British narrow gauge railways

thumb|none|Locomotive Taliesin on the revived Ffestiniog Railway
There were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways. Many notable events in British railway history happened on narrow gauge railways including the first use of steam locomotives, the first public railway and the first preserved railway.
== History ==
=== Early railways: before 1865 ===
The earliest narrow gauge railways were crude wooden trackways used in coal mines to guide wooden tubs. Because of the restricted loading gauge of the tunnels and the need for the tubs to be small enough to be pushed by one man, these railways were almost all narrow gauge. These underground lines often had short above ground sections as well.
After the start of the Industrial Revolution it became possible to create railways with iron tracks and wheels, which reduced the friction involved in moving wagons and made longer horse-hauled trains possible. These could move more material over longer distances, allowing the construction of railways from mines and quarries to transshipment points on rivers, canals and the coast. The earliest narrow gauge railways that were more than simply internal mine or quarry systems were all horse drawn industrial railways of this sort. Prominent examples include the gauge Little Eaton Gangway of 1793, the gauge Llandegai Tramway of 1798, the 4 ft 2 in gauge Surrey Iron Railway of 1803, and the 3 ft 4 in gauge Lake Lock Rail Road of 1796. The Surrey Iron Railway was the world's first public railway.
Meanwhile the development of the stationary steam engine was proceeding to the point where early steam locomotives were being proposed. In 1804 Richard Trevithick demonstrated the first locomotive-hauled railway in the world: the gauge Penydarren Tramway in south Wales. Although this first use of locomotives was a limited and short-lived experiment, in 1812 the 4 ft 1 in (1245 mm) gauge Middleton Railway in Leeds became the first in the world to make commercial use of steam haulage.
Steam technology developed rapidly in the early 1800s, allowing smaller locomotives to haul more goods. The horse-drawn Ffestiniog Railway opened in 1836 to connect the slate quarries at Blaenau Ffestiniog with the coastal port of Porthmadog. The traffic on the line quickly grew to the point where the horses could no longer haul the empty slate wagons back to the quarries quickly enough to meet demand. In 1863 steam locomotives were introduced on the gauge railway, with passenger services following in 1865. This was the first steam operated railway providing both freight and passenger services on such a small gauge, and it proved the model for the introduction of narrow gauge railways across the world.
In 1846 the British Parliament passed the Gauges Act that established as the standard gauge for Britain. After the Gauges Act, most of the railway track laid in Great Britain was to standard gauge. However many minor railways, both public and industrial were built to narrower gauges. These lines either followed local traditions or were built in locations where the smaller size of the railway proved more economical or was simply necessary due to physical limitations such as bridges and tunnels.
=== The boom years: 1865-1900 ===
The success of the Ffestiniog Railway triggered a boom in the construction of narrow gauge railways, not just in Britain but around the world. In the United Kingdom the centre of narrow gauge construction was north Wales. The mountains of the north held large quantities of slate and their narrow valleys and steep hillsides meant that the smaller narrow gauge railways were cost effective. The major slate mining regions at Bethesda, Llanberis, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Corris all developed multiple railways to serve the quarries. Some of these lines, like the Ffestiniog Railway, the Corris Railway and the Talyllyn Railway were common carriers, while others like the Penrhyn Quarry Railway and the Padarn Railway were purely industrial lines.
Outside Wales, other industries started to use narrow gauge railways to move freight, notably ironstone, limestone, china clay, brick clay and metals. Many common carrier lines were built: all of the railways on the Isle of Man were narrow gauge - mostly gauge. A number of railways were built to connect standard gauge railways with smaller towns, including the Southwold Railway, the Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway and the famous Lynton and Barnstaple Railway in Devon. These lines allowed communities that did not merit a full railway service to connect to the mainline network at low cost.
The 1880s were the high point of British narrow gauge railways as traffic on many of these lines reached its peak volume and new lines were built across the country.
=== Decline of the narrow gauge: 1900-1950 ===
In 1896 the Light Railways Act was passed which allowed the construction of railways to less stringent standards than had previously been allowed. This led to a short resurgence in the building of narrow gauge railways, especially in rural locations. In Wales, the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway was built to serve farming communities; in England the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway served similar purposes in the Derbyshire Dales.
However rail traffic was declining and the invention of the practical automobile at the turn of the century marked the beginning of the decline of public narrow gauge lines in Britain. Most of these railways were built to serve marginal traffic that would not support a larger line. As road competition increased, many existing lines fell into decline and few new railways were built.
