List of British heritage and private railways

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This is a list of British heritage and private 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 listed were originally closed by British Railways under the Beeching cuts in the 1960s, and reopened as private or heritage lines.

[edit] England

[edit] Standard gauge

The engine sheds at Didcot Railway Centre

GWR Earl of Berkeley at Horsted Keynes Station, Bluebell Railway

Goathland station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Mixed train on the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway

Arley station on the Severn Valley Railway

A general view of the Swanage Railway

Bishops Lydeard station on the West Somerset Railway

Appleby Frodingham Railway, Lincolnshire
Aln Valley Railway, Northumberland, ("under construction")
Avon Valley Railway, Gloucestershire and Somerset
Battlefield Line, Shackerstone, Leicestershire
Berkerley Vale Railway, Gloucestershire, ("The Beaver Line") ("Proposed")
Birkenhead Dock Railway, Birkenhead, Merseyside ("Proposed")
Bluebell Railway, East and West Sussex
Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Cornwall
Bowes Railway, Tyne and Wear
Bristol Harbour Railway, Bristol, Gloucestershire
Cambrian Heritage Railways Trust, Oswestry, Shropshire
Chasewater Railway, Staffordshire ("The Colliery Line")
Chatham Historic Dockyard Railway, Kent
Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire ("The Icknield Line")
Cholsey and Wallingford Railway, Oxfordshire ("The Bunk Line")
Churnet Valley Railway, Staffordshire ("The Knotty Line")
Colne Valley Railway, Essex
Dartmoor Railway, Devon
Dean Forest Railway, Gloucestershire ("The Friendly Forest Line")
Derwent Valley Light Railway, North Yorkshire ("The Blackberry Line")
Don Valley Railway, South Yorkshire ("Proposed")
East Kent Railway, Kent (The Kent Colliery Line)
East Lancs Railway, Lancashire and Greater Manchester
East Somerset Railway, Somerset
Ecclesbourne Valley Railway, Derbyshire
Eden Valley Railway, Cumbria
Elsecar Heritage Railway, South Yorkshire
Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway, North and West Yorkshire (The Friendly Line)
Epping Ongar Railway, Essex
Exeter and Teign Valley Railway, Christow, Devon ("Proposed")
Fawley Hill Railway, Buckinghamshire
Foxfield Steam Railway, Staffordshire
Glous-Warks Steam Railway, Gloucestershire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire ("The Honeybourne Line")
Great Central Heritage Railway, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire
Helston Railway, Cornwall
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway, West Yorkshire
Kent & East Sussex Steam Railway, Kent and East Sussex ("The Rother Valley Line")
Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway, Cumbria
Lavender Line, East Sussex
Lincolnshire Wolds Railway, Lincolnshire
Mangapps Railway, Essex
Mid Hants Railway, Hampshire ("The Watercress Line")
Mid-Norfolk Railway, Norfolk
Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, Suffolk ("The Middy")
Middleton Railway, West Yorkshire
Midland Heritage Railway, Derbyshire
Nene Valley Railway, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
North Dorset Railway, Shillingstone, Dorset
North Norfolk Railway, Norfolk ("The Poppy Line")
North Somerset Railway, Radstock, Somerset ("Proposed")
North Tyneside Steam Railway, Tyne and Wear
North Yorkshire Moors Railway, North Yorkshire
Northampton & Lamport Railway, Northamptonshire
Northants Ironstone Railway, Hunsbury Hill, Northamptonshire
Paignton and Dartmouth Steam Railway, Devon
Peak Rail, Derbyshire
Plym Valley Railway, Devon
Poulton & Wyre Valley Railway, Lancashire ("Proposed")
Ribble Steam Railway, Lancashire
Rowden Mill and Fencote Railway, Hertfordshire, ("currently private")/(open days only)
Rushden, Higham & Wellingborough Railway, Northamptonshire
Rutland Railway UK, Rutland
Severn Valley Railway, Shropshire and Worcestershire
Snibston Railway, Leicestershire
Somerset and Dorset Joint Steam Railway, Midsomer Norton, Somerset
South Devon Railway, Devon (formerly known as "Dart Valley Railway")
Spa Valley Railway, Kent and East Sussex
Stainmore Heritage Railway, Cumbria
Swanage Railway, Dorset ("The Purbeck Line")
Swindon and Cricklade Railway, Wiltshire
Tanfield Railway, County Durham and Tyne and Wear
Tarka Valley Railway, Torrington, Devon ("Proposed")
Telford Steam Railway, Shropshire
Weardale Railway, County Durham
Wensleydale Railway, North Yorkshire
West Somerset Railway, Somerset
Whitwell & Reepham Railway, Norfolk
Wisbech and March Railway, Cambridgeshire ("The Bramley Line") ("Proposed")
Yorkshire Wolds Railway, North and East Yorkshire ("Proposed")

