Many private individuals in Great Britain own collections of narrow-gauge railway equipment or operate short railways. These railways are generally not open to the public, but often contain historically significant rolling stock or other items.
Private collections edit
| Name | Opened | Closed | Gauge | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D.L. Walker private collection[1] | 1970 | 1985? | 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | Minsterley, England | Static storage of quarry Hunslet Dorothea |
| F. Stapleton private collection[2] | ? | after 1987 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Newbury, England | 4wDM locomotive in storage |
| I. Gunn private collection[2] | ? | after 1987 | 1 ft 10 in (559 mm) | Bristol, England | 4wBE locomotive in storage |
| Ian Jolly private collection[1] | 1976 | Present | various | Mold, Wales | A private collection of narrow-gauge locomotives, including a 1/4 mile line. |
| J. Hampton private collection[2] | ? | after 1987 | 3 ft (914 mm) | Fenstanton, England | 4wDM locomotive in storage |
| J. Thomas private collection[1][2] | before 1981 | after 1987 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Bletchley, England | A private collection of narrow-gauge locomotives ex-Oxstead Greystone Lime |
| M.A.G. Jacobs private collection[2] | ? | after 1987 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Long Eaton, England | One 4wPM, one 4wDM locomotive |
| M. Capron private collection[2] | ? | after 1987 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Bristol, England | 4wDM locomotive in storage |
| Pallot private collection[2] | ? | after 1987 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Jersey, Channel Islands | Two 4wDM locomotives |
| Pengally Farm[1] | ? | after 1987 [2] | 2 ft (610 mm) | Callington, England | Private collection of narrow-gauge locomotives |
| Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust | ? | Present | Various gauges | Surrey, England | Test track a private location near Godalming, Surrey. The trust owns the Vale of Rheidol Railway in Wales |
| Ray Maslen collection[3] | ? | present? | 2 ft (610 mm) | Arlesey, England | |
| R.J. Harrison private collection[1] | before 1981 | ? | 2 ft (610 mm) | Carlisle, England | Private collection of narrow-gauge locomotives |
Private railways edit
| Name | Opened | Closed | Gauge | Length | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beeches Light Railway | 2004[4] | 2023 | 2 ft (610 mm) | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Steeple Aston, England, | A figure of eight layout in Adrian Shooter's garden, operated with the steam locomotive DHR 778. |
| Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway | 1970s | 2 ft (610 mm) | 1⁄2 mile | near Maidstone, England | A short line laid across fields surrounding a private house, open for charity events one Sunday each month during the summer. | |
| Bromyard and Linton Light Railway | 1968[5] | present | 2 ft (610 mm) | 1 mile (1.6 km) | Bromyard, England | A short line laid on the trackbed of the standard gauge former GWR Worcester-Bromyard branch. |
| Cadeby Light Railway[1] | 1962 | 2005 | 2 ft (610 mm) | 97 yards | Hinckley, England | A short line and collection of rolling stock running round the rectory garden. Assembled by the late Reverend Teddy Boston, the line was closed in 2005. |
| Cheltenham Light Railway[1] | ? | ? | 2 ft (610 mm) | ? | Cheltenham, England | A short private line, not open to the public |
| Creekmoor Light Railway[6] | 1967 | 1973[7] | 2 ft (610 mm) | Fleetsbridge, Poole, England | Technically an agricultural railway, its main use was for private passenger trains. Used a small collection of Motor Rail diesel locomotives and Orenstein & Koppel 9239 0-6-0WT locomotive Fojo.[7] | |
| Crockway Light Railway[6] | 1973[7] | 1979 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Maiden Newton, England | Built using the track and rolling stock of the Creekmoor Light Railway. | |
| Derbyshire Dales Narrow Gauge Railway | 1990 | 2018 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Unknown | Rowsley South railway station, Peak Rail | Private railway at, but separate from, Peak Rail. Rail lifted 2018-2019. Some of the trackbed to be used by The Ashover Light Railway Society's new running line. |
| Eynsford Light Railway[8] | ? | present | 2 ft (610 mm) | Eynsford, England | Short private line in Kent, with ex-Provan Gas Works steam locomotive | |
| Gartell Light Railway[6][9] | 1984 | Present | 2 ft (610 mm) | 3⁄4 mile | Templecombe, England | Private railway with occasional open days |
| Great Bush Railway[10] | 1971 | Present | 2 ft (610 mm) | 1⁄4 mile | Hadlow Down, England | Private railway with occasional open days |
| Hindlip and District Light Railway[11] | 1959 | 1971 | 2 ft (610 mm) | 100 yards | Brockamin, England | Built by Alan Maund to run Kerr Stuart 3114. |
| Isle of Thanet Light Railway[12] | 1995 | Present | 2 ft (610 mm) | 300 yards | Isle of Thanet, England | A short private line, not open to the public |
| Inny Valley Railway[1][13] | 1968 | 1987 | 1 ft 10+3⁄4 in (578 mm) | 400 yards | Launceston, England | A short private line, not open to the public. ex-Dinorwic Bagnall locomotive Sybil was located here. |