The First World War saw a brief resurgence of the narrow gauge as surplus equipment from the War Department Light Railways (WDLR) became available. Several industrial railways were built using second hand WDLR equipment, notably the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway. Other lines such as the Glyn Valley Tramway and the Snailbeach District Railways were able to replace ageing locomotives relatively cheaply and continue to operate on shoestring budgets. Even the famed Ffestiniog Railway acquired a Baldwin locomotive to shore up the fleet working the Welsh Highland Railway which it now owned.
The last commercial carrier, narrow gauge line in Britain was the Ashover Light Railway, opened in 1925 using surplus war equipment. This was the epitome of cheaply constructed light railways and was one of several minor railways owned by Colonel Stephens.
Meanwhile, the use of narrow gauge railways in industry continued to flourish. Many small railways were built to serve sand and gravel pits, cement works and the peat and timber extraction industries. Again these often used rolling stock brought second hand from the WDLR.
However the continued development of road transport and the economic crises of the 1930s saw a slow decline in the use of narrow gauge railways across the country. The advent of the Second World War pushed many struggling enterprises into bankruptcy as labour and materials were diverted to the war effort. During and immediately after the war, the majority of the remaining lines closed: between 1946 and 1950 the Ffestiniog, Corris, Talyllyn, Ashover Light, Rye and Camber and Eaton Hall railways all closed. Many industrial lines did not survive the war years.
=== The narrow gauge after 1950 ===
The use of narrow gauge railways in Britain declined throughout the first half of the twentieth century. This decline accelerated after the Second World War as improved road transport displaced railways in industry and for passenger service .
In 1951 however, a group of railway enthusiasts, alarmed at the loss of this part of British industrial heritage, stepped in to save the failing Talyllyn Railway. This became the first railway to be run entirely by volunteers and sparked a movement to preserve many railways, both narrow and standard gauge as tourist attractions. Since then many lines have been preserved as working museums, and new narrow gauge railways are being constructed for the tourist industry.
In the twenty first century a very few industrial and common carrier lines survive. Notable amongst the latter are the Glasgow Subway, an underground metro line that operates on a gauge, and the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.
== Significant lines ==
Amongst the most well-known narrow gauge lines in Britain are the Ffestiniog - now the oldest independent railway company in the world - the Vale of Rheidol, and the Welshpool & Llanfair in Wales, and the Lynton & Barnstaple in England. Unique amongst British railways is the rack-and-pinion Snowdon Mountain Railway which climbs to just below the summit of Wales' highest peak.
The gauge Isle of Man Steam Railway operates as a tourist attraction. Also on the Isle of Man is the gauge Snaefell Mountain Railway which climbs the island's main peak and is the sole operating Fell system railway in the world.
== The narrow gauge railways of Britain and the Isle of Man ==
=== Public railways ===
These are narrow-gauge railways that ran public passenger trains for a significant portion of their existence. Many of these lines passed from being common carriers and were preserved as heritage railways after their demise. Where this has happened their heritage existence is listed separately, below.
Name 	Opened	Closed 	Gauge 	Length 	Location 	Notes
Alford and Sutton Tramway 	1884 	1889 	 	7 miles 	Alford, England 	Steam-hauled street tramway.
Ashover Light Railway 	1925 	1950 	 	7 miles 	Clay Cross, England 	Mineral and passenger line owned by the Clay Cross Company built using ex-WDLR equipment
Camborne and Redruth Tramway 	1902 	1934 	 	3 miles 	Redruth, England 	Cornwall's only electric tramway. As well as a passenger service, mineral traffic was carried behind electric locomotives.
Campbeltown and Machrihanish Light Railway 	1877 	1932 	 	6 miles 	Mull of Kintyre, Scotland	Remote line serving coal mines and passengers on the Kintyre peninsula.
Corris Railway (I) 	1859 	1948 	 	12 miles 	Machynlleth, Wales 	Built to carry slate from the Corris district. Closed after flooding of the Afon Dyfi. Now being restored.
Fairbourne Railway 	1895 	Present	 	2  miles 	Fairbourne, Wales 	Built as a horse drawn tramway to carry building materials for Fairbourne village. Has been carrying passengers from Fairbourne village to Penrhyn Point ever since.
Festiniog and Blaenau Railway 	1868 	1883 	 	3 miles 	Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales	Independent line feeding the Festiniog Railway to which it was connected. Converted to a standard gauge branch of the Great Western Railway in 1883.
