Leek and Rudyard Railway up for sale as owner retires

Leek and Rudyard Railway has 1.5 miles of track

A miniature steam railway has been put up for sale as its owner is to retire.

The 10.25 inch gauge Leek and Rudyard Railway runs lakeside, on the site of original rail tracks, for 1.5 miles (2.4km) in Staffordshire.

The sale includes track, three stations, an engine shed, cafe, two steam engines, two diesel engines and ten passenger coaches.

The asking price is £495,000, and owner Simon Clarke said there had been immediate interest.

The railway could suit someone looking for a lifestyle change, the current owner has said.

"It is fairly niche, but there are lots of people active in miniature railways," he said.

The railway is for sale in whole or in part, and is being sold as a going concern.

Mr Clarke, who took over the railway in 2015, said he is retiring from the business, but not from miniature railways, and wanted a large garden railway next.

The railway runs alongside Rudyard Lake near Leek

The current railway at Rudyard dates from 1985, and was built by Peter Hanton from Congleton.

It runs on the track bed of a full-sized railway that originally ran from Macclesfield to Uttoxeter.

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