This list of British heritage and private railways is intended as a list of railways in Great Britain and the Channel Islands that are privately owned or kept, built and run for heritage. For rail museums, see List of British railway museums. More links at foot of page.
Many of the standard gauge railways were originally lines closed by British Railways under the Beeching cuts in the 1960s, and reopened as private and / or heritage lines.
Contents |
England
Standard gauge
- Appleby Frodingham Railway, Lincolnshire
- Astley Green Colliery Museum, Lancashire
- Avon Valley Railway, Gloucestershire
- Barrow Hill Engine Shed, Derbyshire (preserved Roundhouse Museum)
- Battlefield Line, Shackerstone, Leicestershire
- Bideford & Instow Railway, Devon
- Birkenhead Dock Railway, Birkenhead, Merseyside ("Proposed")
- Bluebell Railway, East Sussex and West Sussex
- Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Cornwall
- Bowes Railway, Tyne and Wear
- Bristol Harbour Railway and Industrial Museum, Bristol
- Cambrian Railway Society, Oswestry, Shropshire
- Cambrian Railway Trust, Llynclys, Shropshire
- Osrail an amalgamation of both The Cambrian Railway Trust and The Cambrian Railway Society , Oswestry, Shropshire
- Chard Branch Line Joint Railway, Somerset ("Proposed")
- Chasewater Railway, Staffordshire
- Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire ("The Icknield Line")
- Cholsey and Wallingford Railway, Oxfordshire ("The Bunk Line")
- Churnet Valley Railway, Staffordshire
- Colne Valley Railway, Essex
- Dartmoor Railway, Devon
- Dart Valley Railway, Devon
- Dean Forest Railway, Gloucestershire
- Derwent Valley Light Railway, North Yorkshire ("The Blackberry Line")
- Didcot Railway Centre, Oxfordshire
- Doncaster Railway Works, Doncaster, South Yorkshire
- Don Valley Railway, South Yorkshire
- East Anglian Railway Museum, Essex
- East Kent Railway, Kent
- East Lancashire Railway, Lancashire and Greater Manchester
- East Norfolk Railway, Norfolk
- East Somerset Railway, Somerset
- Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Derbyshire
- Eden Valley Railway, Cumbria
- Elsecar Railway, South Yorkshire
- Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire
- Epping Ongar Railway, Essex
- Forge Valley Railway, North Yorkshire ("Proposed")
- Foxfield Steam Railway, Staffordshire
- Furness Steam Railway, Cumbria
- Great Central Steam Railway, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire
- Great Western Steam Railway, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire ("The Cotswold Line")
- Haig Colliery Mining Museum, Cumbria
- Helston Railway Preservation Company, Cornwall
- Isle of Wight Steam Railway, Isle of Wight
- Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, West Yorkshire
- Kent & East Sussex Railway, Kent and East Sussex
- Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, Cumbria
- Lansalson branch line, Cornwall
- Lavender Line, East Sussex
- Lincolnshire Fens Railway, Lincolnshire
- Lincolnshire Wolds Railway, Lincolnshire
- Mid Cheshire Railway, Cheshire
- Mid Derbyshire Railway, Derbyshire ("Proposed")
- Mid Hampshire Railway, Hampshire ("The Watercress Line")
- Mid Lancashire Railway, Lancashire ("Proposed")
- Mid-Norfolk Railway, Norfolk
- Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, Suffolk ("The Middy Line")
- Middleton Railway, West Yorkshire
- Midland Railway - Butterley, Derbyshire
- Nene Valley Railway, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
- North Dorset Railway, Dorset
- North Norfolk Railway, Norfolk ("The Poppy Line")
- North Somerset Railway, Somerset
- North Tyneside Steam Railway, Tyne and Wear
- North Yorkshire Moors Railway, North Yorkshire
- Northampton & Lamport Railway, Northamptonshire
- Northamptonshire Ironstone Railway Trust, Northamptonshire
- Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, Nottinghamshire
- Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, Devon
- Peak Rail, Derbyshire
- Plym Valley Railway, Devon
- Ribble Steam Railway, Lancashire
- Rother Valley Railway, Kent and East Sussex
- Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway, Northamptonshire
- Severn Valley Railway, Shropshire and Worcestershire
- Snibston Railway, Leicestershire
- Somerset and Dorset Joint Steam Railway, Midsomer Norton, Somerset
- Spa Valley Railway, Kent
- Swanage Railway, Dorset ("The Purbeck Line")
- Swindon and Cricklade Railway, Wiltshire
- Tanfield Railway, County Durham and Tyne and Wear
- Telford Steam Railway, Shropshire
- Tyseley Locomotive Works, Tyseley, West Midlands
- Weardale Railway, County Durham
- Wensleydale Railway, North Yorkshire
- West Somerset Railway, Somerset
- Wisbech and March Bramley Line, ("The Bramley Line")
- Yorkshire Coast Railway, North Yorkshire
- Yorkshire Wolds Railway, North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire ("Proposed")
Narrow gauge
- Abbey Light Railway, Leeds
- Amberley Chalk Pits Museum includes narrow-gauge railway
- Amerton Railway, Staffordshire
- Beeches Light Railway - private
- Bicton Woodland Railway
- Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway
- Bressingham Steam & Gardens
- Bromyard and Linton Railway - private
- Bure Valley Railway - Norfolk
- Cadeby Light Railway - now closed
- Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, North East Lincolnshire
- Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway, Derbyshire
- Devon Railway Centre, Devon
- Eaton Hall Railway - private