Festiniog Railway (I) 	1836 	1946 	 	13 miles (21.5 km) 	Porthmadog, Wales 	Built to carry slate from the Blaenau Ffestiniog district to the coast.
Foxdale Railway 	1886 	1905 	 	2½ miles (4 km) 	Foxdale, Isle of Man 	Carried lead and silver ore from mines at Foxdale to St John's for onward transport to Ramsey via the Manx Northern Railway who operated the line.
Glasgow Subway 	1896 	Present	 	6½ miles (10.4 km) 	Glasgow, Scotland 	Underground cable-hauled metro line, converted to third rail operation in 1935 and modernised 1977-1980. Still in operation as a common carrier.
Glyn Valley Tramway 	1873 	1935 	2 ft 4½ in (724 mm) 	8 miles 	Chirk, Wales 	Carried granite and passengers along the Ceriog Valley, much of the length as a roadside tramway.
Great Orme Tramway 	1902 	present	 	1¼ miles 	Llandudno, Wales 	Cable-hauled tourist railway carrying passengers to the top of the Great Orme headland.
Groudle Glen Railway (I) 	1896 	1962 	 	¾ mile 	Isle of Man 	Tourist railway along the clifftops at Groudle Glen
Herne Bay Pier Railway 	1896 	1939 	3 ft 4½ in (1029 mm)	 mile 	Herne Bay, England 	Pier construction railway that was retained for passenger use.
Hythe Pier Railway 	1879 	Present	 	 mile 	Hythe, England 	Construction railway for the opening of the pier in 1881. In 1909 railway was relaid as a pleasure line using 240 volt electric locomotives.
Isle of Man Steam Railway 	1873 	Present	 	46 miles (74 km) 	Douglas, Isle of Man 	An extensive network of lines covering the island. Now reduced to one main line that is principally a steam-hauled tourist railway.
Jersey Railway 	1870 	1936 	 	8 miles 	Saint Helier, Jersey 	Passenger and goods services in the island of Jersey.
Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway 	1904 	1934 	 	8 miles 	Leek, England 	Agricultural and passenger service for the Manifold valley in the Derbyshire Dales.
Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (I) 	1898 	1935 	 	19 miles 20 chains	Barnstaple, England 	Carried passengers and general freight for 20 miles of rugged countryside around Exmoor, Devon. Part of the line is now being restored as a heritage railway, and reopened to passengers in 2004. The line was extended to just over 1 mile in May, 2006.
Manx Electric Railway 	1893 	Present	 	17 miles (27.4 km) 	Douglas, Isle of Man 	An electric tramway running from Douglas to Ramsey along the east coast of the Isle of Man.
Manx Northern Railway 	1879 	1905 	 	16¾ miles (27 km) 	Ramsey, Isle of Man 	Steam railway from St. John's to Ramsey on the Isle of Man. Incorporated into the Isle of Man Railway in 1905.
North Wales Narrow Gauge Railways 	1877 	1916 	 	12 miles 	Dinas, Wales 	One of the precursors to the WHR. Carried passengers, slate and general freight.
Plynlimon and Hafan Tramway 	1897 	1900 	 	7 miles 	Talybont, Wales 	Short-lived line serving the lead mines around Hafan.
Portmadoc, Beddgelert and South Snowdon Railway	1901 	1908 	 	? 	Porthmadog, Wales 	An attempt to connect Porthmadog to Beddgelert and the NWNGR. Although it never opened to traffic, much of the trackbed was built and formed part of the WHR.
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway 	1875 	1913 	 	6 miles 	Ravenglass, England 	A line serving the iron ore mines and local passengers in the western Lake District. Was subsequently converted to a 1 ft 3 in miniature railway which is still in operation.
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway 	1927 	Present	 	13½ miles 	Kent, England 	Running a mixture of steam and diesel trains; mainly operates as a tourist attraction but also provides local services and transport to and from school for local children.
Rothesay and Ettrick Bay Light Railway 	1879 	1936 	converted to 1902 	4 miles 	Rothesay, Scotland 	A horse tramway, converted to an electric tramway in 1936.
Rye and Camber Tramway 	1895 	1946 	 	2 miles 	Rye, England 	Passenger railway serving the seaside resorts and golf courses around Rye.
Snaefell Mountain Railway 	1895 	Present	 	5 miles (8 km) 	Laxey, Isle of Man 	Steeply graded electric-powered Fell railway climbing to the summit of Snaefell, the Isle of Man's highest peak.
