A CENTURY ago the tracks of the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway were being extended towards Boot village – to bring pleasure to the travelling public and to help the war effort as new supplies of iron ore were sought in inaccessible places.

The Barrow News of Saturday, August 11 in 1917 noted that 2,000 people had visited what was billed as “the world’s smallest public railway” on the August Bank Holiday Monday and on Tuesday.

It described the near chaos on the first day when more than 1,000 people were packed into anything with wheel which would run on the rails.

The report noted: “Three trains ran continually during the day and all the rolling stock was in use.

“Passengers who could not be accommodated in the carriages were taken up in the goods trucks and even the sleeping car was requisitioned.

“The valley was explored and the hotels and refreshment houses experienced their busiest season.

“On Tuesday there were almost as many visitors, most of whom made Eskdale Green their centre and spent an interesting time in visiting the various county sports.

“Many camped by the River Mite for the day.

“The ridge rises here to a height of 950ft and from the summit - of which a magnificent view is obtained – was crowded with visitors.

“From Beckfoot, many visited Stanley Ghyll and their number was supplemented by excursionists who arrived by wagonettes from Seascale, Millom and other places.”

The railway to the hills from Ravenglass was not all about fun rides for visitors.

It had a serious side as a means of getting iron ore to the main line – a commodity in great demand from iron furnaces to make ships and shells for the war effort at places like Barrow.

The article noted: “The initial difficulties, which were many and formidable, have been overcome at the Nabgill iron ore mines at Boot.

“One hundred tons of ore has been raised and awaits transport on the completion of the railway to Boot.

“It is expected that this will take place during the coming week and the line will be open for passengers as well as mineral traffic.

“Number 5 of the mines has almost been cleared of water and this has stopped it from silting through to No. 3.

“The management have succeeded in stopping the water running down and have pumped out the dip.

“In addition to the great difficulty of overcoming the flooding of the mines, the management have also been faced with labour troubles, whilst the mine has had to be timbered throughout.

“Another great obstacle was the difficulty in getting machinery and materials which were urgently required, and the slowness of delivery was a great drawback.

“One by one the difficulties are being overcome and we may look in the near future for a successful working of the mines.

“The mines will now come under control of the government, who will now fix the price of ore.”

The new-look museum facing the car park at the Ravenglass end of the miniature railway has reminders of those early days of services during the First World War on the newly laid 15-inch gauge tracks.

You can see Katie which was built by Sir Arthur Heywood in 1896 for the Duke of Westminster’s Easton Hall Railway.

It came to Ravenglass in 1916 and left the railway in 1919.

The remains of the locomotive returned in 1982 and has been restored as a museum exhibit.

Also on show in the museum is Synolda, which is almost identical to Sans Pareil – the first 15-inch gauge locomotive to run at Ravenglass on the first section of track from Ravenglass to Muncaster Mill in 1915.

Synolda and Sans Pareil were built by Bassett-Lowke in Northampton to a design by Henry Greenly.

Synolda worked from 1912 at the Sand Hutton Railway and came to Ravenglass in a derelict state in 1978 and was restored by Sellafield apprentices.

Sans Pareil had been built in 1912 as Prins Olaf for a railway in Norway.

It worked the first services from Ravenglass from 1915 in the dark blue livery of Narrow Gauge Railways.

The locomotive was withdrawn from service in the mid-1920s and parts were used to built River Mite for the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway.

Another to work services at Ravenglass during the First World War was Colossus, a Bassett-Lowke locomotive which was built in 1913 as John Anthony.

It arrived at Ravenglass in 1916 and was used until 1927, when parts were used for the building of River Mite.

Muriel was built in 1894 by Sir Arthur Heywood and came to Ravenglass in 1917 from the Gretna munitions factory.

Its normal task was to haul stone trains from the quarries.

Also used for stone trains was Ella.

This locomotive was built by Sir Arthur Heywood in 1881 and arrived at Ravenglass in 1917.

In 1927 it was decided to convert Ella from steam to internal combustion.