- Gartell Light Railway, Somerset
- Golden Valley Light Railway, Derbyshire
- East Hayling Light Railway, Hampshire
- Hythe Pier, Railway and Ferry
- Hollycombe Steam Collection
- Kew Bridge Steam Museum, London
- Launceston Steam Railway, Cornwall
- Leighton Buzzard Railway
- London Post Office Railway - not open to the public
- Lynbarn Railway, Devon
- Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, Devon
- Moseley Railway Trust, Manchester
- Morwellham Quay Open Air Museum, Devon
- North Gloucestershire Narrow Gauge Railway
- North Ings Farm Railway, Lincolnshire
- Perrygrove Railway, Gloucestershire
- Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, Staffordshire
- Seaton Tramway, Devon
- Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, Kent- CLOSED
- Southend Pier
- South Tynedale Railway between Alston, Cumbria and Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
- Statfold Barn Railway - private
- Steeple Grange Light Railway
- Stevington and Turvey Railway - private
- Volks Electric Railway Brighton
- Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills, Essex
- West Lancashire Light Railway, Lancashire
- Windmill Farm Railway, Lancashire
- Yaxham Light Railway
Miniature railways
- Audley End Railway
- Beer Heights Light Railway, Devon
- Bekonscot Light Railway, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
- Berkeley Light Railway, Gloucestershire
- Broomy Hill Railway, Hereford
- Bure Valley Railway, Wroxham, Norfolk
- Dobwalls Forest Railroad near Liskeard, Cornwall
- Downs Railway Colwall, Near Ledbury Herefordshire
- Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway & Country Park, Hampshire
- Echills Wood Railway, Kingsbury Waterpark, Warickshire
- Frimley Lodge Park Railway
- Gorse Blossom Farm Railway, Devon
- Great Cockcrow Railway, Chertsey, Surrey
- Kirklees Light Railway, West Yorkshire
- Lakeside Miniature Railway, Southport, Merseyside
- Lappa Valley Steam Railway, Cornwall
- Malden District Society of Model Engineers, Thames Ditton, Surrey
- Markeaton Park Light Railway, Derby
- Moors Valley Railway, Ashley Heath near Bournemouth, Dorset
- Saltburn Miniature Railway near Middlesbrough
- North Bay Railway, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, Cumbria
- Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, Kent
- Royal Victoria Country Park near Southampton, Hampshire
- Ruislip Lido Railway, Ruislip, Greater London
- Stapleford Miniature Railway, Leicestershire
- Wells and Walsingham Light Railway, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
- Weston Park Railway, Shropshire
- Wicksteed Park Railway, Northamptonshire
- Woking Miniature Railway, Knaphill, Surrey
Full details of all miniature railways
Tramways
Tramway operation in Britain almost ceased entirely in the post-WWII years. Once Glasgow had disposed of its lines, the sole survivor was the Blackpool Corporation Tramways, although considerably reduced in size. In the late 20th century there has been a revival in this form of transport, notably in Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield, the West Midlands and Croydon, among others.
There are, however, the following places where preserved trams operate:
- Beamish Museum
- Black Country Museum
- The National Tramway Museum (at Crich)
- East Anglia Transport Museum, near Lowestoft, Suffolk
- Heaton Park Tramway, Manchester
- Merseyside Tramway Preservation Society [1] Birkenhead
- Seaton Tramway, Devon
Scotland
Standard gauge
- Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway
- Caledonian Railway (Brechin), Angus
- Keith and Dufftown Railway
- Royal Deeside Railway
- Scottish Industrial Railway Centre
- Strathspey Railway
- Waverley Railway, Roxburghshire
Narrow gauge
Miniature railways
Tramways
Wales
Standard gauge
- Llanelli & Mynydd Mawr Railway[3]Carmarthenshire
- Amman Valley Railway Society
- Bridgend Valleys Railway
- Denbigh & Mold Junction Railway
- Gwili Railway
- Mid Carmarthenshire Railway, Carmarthenshire
- Llangollen Railway
- Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
- Swansea Vale Railway (Now Closed)
- Vale of Glamorgan Railway (Now Closed)
Narrow gauge
- Bala Lake Railway, Gwynedd
- Brecon Mountain Railway
- Corris Railway, Gwynedd
- Ffestiniog Railway, Gwynedd
- Glyn Valley Tramway
- Llanberis Lake Railway, Gwynedd
- Penrhyn Railway
- Snowdon Mountain Railway, Gwynedd
- Talyllyn Railway, Gwynedd
- World's first heritage railway and inspiration for the film The Titfield Thunderbolt
- Teifi Valley Railway, Ceredigion
- Vale of Rheidol Railway, Ceredigion
- Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, Gwynedd
- Welsh Highland Railway, Gwynedd
- Welshpool & Llanfair Railway, Powys
Miniature railways
Tramways
Northern Ireland
See List of heritage railways in Northern Ireland.
Isle of Man
See List of heritage railways in the Isle of Man.
Channel Islands
Alderney
Jersey
See also
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Heritage railways in Great Britain |
- British narrow gauge railways
- British Rail
- Conservation in the United Kingdom
- List of Conservation topics
- List of funicular railways
- List of heritage railways
- List of heritage railways in the Republic of Ireland
- List of railway companies
- Mountain railway
- Rail transport in the United Kingdom
- Preserved main line steam locomotive support in the United Kingdom
References
External links
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