has no locks between the main canal at Hayes and Paddington Basin. This is basically stagnant water.
Just ‘downstream’from Hayes, on the main canal at Hanwell, there is a series of locks as the Grand Junction descends to its ultimate destination – The Thames. There would be huge amounts of water lost with every boat descending this flight, hence the need for the reservoir at Ruislip. ‘Drinking water for London’? I don’t think so. The Lido is fed by one or two small streams.
These days, the powers that be keep the level fairly low to placate the local residents whose properties the feeder stream runs behind.
Ruislip Lido was once the global centre for water-skiing. Much later, and as kid in the seventies, I remember watching the Rivas towing skiers the length of the reservoir and then watching them jump from the ramp moored out in the middle. The Rivas were beautiful boats – one dark maroon and the other dark blue, probably powered by V8 engines.
By that time the Art Deco pavilion had seen better days – this was nearly forty years on from its heyday. In 1961, Sir Cliff Richard frolicked on the shores of The Lido for the making of The Young Ones.
The Ruislip Lido Railway Society have done a great job over the years. Back in time, the railway ran a short loop out into the woods and then back to the beach. Gradually, they have created the longest 12-inch gauge railway in the UK and now with a battery-powered loco.