Pecorama
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Pecorama (or Pecorama Pleasure Gardens) is a tourist attraction on the hillside above the village of Beer, Devon, in southwest England. In November 2025; the owners Peco announced the site's closure for the 2026 season, citing falling revenues and lack of profits, despite a busy year in 2025.[1] It included a display of many model railways, gardens, a shop, and the Beer Heights Light Railway.[2][3]
The attraction is owned and run by PECO, a UK-based manufacturer of model railway accessories. The factory is on the same site.
Pecorama is also home to "Teddy Mac and the Railway Bears", a series of children's books written by Margaret Edmonds.[4]
Beer Heights Light Railway
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| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Dates of operation | 14 July 1975–November 2025 |
| Technical | |
| Track gauge | Page Template:Fraction/styles.css has no content.7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) |
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Template:Beer Heights Light Railway RDT
The Beer Heights Light Railway was a 1 mile (1.6 km) minimum-gauge Page Template:Fraction/styles.css has no content.7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) railway.[5] Part of Pecorama, an exhibition owned by Peco,[6] it closed in November 2025.
Overview
The official opening was by Rev. W.V. Awdry on 14 July 1975,[7] at which time it offered a return ride from "Much Natter" station via a balloon loop. Subsequently, it was almost doubled in length by construction of the "Devil's Gorge" extension which involved a very considerable cutting and tunnel, and the complex track layout also includes a more recent steeply-graded branch line to "Wildway Down". The station at Deepwater was revamped in late 2014 and reopened in July 2015 as 'Deepwater Halt'. [8]
The line is notable for its high standard of presentation to the public and for the fine views obtainable from it.[9] It is home to eight live steam locomotives designed on narrow gauge principles.
It's temporary closure, for financial reasons, was announced in November 2025.[10][11]
Locomotives
The railway had eight steam locomotives, two diesel and one electric.[12] A locomotive called 'Finn MacCool' also visited every summer (usually July – September) from the Belfast and County Down Miniature Railway Society, Northern Ireland, to help out in the peak season.[13] Other locomotives also visited during the 'Loco Week' and 'Bank Holiday Weekend Gala' in August. A list of locomotives is below:[14]
| Number | Name | Wheel Arrangement | Notes | Power source | Arrived | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Dickie | 0-4-2+T | Built by David Curwen, Wiltshire | Steam | 1976 | File:Beer Heights Light Railway - geograph.org.uk - 1042869.jpg |
| 4 | Thomas II | 0-4-2ST+T | Thomas II (Original), Built by Roger Marsh | Steam | 1979 | |
| 5 | Linda | 2-4-0ST+T | Mainline Hunslet, rebuilt by TMA Engineering, Birmingham. Replica of Ffestiniog Loco. | Steam | 1983 | |
| 6 | Jimmy | Bo-Bo | Built Severn Lamb, Stratford-On-Avon | diesel hydraulic | 1986 | |
| 7 | Mr.P | 2-4-2T+T | Built in Beer Works | Steam | 1997 | File:Beer Heights Light Railway Turntable.jpg |
| 8 | Gem | 0-6-0+T | Romulus (heavily modified – Engerth tender arrangement) | Steam | 1999 | |
| O&EBR 1 | Otter | 2-4-2+T | Built at Western Steam, Privately Owned | Steam | 2004 | File:Beer Heights Light Railway - geograph.org.uk - 4113989.jpg |
| 9 | Claudine | 2-4-4T | Single Fairlie, Built at Beer Works | Steam | 2005 | File:BHLR Claudine.jpg |
| 10 | Alfred | Bo-Bo | Tram style, Built at Beer Works | Battery Electric | 2003 | |
| 11 | Ben | Bo-Bo | Freelance, Built at Beer Works | LPG / Petrol Mechanical | 2015 | |
| 12 | Jools | 0-4-2T | Heavily rebuilt from Samastipur. | Steam | 2018 |
See also
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Clarke, Lewis (14 November 2025). "Popular Devon attraction announces sudden closure". Devon Live. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Pecorama". Seaton Bay. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Pecorama, Gardens, Games and Trains". Heart of Devon. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Teddy Mac and the Railway Bears". Pecorama. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Beer Heights Light Railway 7¼ inch". UK: Miniature Railway World. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Pecorama". Seaton Bay. Archived from the original on 4 September 2014. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The BHLR".
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Miniature Railway - Beer Heights". YouTube. 20 March 2009.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Beer Heights Light Railway". Archived from the original on 13 July 2010.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Pecorama Public Statement: November 2025". www.pecorama.co.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Clarke, Lewis (14 November 2025). "Popular Devon attraction announces sudden closure". Devon Live. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Our Rolling Stock". Archived from the original on 22 May 2011.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."The BHLR Revealed". Archived from the original on 30 October 2014. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Our Trains". Pecorama. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
External links
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