Hello, my name is Mike Bass. I'm the owner of the Strawberry Line Miniature Railway at Keynsham.
Just so you know why it is 'The Strawberry Line,' well, where the railway is situated was for many
years a 'pick your own' fruit farm and the main fruit was ................
Anyway back to the railway. I have been involved with trains for the last 40 odd years, from the Tri-ang
'00' in 1962 to becoming a railway guard in 1977, then to the highlight of my career becoming a driver
in 1989. I then retired in 2001 due to ill health.
The main objective when starting this project was to recreate the railways of the 1960's.
We are slowly achieving this aim with both freight and passenger trains. We run on a double track main
line and are currently installing a signalling system which incorporates both semaphore and multiple
aspect signalling. The railway also features a tunnel, carriage sheds, a motive power depot, turntable
and in the future will have a hump yard.
When we complete the signalling system in 2006 we will run with the same format as the full size
railway. Our next major project will be to start the expansion of the layout to at least twice it's present
size.
Running this railway is a varied experience. One day you can be tamping and lining the track and the
next building wagons; not forgetting grass cutting, battery charging, window cleaning, tractor driving
and generally keeping the railway running safely. But none of this would have been possible without the
help of my team of volunteers to whom I'm eternally grateful