Southend Pier Railway 	1830 	2005 	and 	 mile 	Southend, England 	Pier construction railway later used for passenger haulage. Converted to gauge in the late 1970s.
Southwold Railway 	1879 	1929 	 	8¾ miles (14 km) 	Southwold, England 	Steam-hauled line connecting Southwold with Halesworth along the Suffolk coast.
Snowdon Mountain Railway 	1896 	Present	 	5 miles (7.5km) 	Llanberis, Wales 	Britain's only rack railway, built to carry passengers to the top of Wales' highest mountain.
Talyllyn Railway (I) 	1865 	1950 	 	7 miles (11.67km) 	Tywyn, Wales 	Built to carry slate from Bryneglwys quarry to the coast.
Torrington and Marland Railway 	1880 	1971 	 	6¼ miles 	Torrington, England 	Built to carry clay from the pits at Marland.
Vale of Rheidol Railway 	1902 	Present	1 ft 11¾ in (603 mm)	11¾ miles 	Aberystwyth, Wales 	Originally built to serve the lead mines of the Vale of Rheidol and the tourist trade, now a purely heritage line.
Volks Electric Railway 	1883 	Present	2 ft 8½ in (825 mm) 	1¼ miles(2 km) 	Brighton, England 	Britain's first electric railway, running along the beachfront at Brighton.
Welsh Highland Railway 	1922 	1937 	 	22 miles 	Porthmadog, Wales 	An ambitious but short lived project to create Britain's longest narrow gauge railway. Now being restored.
Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (I) 	1903 	1956 	 	9 miles (14 km) 	Welshpool, Wales 	Agricultural and passenger services in the Welsh borders.
Wolverton and Stony Stratford Tramway 	1886 	1926 	 	4½ miles 	Milton Keynes, England 	Steam-hauled roadside tramway.
=== Estate Railways ===
Narrow-gauge railways serving private estates. These were often minimum gauge railways.
Name 	Opened 	Closed 	Gauge	Length 	Location 	Notes
Ardkinglas Railway 	before 1879	early 1900s	 	? 	Ardkinglas Estate, Scotland	Private estate railway
Dalmunzie Railway 	1920 	1978 	 	2 miles	Dalmunzie Hotel, Scotland 	Estate railway serving the grouse shooting moors and stone quarry above the hotel
Duffield Bank Railway 	1874 	1916 	 	? 	Duffield, Derbyshire 	Private demonstration estate railway built by Sir Arthur Heywood
Eaton Hall Railway 	1896 	1947 	 	3 miles	Eaton Hall, Cheshire 	Estate railway connecting Eaton Hall to the GWR at Balderton partially reconstructed as the Eaton Park Railway
Sand Hutton Light Railway	1912 	1932 	 	7 miles	Warthill, England 	Passenger and general freight line serving the Sand Hutton estate.
=== Heritage railways and museums ===
thumb|right|Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway
thumb|right|Welsh Highland Railway
In 1951 the Talyllyn Railway was the first railway in the world to be taken over and preserved by volunteers. This was the birth of the heritage railway movement, which has flourished in Britain and around the world in the years since. This list contains those narrow-gauge railways that are primarily run as publicly-accessible tourist railways or museums.
Name 	Opened 	Closed 	Gauge 	Length 	Location 	Notes
Abbey Light Railway 	1978 	Present 	 	? 	Kirkstall Abbey,Leeds, UK 	Half mile from opposite the shopping zone into the Abbey grounds. Industrial diesels, runs most Sundays
Albany Steam Museum Forest Road Light Railway 	before 1973	? 	 	? 	Newport, England 	Steam and diesel locomotives on the site of a planned railway. Closed due to lack of planning permission for the site.
Alford Valley Railway 	1979 	Present 	 	1 miles 	Alford, Scotland 	Built on the old standard gauge branch from Upper Donside to Kintore Junction
Almond Valley Light Railway 	1993 	Present 	 	¼ miles 	Livingston, Scotland 	Short line at a heritage museum featuring diesel locomotives from armaments factories
Amberley Working Museum 	1979 	Present 	mainly 	? 	Amberley, England 	Large industrial museum with extensive narrow gauge railway collection, mainly from lines in the southeast of England.
Armley Mills Industrial Museum 	? 	Present 	various 	60 yards 	Leeds, England 	Industrial museum highlighting the industrial heritage of Leeds. Has a significant collection of Leeds-built locomotives and a short demonstration line.