The Volks Electric Railway

Restored Victorian coach at the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway

[edit] Railway Centres & Museums

Armley Mills Industrial Museum, Armley, near Leeds, West Yorkshire
Astley Green Colliery Museum, Lancashire
Barrow Hill Roundhouse & Railway Centre, Derbyshire (preserved Roundhouse Museum)
Beamish Museum & Railway Centre, County Durham
Bideford Railway Heritage Centre, Devon
Bressingham Steam Centre and Gardens Museum, Norfolk ("Standard Gauge railway museum")
Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, Quainton Road, Buckinghamshire
Carnforth Railway Centre, Carnforth, Lancashire (preserved Station Building & Depot)
Coventry Railway Centre, Warwickshire ("The Airfield Line")
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, Darlington, County Durham
Didcot Railway Centre, Oxfordshire
Doncaster Railway Centre, Doncaster, South Yorkshire ("currently open days only")
East Anglian Railway Museum, Essex
Haig Colliery Mining Museum, Cumbria
Hellifield Railway Centre, Hellifield, North Yorkshire ("Proposed")
Locomotion, County Durham
London Transport Museum, London
National Railway Museum, York, North Yorkshire
Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, Nottinghamshire
Rushden Transport Museum, Northamptonshire
Southall Railway Centre, Southall, West London
Tyseley Railway Centre, Tyseley, West Midlands
Yeovil Railway Centre, Somerset

[edit] Narrow gauge

Abbey Light Railway, Kirkstall, nr Leeds, West Yorkshire
Amberley Museum Railway
Amerton Railway, Staffordshire
Beeches Light Railway - private
Bicton Woodland Railway, Devon
Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway, Kent
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
Exmoor Steam Railway, Devon - private
Gartell Light Railway, Somerset
Golden Valley Light Railway, Derbyshire
East Hayling Light Railway, Hampshire
Hythe Pier Ferry Railway, Hampshire
Hollycombe Steam Collection
Kew Bridge Steam Museum, London
Launceston Steam Railway, Cornwall
Leighton Buzzard Railway, Bedfordshire
London Post Office Railway - CLOSED (Out of use)
Lynbarn Railway, Devon
Lynton & Barnstaple Railway, Devon
Markeaton Park Light Railway, Derby
Moseley Railway Trust, Manchester
Morwellham Quay Open Air Museum, Devon
North Gloucestershire Narrow Gauge Railway, Gloucestershire
North Ings Farm Railway, Lincolnshire
Perrygrove Railway, Gloucestershire
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, Cumbria
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, Kent
Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, Staffordshire
Seaton Tramway, Devon
Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, Kent
Southend Pier Railway, Southend-on-Sea, Essex
South Tynedale Railway between - Alston, Cumbria and Kirkhaugh, Northumberland
Statfold Barn Railway - private
Steeple Grange Light Railway, Derbyshire
Stevington and Turvey Railway - private
Volks Electric Railway, Brighton
Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills, Essex
West Lancashire Light Railway, Lancashire
Windmill Farm Railway, Lancashire
Woodhorn Narrow Gauge Railway, Ashington, Northumberland
Yaxham Light Railway, Norfolk

[edit] Miniature railways

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in 1981

Trains on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway

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
East Herts Miniature Railway near Ware, Hertfordshire
Echills Wood Railway, Kingsbury Waterpark, Warwickshire
Fancott Miniature Railway
Frimley Lodge Park Railway
Gorse Blossom Farm Railway, Devon
Great Cockcrow Railway, Chertsey, Surrey
Ickenham Miniature Railway, Ickenham, Greater London
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
Museum of Power, Langford near Maldon, Essex
Saltburn Miniature Railway near Middlesbrough
North Bay Railway, Scarborough, North Yorkshire
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
Woodhorn Narrow Gauge Railway, Ashington, Northumberland

Dragon Miniature Railway, Marple

A 1931 Leeds tram seen at Crich Tramway Village in 2004

[edit] 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: