HI AND WELCOME TO THE 'SONDON & HOSTEIN' A NARROW GAUGE RAILWAY IN A COUNTRY
OF THE OLD EASTERN BLOCK BUT IN MODERN DAYS. NOT SET ON ANY SPECIFIC, BUT
MORE OF AN IMAGINARY RAILWAY, INCORPORATING MANY GERMAN AND AUSTRIAN LOCOS
ON LEASE TO THE SONDON AND HOSTEIN, ALONG WITH ALL THE ROLLING STOCK. UNTIL
RECENTLY THE LINES WERE THREATENED WITH CLOSURE DUE TO A DECLINE IN FREIGHT
AND PASSENGER TRAFFIC. BUT IN 2001 THE SONDON TOURIST BOARD DECIDED TO
PROMOTE TOURISM TO THE AREA, AND ITS MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS! IT WORKED A
TREAT AND FROM THIS THE RAILWAY THRIVED, AS FREIGHT GAINED DUE TO A BAN OF
LORRIES IN THE NOW NATIONAL PARK, TOURISTS LIKED THE STILL STEAM HAULED
PASSENGER TRAINS, NOW SPECIAL TOURIST TRAINS RUN TO COPE WITH DEMAND BUT
TRAINS FOR YOU AND ME ARE STILL REGULARLY HAULED BY STEAM!

THE LINE INCORPORATES TWO TUNNELS AND FOUR LEVEL CROSSINGS, TWO OF WHICH
CROSS THE MAIN GARDEN PATH, HERE THE LINE WAS SMOTHERED IN WET CEMENT MIX
AND LEVELLED, ONCE SET THE GROOVES CARVED OUT WITH A SCREW DRIVER FOR THE
WHEEL FLANGES.

THE LINE IS ALL CONTROLLED FROM A NEW STATE OF THE ART SIGNAL BOX AND
SIGNALLING SYSTEM, 'SONDON MTS POWER SIGNAL BOX'. PREVIOUSLY OPERATED UNDER
AN ABSOLUTE BLOCK SYSTEM, CAPACITY AND TRAIN FREQUENCY HAS BOOMED.
AT THE SAME TIME THIS WAS COMMISSIONED SO WAS A TURNING TRIANGLE AND A
TURNING CIRCLE, ALLOWING TRAINS TO TURN WITHOUT NEEDING A LOOP AND ALL THE
SHUNTING.

THE MAIN STATIONS ARE SONDON, AND HOSTEIN, BOTH WITH THE MAJORITY OF TRACK
AND THE LINE IS EFFECTIVELY DOUBLE THROUGHOUT, WITH A JUNCTION FOR THE RACK
SECTION OF LINE, WHICH IS A SMALLER INNER-CIRCLE.

IF ANYONE WOULD LIKE MORE INFO ON THE LINE PLEASE ASK ON THE FORUM, BUT FOR
NOW PLEASE ENJOY THE PICTURES AND ROUTE MAP.

Manager PAUL DUNCAN/Deputy ANDREW DUNCAN 2005.