List of British heritage and private railways

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This list of British heritage and private railways is intended as a list of railways (railroads) in Great Britain and the Channel Islands that are privately owned or for 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

The engine sheds at Didcot Railway Centre

Goathland station on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

Arley station on the Severn Valley Railway

A general view of the Swanage Railway

Bishops Lydeard station on the West Somerset Railway

Narrow Gauge Railways

Amberley Chalk Pits Museum includes narrow-gauge railway
Amerton Railway, Staffordshire
Beeches Light Railway - private
Bicton Woodlands Railway
Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway
Bressingham Steam & Gardens
Bromyard and Linton Railway - private
Cadeby Light Railway - now closed
Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, Yorkshire
Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway, Derbyshire
Devon Railway Centre, Devon
Eaton Hall Railway - private
Gartell Light Railway, Somerset
Golden Valley Light Railway, Derbyshire
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
Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway, Kent
South Tynedale Railway on the border between Cumbria and Northumberland
Statfold Barn Private 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

The Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway in 1981

Trains on the Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway

Audley End Railway
Beer Heights Light Railway, Devon
Berkeley Light Railway, Gloucestershire
Bure Valley Railway, Wroxham, Norfolk
Dobwalls Forest Railroad near Liskeard, Cornwall
Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway & Country Park, Hampshire
Frimley Lodge Park Railway
Gorse Blossom Farm Railway, Devon
Great Cockcrow Railway, Chertsey, Surrey
Kirklees Light Railway, West Yorkshire
Lappa Valley Steam Railway, Cornwall
Malden District Society of Model Engineers, Thames Ditton, Surrey
Moors Valley Country Park near Bournemouth, Dorset
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]

A 1931 Leeds tram seen at Crich Tramway Village in 2004

Tramways

Tramways 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 size. In the late 20th century there has been a revival in this form of transport, notably in Manchester, Sheffield and Croydon, among others.

There are, however, the following places where preserved trams operate: