Arlesdale Railway

"Real?! Of course we're real! We bring all the ballast to put under your tracks!" "And wool for making clothes." "And passengers too!"

- Mike, Bert and Rex, Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure

The Arlesdale Railway, also called the "Small Railway", is a 15"-gauge railway running from Arlesburgh along the old route of the Mid Sodor Railway to Arlesdale. At Arlesburgh, connections can be made between it and the Arlesburgh branch. The line is mainly used to transport waste materials from several of the abandoned mines at Arlesdale for use as ballast, but it also attracts popularity due to the novelty of being pulled by a 1/3 scale engine.

From Arlesburgh the line stops at Arlesburgh Bridge Street, Ffarquhar Road, Marthwaite, and Arlesdale Green before turning south to Arlesdale.

The ownership of this railway is shared by the Small Controller and the Owner of the Skarloey Railway.

The Arlesdale Railway appeared in Small Railway Engines, Oliver the Western Engine, Duke the Lost Engine, Jock the New Engine, Wilbert the Forest Engine, and is mentioned in Thomas and his Friends. It also appeared in various annuals, Railway Series related books and was mentioned in the My Thomas Story Library book, Duck.

The railway made it's first television series appearance in Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure.

The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is its real-world counterpart.