Oct 2009 - Full steam ahead as Severn Lamb secures largest ever train order

A little piece of England is about to come to a picturesque corner of East Asia. Severn Lamb UK, whose people-moving products are used by some of the world’s most respected attraction operators, is preparing to ship the first of five ‘Lincoln’ rail trains to an eco-resort in South Korea – the company’s largest single order to date.
The trains will go into use over the next six months at Ecoland, part of the Beach Hills Resort on Jeju Island, where they will transport guests around a natural volcanic habitat and attractions including a 36-hole golf course, hotels and holiday cottages.

Each well-appointed 24” gauge train will comprise a locomotive, tender and four 36-seater coaches (144 seats in total). Two of the trains will also feature a luxurious mahogany panelled cab for maximum driver comfort, and each will be powered by a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) engine to keep running costs and carbon emissions to a minimum. The first train, named The Blue Lake, is finished in a smart navy blue and red livery, and each subsequent train will be completed with a different colour scheme.

Manufacturing work continues on the trains at Severn Lamb’s premises in Warwickshire, England, and the last should be delivered in the first quarter of 2010, ready to go into use when the resort is fully operational next year. The company’s previous largest train order was for three units, supplied to Leofoo Village in Taiwan during 2005.

“We’re thrilled to have secured such a large order at what we know is a challenging time for many suppliers,” remarks Severn Lamb managing director, Patrick Severn Lamb. “It’s good to see operators investing in new projects, and I wish Beach Hills Resort success for many years to come.”

Based near the town of Stratford-on-Avon (Shakespeare’s birthplace), Severn Lamb has been building rail trains, road trains, custom vehicles and monorails for over 60 years, using the finest British craftsmanship and hand-finished production methods. Its products can be found in over 50 countries, with clients including Walt Disney, Port Aventura, Busch Entertainment, Genting International and many more.

In recent years the company has witnessed demand from an increasingly diverse range of customers, ranging from cruise ship operators and holiday resorts to shopping malls and heritage attractions. In May of this year, for example, Severn Lamb supplied two ‘Texan’ trains to the Monteverde Train Forest, a railroad travelling through the amazing bio-diversity of Costa Rica. A month earlier, it completed an eco-friendly, battery-powered version of the same train for an outlet mall in Lakeland, Tennessee.

“Sustainable technologies are now an important consideration for many of our clients,” adds Patrick Severn Lamb, “and we are pleased to incorporate them into our products, each of which is built to order. Not only do they carry good ‘green’ credentials, but they also help operators save money on fuel and energy.”

May 2009 – Severn-Lamb secures order for FIVE Lincoln trains!!

Severn-Lamb are proud to announce that in the first quarter of 2009 they signed an order for 5 Lincoln trains including 20 coaches.

The trains are destined for an eco-resort on the South Korean Island of Jeju. The resort including a 36 hole golf course, hotels & holiday cottages will also boast an extensive eco-tour where guests will be able to experience the natural volcanic habitat of the island while travelling aboard one of five 24” gauge Lincoln rail trains.

The trains will be powered by Ford LPG engines and will include two fitted with mahogany wooden cabs & eight fully enclosed coaches. All five trains are currently under manufacture with the first due ready for completion in September 2009 and the last 2, trains 4 & 5, due for completion 1st quarter 2010.

The order is the company’s single biggest order for trains in 61 years surpassing previous orders for multiples of 3 trains for clients such as Disney & Leofoo Village, Taiwan.

May 2009 – Monteverde Train Forest Railroad, Costa Rica

20 years ago Francisco Chamberlain dreamt of travelling through a tropical cloud forest on a train crossing the most amazing bio-diversity of Costa Rica. In May 2009 his dream became a reality when the new Monteverde Train Forest railroad received two 24” Texan Locomotives & 6 coaches.

The trains take guests on a 90 minute tour allowing you to admire the natural richness of one of the worlds most famous rain forests. On their journey through the rain forest each train navigates tight 12m radius’ and in places climb incredible 5% gradients.

The coaches are open wood effect panelled ensuring guests receive a true sense of the tropical environment while they are fitted with rain curtains for times when the forest lives up to its name, and rains!!

For further information visit www.trainforest.com

April 2009 – Sustainable, Eco-Friendly 24” Gauge Texan Delivered to Tennessee, USA

Following delivery of a Diesel Hydraulic Texan to Lodi Station Outlets in August 2008 Severn-Lamb was challenged by the same client with developing an indoor, sustainable, eco-friendly Texan train for a further outlet mall in Lakeland, Tennessee. Utilising technology proven at Harrison’s Caves, Barbados our engineers re-designed the Texan tender removing the Kubota diesel engine and replacing it with 4,500kg of batteries. They swapped out the hydraulic motors & pumps and replaced them with electric drive motors and controllers.

This allowed for Severn-Lamb’s first sustainable eco-friendly Texan train, performing as well as, if not better, than it’s diesel counterpart hauling 72 guests for up to 11 hours per day from a single overnight charge. The train is fitted with a digital display providing the driver with all necessary operational instrumentation as well as valuable diagnostic information. The electric power pack allows the train to operate indoors as well as out.

For more information on our range of battery electric vehicles please contact our sale team by clicking here.

March 2009 – 24” Gauge Lincoln Locomotive FLIES!!!

In autumn 2008 Comercializadora, Mexico ordered a new Lincoln Locomotive & Tender to accompany their Texan & 4 coaches previously delivered in 2008. The Lincoln was destined for their new park in Queretaro, Mexico due to be inaugurated by the Mexican President in early March 2009.

The timescales were tight, Severn-Lamb’s trains are all hand crafted and built to order, with lead times typically exceeding 6 months. With sea freight taking up to 4 weeks to ship this was not an option to ensure meeting the deadlines. Working closely with the client and local freight forwarders Confill Ltd, the decision was taken to FLY all 10,000kgs of train to Mexico.

The Lincoln successfully completed its testing & pre-delivery inspection on the Friday, the train was packaged ready to fly over the weekend and took off the following week arriving in Mexico in 24hrs.

The train was successfully inaugurated in front of a delighted crowd on 12th March 2009.

December 2008 - Kankaria Lake, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Severn-Lamb was proud to deliver a Lincoln locomotive and 4 coaches to the prestigious Kankaria Lake development in Ahmadabad in the last quarter of 2008.

Kankaria lake is the biggest lake of the city of Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India and has undergone a redevelopment over the last two years which has seen the inclusion of 1.8km of track and Severn-Lamb’s Lincoln rail train.

The Lincoln was named 'Atal Express' after former prime-minister of India Mr. Atal Bihari Vajpayee as part of a unique week long inauguration ceremony known as the "Kankaria Carnival".

With its four coaches it is able to carry up to 144 adults & children on its 20 minute journey around the lake.

Feedback on our products is always welcome and we were particularly pleased to hear from the City engineer who on seeing the train for the first time sent us the message: - “Train is really beautiful”.