Heritage railways

Heritage railways vary greatly in length and seldom go anywhere. They all tend to use British Railways standard corridor stock and many even retain that vagely East European plum colour livery; some even has compartments and most have lavatories. There are some refreshment cars: after all eating on trains used to be a pleasure. The fragrance of coal smoke and hot oil is probably their best feature. It is only when it is possible to travel on a through carriage from Whitby to York on a fast train that the heritage will deserve to be called preserved railways. Canal heritage has been vastly more successful.

Middleton Railway

Mid Hants Railway Ltd 'Watercress Line'

Kent & East Sussex Railway - Tenterden's Steam Railway

The Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway: RH&DR
15-inch gauge line

Dartmouth Steam Railway
Used to be marketed as Dart Valley Railway. Access via Network Rail station

South Devon Railway
Torbay Steam Railway: Paignton to Kingswear for Dartmouth. Access via Network Rail station

Bodmin & Wenford Railway
Access via Network Rail station

West Somerset Railway
Minehead destination: departure point?

Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
1-foot 11½-inch gauge: latter gives a long run behind large locomotives through Snowdonia

Talyllyn Railway
Where the concept of railway preservation began

Vale of Rheidol Railway
One time part of British Railways, but narrow gauge

Llangollen Railway
One can arrive via preserved canal, but far from railway network

Snowdon Mountain Railway
A real railway which like its Swiss companions does a real job

Llanberis Lake Railway

Great Orme Tramway
If only the Llandudno & Colwyn Bay trams had also been preserved

The East Lancashire Railway
Lacks passenger access by train or tram

KWVR - Keighley & Worth Valley Railway
Access via Network Rail station: literary destination with Brontes

The Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway

Peak Rail
Peak Rail website
Peak Rail: an ambitious private railway project

Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway

South Tynedale Railway
Alston

Weardale Railway

Aln Valley Railway

Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway - The Scottish Railway Preservation Society

Strathspey Railway

Beamish

Wells & Walsingham Light Railway

Mid-Norfolk Railway
Access via Network Rail station at Wymondham

Colne Valley Railway

Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway
Access via Network Rail station at Kidderminster

Didcot Railway Centre
Access via Network Rail station

Electric Railway Museum

Nene Valley Railway
Access via Network Rail station at  Peterborough

Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Severn Valley Railway
Access via Network Rail station at Kidderminster

Great Central Railway