List of British heritage and private railways

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.

England

tandard gauge

*Astley Green Colliery Museum, Lancashire
*Airedale Railway, North Yorkshire "("The Yorkshire Dales Branch")"
*Avon Valley Railway, Gloucestershire
*Barrow Hill Engine Shed, Derbyshire "(preserved Roundhouse Museum)"
*Battlefield Line, Shackerstone, Leicestershire
*Bideford & Instow Railway, Devon
*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
*Chasewater Railway, Staffordshire
*Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire "("The Icknield Line")"
*Churnet Valley Railway, Staffordshire
*Colne Valley Railway, Essex
*Cholsey and Wallingford Railway, Oxfordshire "("The Bunk Line")"
*Dartmoor 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
*Dart Valley Railway, Devon
*East Anglian Railway Museum, Essex
*East Kent Railway, Kent
*East Lancashire Railway, Lancashire and Greater Manchester
*East Somerset Railway, Somerset "("The Strawberry Line")"
*Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Derbyshire
*Eden Valley Railway, Cumbria
*Elsecar Railway, South Yorkshire
*Epping Ongar Railway, Essex
*Foxfield Steam Railway, Staffordshire
*Fleetwood Branch, Lancashire
*Furness Steam Railway, Cumbria
*Great Northern Steam Railway, Norfolk "("The Poppy Line")"
*Great Western Steam Railway, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire "("The Cotswold Line")"
*Great Central Steam Railway, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire
*Great Yorkshire Coast Railway, North Yorkshire
*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
*Lansalson branch line, Cornwall
*Lavender Line, East Sussex
*Lincolnshire Wolds Railway, Lincolnshire
*Mid Hampshire Railway, Hampshire "("The Watercress Line")"
*Mid-Norfolk Railway, Norfolk
*Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, Suffolk
*Middleton Railway, West Yorkshire
*Midland Railway Centre, Derbyshire
*Midland Steam Railway, Derbyshire
*Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, Devon
*Nene Valley Railway, Peterborough
*North Norfolk Railway, Norfolk
*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
*North Somerset Railway, Somerset
*North Lincolnshire Railway, Lincolnshire
*Peak Rail, Derbyshire
*Plym Valley Railway, Devon
*Queensbury Regionel Railway, West Yorkshire
*Ribble Steam Railway, Lancashire
*Rother Valley Railway, Kent and East Sussex
*Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway, Northamptonshire
*Severn Valley Railway, Shropshire and Worcestershire
*Somerset and Dorset Joint Steam Railway, Midsomer Norton, Somerset
*Spa Valley Railway, Kent
*Swanage Railway, Dorset "("The Purbeck Line")"
*Swindon and Cricklade Railway, Wiltshire
*Telford Steam Railway, Shropshire
*Tyseley Locomotive Works, Tyseley, West Midlands
*Teesdale Railway, County Durham
*Tanfield Railway, County Durham and Tyne and Wear
*Test Valley Railway, Hampshire
*Weardale Railway, County Durham
*Wensleydale Railway, North Yorkshire
*West Somerset Railway, Somerset
*Wharfedale Railway, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire
*Wisbech and March Bramleyline, "("The Bramley Line")"

Narrow Gauge Railways

*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
*Hayling Seaside 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
*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

[http://www.narrow-gauge.co.uk/directory/show.php 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 [http://www.mtps.co.uk/] Birkenhead
*Seaton Tramway, Devon

cotland

tandard gauge

*Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway
*Caledonian Railway (Brechin), Angus
*Keith and Dufftown Railway
*North British Steam Railway, Roxburghshire
*Royal Deeside Railway
*Scottish Industrial Railway Centre
*Strathspey Railway

Narrow gauge

*Alford Valley Railway
*Isle of Mull Railway
*Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway

Miniature railways

*Sanday Light Railway

Tramways

*Summerlee Heritage Park [http://www.geocities.com/summerleetrams/]

Wales

tandard gauge

*Amman Valley Railway Society
*Barry Island Railway
*Bridgend Valleys Railway
*Denbigh & Mold Junction Railway
*Gwili Railway
*Mid Carmarthenshire Railway, Carmarthenshire
*Llangollen Railway
*Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway
*Swansea Vale Railway
*Vale of Glamorgan Railway

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 Railway, Gwynedd
*Welshpool & Llanfair Railway, Powys

Miniature railways

*Conwy Valley Railway Museum, Betws-y-Coed
*Fairbourne Railway, Gwynedd
*Rhyl Miniature Railway

Tramways

*Great Orme Tramway [http://www.greatorme.btinternet.co.uk/Tramway.htm]

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

*Alderney Railway

Jersey

*Pallot Heritage Steam Museum

ee also

*British narrow gauge railways
*List of funicular railways
*British Rail
*Conservation in the United Kingdom
*List of heritage railways in the Republic of Ireland
*List of heritage railways
*List of Conservation topics
*List of railway companies
*Mountain railway
*Rail transport in the United Kingdom

External links

* [http://www.steam.dial.pipex.com/internat.htm International Working Steam]
* [http://www.heritage-railways.co.uk Heritage Railways Directory]
* [http://railways.national-preservation.com/ National Preservation UK's leading heritage railways forum]