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Four engines in a row - Betty, Graham, Jean and Sir Thomas Royden.
Four engines in a row - Betty, Graham, Jean and Sir Thomas Royden.
Four engines in a row - Betty, Graham, Jean and Sir Thomas Royden.
Connect with Rocks by Rail.

Discover the living ironstone museum in the heart of Rutland.

….and a warm welcome to our new look website.
Our 2024 operating season starts on Sunday March 31st.
We will be showcasing Sundew’s Great Walk…more here.

News

News snippets: Redevelopment of Yorkshire’s Elsecar ironworks site.

Highlighted website for October/November: Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust.

24th October 2023 – CLEARING OVERGROWTH IN THE QUARRY.

Volunteers clearing cut down brambles and branches by the quarry track.

Over the last few years the quarry track has become overgrown and dark.Our volunteers have made a start on cutting back the overgrown areas to provide our visitors with a better view of what’s going on.

Cut down branches by the quarry track.

Spindly bushes and bramble are being removed but stronger trees, especially those that provide berries for wildlife in the winter, are being kept.

REMEMBRANCE SERVICE FOR FAR EAST PRISONERS OF WAR

The nameplate for steam locomoteve Singapore which is dedicated to the memory of Far Eastern Prisoners of War.

October 17th 2023 was the 80th anniversary of the completion of the “Death Railway”. Rocks by Rail Museum held a commemorative event to remember all allied prisoners of war who worked, suffered and died on this railway.

.…more.

DID YOU KNOW? THERE ARE 40 PAGES OF ROCKS BY RAIL HISTORY ON FACEBOOK.

Overgrown trackway from 1979.

The first part is on our website.
At the bottom of the page you’ll find an index for the 40 items on Facebook.

OUR LAST OPEN DAY OF 2023 (don’t worry, we’ll be back in 2024).

Sir Thomas Royden coming out of the steam on a cold autumn morning.

A cold but clear sky start to the day and an early 6am start for our volunteers cleaning, firing and shunting wagons into position ready for visitors to enjoy.

Our steam hauled brake van rides were again in action hauled by Andrew Barclay steam locomotive 1931.

A cleaned and repainted Yorkshire Engine Company Janus diesel locomotive in the exhibition centre.

Two volunteers have been working hard this year on the conservation of the sole surviving diesel locomotive from the Exton Park ironstone quarry, a Janus class diesel locomotive DE5. It has been cleaned down and repainted in its original United Steel Co. colours. The picture shows the extent of their labours to date.

Newly painted Ruston Bucyrus stores van behind the Ruston and Hornsby 48DS diesel locomotive.

The Ruston and Hornsby 48DS (Imp) built in 1941 has also been worked on by its owners and was on static display outside the exhibition centre.

Behind Imp is the recently repainted tools van in Ruston Bucyrus livery.

Our Ruston Bucyrus RB22 dragline excavatory working in the simulated quarry.

Quarry RB22 diggers showed off their paces simulating loading of trains in the mock ironstone quarry. Diesel locomotives also demonstrated shunting in the quarry sidings..

The Open Day was also an opportunity to view the Museum’s display marking the 50th anniversary of the closure of Rutland’s largest and last ironstone quarry at Exton Park.