Access Statement
Background
This statement concisely describes the facilities for passengers and visitors to Amerton Railway so they can understand whether their access needs can be met. It does not warrant the suitability of facilities for less able or disabled customers. If you have any questions please use the details below.
Contact Details
www.amertonrailway.co.uk : Full details of train services, history, events and locomotives.
enquiries@amertonrailway.co.uk
Tel: 01889 271337 If you do not receive an answer, please leave a message.
Facilities
Amerton Railway is a 2 foot gauge heritage railway running through open farmland adjacent to Amerton Farm & Craft Centre, Stowe-by-Chartley, Staffordshire, ST18 0LA.
Public Transport
D&G Bus 841 & 841A Monday to Saturday only to Stowe Church about 20 minutes walk to the Railway along the A518 a busy main road with 60mph speed limit and grass verges. Details from www.dgbus.co.uk or Travel Line 0871 200 2233.
Parking
Parking is on the Amerton Farm car park which has a variety of loose gravel, compacted stone, tarmac and grass surfaces. Access to Amerton Station is via tarmac driveway from the car park with a slight rise just before the platform.
Public Toilets & Catering
Provided at Amerton Farm with wheelchair and limited mobility access.
Amerton Station
Has a flat hard surfaced platform easily accessible with wheelchairs, tickets may be purchased from an external ticket window. Access to the Ticket Office Shop is via a standard width doorway with a step up of 5.5 inches up from the platform surface. Volunteers are happy to show you any items you may be interested in.
Trains
Our coaches are of a narrow gauge ‘heritage design’ and have doorways approximately 30 inches wide. Coaches 1 & 2 (without doors) have fairly narrow seating bays and Coach 2 has a seating bay with a right angle turn in it. Coaches 1 & 2 have a ‘step up’ from the platform to footboards of 6.5 inches and a further step up to coach floors of 8 inches. Coach 5 (the one with doors) has a ‘step up’ from the platform to footboards of 9.0 inches and a further step up to coach floor of 7 inches.
Wheelchair Access to Trains
Coach 5 has one bay with a removable bench seat permitting 2 average size wheelchairs to be accommodated. Access is via a Portaramp 1 piece wheelchair ramp. This is the same ramp used by most mainline railway companies. It spans the full width of the door opening for the carriage and provides stable access to our disabled carriage. The Safe Working Load of the Ramp is 300KG. Railway staff are happy to assist wheelchair users into and out of the coach.
Coach 5 is only used in trains on days when steam service operates, usually Sundays and Bank Holidays. At other times if you require disabled access, such as on Saturdays or diesel days, please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate you. Unfortunately due to the heritage nature of our carriages, there may be times when they are not available for service. You can find our contact details here or message us on Facebook.
Brake Van 6 is an open carriage at the rear of the train that typically houses our train Guard. Access to this is by the same Portaramp as Coach 5, however it is slightly higher, meaning a steeper incline to load wheelchairs. This van is often used on diesel train days and can accommodate a single wheelchair and 2 adults.
Wheelchair Access Limitations
Railway staff may determine that some powered wheelchairs cannot be safely loaded due to weight, size, or ground clearance considerations which can only be determined on inspecting the chair on the platform. We apologise for this but our heritage carriages weren’t designed for disabled access originally and we have only the safety of our customers in mind.
Running Shed & Workshop
We allow guided visits around these facilities staffing permitting. The Running Shed has a very uneven floor with raised rails and is not safe for anyone with mobility issues. The Workshop has a smooth and level concrete floor.
Access to the Workshop and the Running Shed is via either:
- A loose surfaced yard with quite a steep gradient which may not be suitable for those with mobility issues.
- In the case of the Workshop main door, there are two steep steps.
- The rear door from the yard, over raised rails, sleepers and loose gravel.
Chartley Building
We occasionally hold exhibitions and events in the Chartley Building, it has a smooth, level concrete floor. Access is via a loose surfaced yard with a quite steep gradient which may not be suitable for those with mobility issues.