Bowleaze Switcher

The Bowleaze Switcher was designed by architect Patrick Henshaw, and built in 1974-75 by Tom Smith at his 'Miracle Works' (actually the garage on his suburban hole in Lechlade, Gloucestershire!). At the time, it was a very large machine, measuring 239cm long, 74cm wide and 131cm tall . The general outline was that of a US 'Switcher' shunting locomotive, with a generously proportioned cab by any standard, let along 7 1/4" gauge, a bonnet filled with heavy traction batteries, and a Smith power-bogie at the rear.

The Switcher worked at Patrick Henshaw's Bowleaze Miniature Railway from Easter 1975 to Easter 1983 when it was sold with it's matching coaches to a small 7 1/4" line at Brean Sands near Weston-super-Mare, and the following year to Rich Morris at Blaenau Ffestiniog, for use on his 7 1/4" portable 'Narrower Gauge Railway'.

In August 1986, the Switcher was returned to Tom Smith for refurbishment with a new power-bogie and CAV 1hp motor. In 1991, Rich Morris regauged the entire railway to 10 1/4", including the Switcher, which continued to run on the portable railway, then at a permanent home in Eirias Park, Colwny Bay until that line closed in 1996, then to the Gloddfa Ganol Slate Mine in Blauenau Ffestiniog in 1996.

In 1997 it was sold again to John Crosskey in London, although little is known about where it ran, if at all, during this time. In 2005 it made what appeared to be its last journey to L A Services in Wawickshire, sitting on an exposed siding there until it was bought by Richard Shaw of the Coalyard Railway at Kidderminster Station.

With the frame and some of the woodwork now rather badly rotten, Richard rebuilt the machine more or less from scratch, but lacking Tom Smith's woodworking skills, was unable to make some of the double-planed curves in the plywood body, and it ended up a very different machine. Richard consequently realised it was just too big for his railway and scale equipment, selling it to Patrick Henshaw's son David in 2012. It subsequently came back to Dorset, where the twin Bosch motors were replaced with a single 1hp geared motor, and the control systems completely rebuilt with 4QD equipment.

The Switcher now runs ocassionally on the Manor Road Railway in Dorchester, but is unable to make use of the whole circuit, being too wide for some narrow sections!