INTRO TO THE LINE
As the visitor walks from the car park and enters the site, the first station they see is Statfold Junction. This is the main station on the Statfold Barn Railway.
There are three platforms; an island platform which serves roads 1 and 2 and an elevated platform known as the high level platform which simply serves the high level road. All the platforms are accessible via the footbridge.
In close proximity to the station is the large electronically controlled turntable. This sits in front of the running shed. On an active day this area is busy, either sending engines through the shed to prepare for further duty or turning the engine and returning it through the station to take charge of another train to go down the line. Next to the running shed are the engineering workshops. These buildings keep the SBR in running order and also take in commissions from outside customers who wish to take advantage of the high specificiation, attention to detail work carried out at Statfold.
The next station on the line is Oak Tree Halt. This station is still evolving. Recent changes have seen the construction of the bay on the down platform to accommodate the superbly restored Burton and Ashby Light railway tram 'No.14' which runs down to Oak Tree from its own tram shed situated further up the line. The tram, was repatriated in 2015 and is now fully restored and is a popular attraction on the Enthusiast Days here at Statfold.
Oak Tree consists of 2 platforms with the up platform offering access, via a passage way, to the Roundhouse Museum which houses all of the motive power for the SBR. The area is also home to some very large North American trucks which have been restored by Graham Lee’s son, Graham Jnr.
As your train leaves Oak Tree Halt the railway curves to the left and enters New Road Field Loop where the third station/halt is to be found. This is called Cogan Halt. On busy days the train stops here to firstly allow other trains to clear the loop and secondly to allow the passengers to photograph the scene and to take in the synergy of the landscape with the railway. On a sunny summers day it is a really pleasant way to spend an afternoon.
The train then progresses through the loop back to Oak Tree Halt. The passenger can either stay on the train and return to Statfold Junction or alight from the train to visit the museum area, returning to Statfold Junction on a later train.
On the way back to Statfold Junction as the line curves round to the left, on that bend and looking through the right hand window of the carriage you will see the the Burton and Ashby Tram Shed with its small platform and Victorian street lamp re-creating a scene from yesteryear.