| Oldberrow Light Railway[1] | ? | before 2002 | 2 ft (610 mm) | ? | Henley-in-Arden, England | A short private line, not open to the public |
| Penton Light Railway[1] | 1981 | ? | 2 ft (610 mm) | ? | Penton, England | |
| Richmond Light Railway[14] | 2015 | Present | 2 ft (610 mm) | 730 yards (670 m) | Kent, England | Extensive "garden" railway with eight steam and three internal combustion locomotives |
| Rheilffordd Llechi Sir Caernarfon | 2004 | present | 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) | Gwynedd, Wales | Private railway | |
| Ripon and District Light Railway[15] | 1984 | present | 2 ft (610 mm) | ½ mile | Ripon, England | Private railway moving building materials around a housing estate. Uses extremely light track and Lister locomotives |
| Southfield House Railway | 2004 | Present | 2 ft (610 mm) | 2 Miles | Louth, England | A short private garden line, open to the public on special open days [16] |
| Statfold Barn Railway | ? | present | 2 ft (610 mm) and 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | Staffordshire, England | An extensive collection of restored narrow-gauge locomotives running on several miles of track. The railway hosts several open days each year. | |
| Stevington and Turvey Light Railway[3] | ? | 2014 | 2 ft (610 mm) | Turvey, England | A short line laid on the trackbed of a former standard gauge branch from Bedford. Closed due to vandalism in 2014 and the stock and rails moved to Woburn in Bedfordshire. | |
| Surrey Light Railway[17][18] | 1976 | 2000 | 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) | ? | Hersham, England | Fully signalled private line with one steam locomotive, several 4wDMs and 2 4wBEs. Most of the stock went to the Great Bush Railway on closure. From there the stock moved to Rheilffordd Llechi Sir Caernarfon. |
| Tiny Tramway Mining Company[6] | 1991 | 1995 | 2 ft (610 mm) and 18 in (457 mm) | ? | Corfe Mullen, England | Locomotive-worked garden railway with a working mine shaft and adit for sand extraction. |
| Tucking Mill Tramway[1] | ? | 1987 | 2 ft (610 mm) | ? | Midford, England | A short private line |
| Umberslade Light Railway[1] | ? | ? | 2 ft (610 mm) | ? | Hockly Heath, England | A short private line, not open to the public |
| Vobster Light Railway[6] | 1991 | 1994 | 2 ft (610 mm) | 1⁄4 mile | Vobster, England | Diesel locomotive worked short line connecting with the trackbed of the standard gauge Newbury Railway |
| Wootton Railway | 2009 | Present | 2 ft (610 mm) | ? | Northampton, England | A short private garden line, not open to the public |
| Wychbold Railway[11] | 1963 | 1970 | 2 ft (610 mm) | 1/2 mile | Droitwich, England | Built by Graham Mullis to run 0-4-0WT locomotive Eigiau purchased from Penrhyn quarry. Steam locomotives Una (Hunslet 873), Diana (Kerr Stuart 1158) and Mesozoic (Peckett 1327) were also located here, but did not run. |
| Wychwood Railway[11] | 1965 | 1970 | 2 ft (610 mm) | 1/2 mile | Leamington Spa, England | Brian Goodchild's private railway featuring Baguley 774, Motor Rail 8575, Hunslet 2207 and Lister 41545. |
References edit
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Crumbleholme, Roger & Kirtland, Terry (1981). steam '81. George Allen & Unwin. ISBN 0-04-385082-0.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Bryant, R.S. (ed.) (1987). Industrial Locomotives, including preserved and minor railway locomotives. Industrial Railway Society. ISBN 0901096555.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help) - ^ a b Compiled by Dave Holroyde & Lawson Little (2003). Annual Guide to Narrow Gauge and Miniature Railways in the British Isles and Ireland: 2003. Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
- ^ Sinha, Kounteya (18 September 2014). "Love for Darjeeling toy train makes Briton buys off world's oldest surviving locomotive". Times of India. Retrieved 13 January 2016.
- ^ "BBC Hereford and Worcester article on Bromyard railways".
- ^ a b c d e Mitchell, Vic & Smith, Keith (2006). Dorset and Somerset Narrow Gauge. Middleton Press. ISBN 1904474764.
- ^ a b c "Creekmoor Light Railwaway, Poole, Dorset" (PDF). Narrow Gauge News. No. 83. The Narrow Gauge Railway Society. June 1983.
- ^ Stuart Chapman (1 July 2017). Eynsford Light Railway (YouTube). Retrieved 4 March 2020.
- ^ "Gartell Light Railway web site".
- ^ "Tinkerspark web site".
- ^ a b c Quine, Dan (March 2015). "Private railways of the West Midlands in the 1960s". Narrow Gauge World.
- ^ "Locomotive Elsa of the IoTLR".
- ^ Dart, Maurice (2005). Cornwall narrow gauge including the Camborne & Redruth tramway. Middleton Press. ISBN 190447456X.
- ^ James, Jonathan (May 2021). Narrow Gauge Railways London and South East England. Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
- ^ "Ripon and District Light Railway website".
- ^ brokenlashes (6 July 2017). SHLR - A trip around the largest private railway in the UK (YouTube).
- ^ Mitchell, Vic & Smith, Kevin (2003). Surrey Narrow Gauge including South London. Middleton Press. ISBN 1901706877.
- ^ Mitchell, Vic & Smith, Keith (2004). Hampshire Narrow Gauge including the Isle of Wight. Middleton Press. ISBN 1904474365.