Bala Lake Railway 	1972 	Present 	 	4.5 miles 	Llanuwchllyn, Wales 	Steam-hauled tourist railway built on the trackbed of the standard gauge Morfa Mawddach-Ruabon line.
Brecon Mountain Railway 	1980 	Present 	 	3.5 miles 	Merthyr Tydfil, Wales 	Steam-hauled tourist railway built on the trackbed of the standard gauge Brecon & Merthyr Railway.
Bredgar & Wormshill Light Railway 	1975 	Present 	 	½ mile 	Hollingbourne, England 	A half-mile long private steam railway that holds regular open days
Brockham Museum 	1962 	1983 	various 	? 	Dorking, England 	Large collection of narrow gauge railway equipment from the south-east of England. The collection moved to the Amberley Chalk Pits Museum
Bursledon Brickworks Museum 	1990 	Present 	 	? 	Bursledon, England 	Steam-railway run by the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Society.
China Clay Industry Museum 	? 	Present 	 	? 	St Austell, England 	Static display of ex-Lee Moor tramway locomotive
Conwy Valley Railway Museum 	1965 (?) 	Present 	Various 	? 	Betws-y-Coed, Wales 	Small railway museum including a number of narrow gauge artifacts.
Corris Railway (II) 	1967 	Present 	 	1.6 km 	Machynlleth, Wales 	Heritage railway revival of the Corris Railway
Devil's Dyke Steep Grade Railway 	1897 	1908 	 	? 	Brighton, England 	A tourist funicular railway climbing the South Downs.
Devon Railway Centre 	1997 	Present 	 	? 	Tiverton, England 	A tourist railway and locomotive collection.
Dowty Railway Preservation Society 	1962 	1985 	various 	? 	Tewkesbury, England 	Society of railway enthusiasts from the Dowty Group of companies with a substantial collection of narrow gauge locomotives. See the North Gloucestershire Railway entry.
Durley Light Railway 	1968 	after 1996	 	 	Durely, England 	Collection of steam and diesel locomotives originally located at Stoke Park sand pit from 1962, moved to Durely in 1968 where a railway was established.
East Hayling Light Railway 	1998 	Present 	 	 	Hayling Island, England 	Newly constructed narrow gauge pleasure railway using diesel locomotives.
Ffestiniog Railway (II) 	1954 	Present 	 	13.5 miles 	Porthmadog, Wales 	Heritage revival of the original company.
Gloddfa Ganol Narrow Gauge Railway Center 	1978 	2000 (?) 	 	? 	Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales 	At one time the largest collection of narrow gauge locomotives in Britain, housed in the former Oakely slate quarry.
Golden Valley Light Railway 	1980s? 	Present 	 	? 	Butterley, England 	Growing narrow gauge collection and passenger line at the Midland Railway Centre.
Great Bush Railway 	early 1970s	Present 	 	¼ mile 	Hadlow Down, England 	Private Railway running around Tinker's Park
Great Laxey Mine Railway 	2004 	Present 	1 ft 7 in (483 mm) 	¼ mile 	Laxey, Isle of Man 	Replica locomotives running passenger trains on the original trackbed of the Laxey mines railway.
Groudle Glen Railway (II) 	1986 	Present 	 	? 	Isle of Man 	Tourist railway along the clifftops at Groudle Glen
Herefordshire Waterworks Museum 	1982 	Present 	 	? 	Hereford, England 	Short demonstration line.
Herne Bay Pier Railway 	1896 	1939 	3 ft 4½ in (1029 mm)	? 	Herne Bay, England 	Pier construction railway that was retained for passenger use.
Hollycombe Steam Collection 	1968 	Present 	 	? 	Liphook, England 	Working steam museum
Irchester Narrow Gauge Railway Museum 	1980s 	Present 	1000 mm (3 ft 3 in) 	? 	Irchester, England 	Collection of rolling stock from Midlands ironstone railways and a short demonstration line.
Kew Bridge Steam Museum 	1986 	Present 	 	200 yards 	London, England 	Waterworks museum with a short demonstration line, run since 1992 by the Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Society
Klondyke Steam Museum 	1981 	1982 	 	? 	Draycott-on-the-clay, England	A proposed steam museum using the Ffestiniog Railway locomotive Palmerston. Never opened (?)
Launceston Steam Railway 	1983 	Present 	 	2 miles (4 km) 	Launceston, England 	Steam-hauled tourist railway built on the trackbed of the standard gauge North Cornwall Railway
Leadhills and Wanlockhead Railway 	1986 	Present 	 	¾ mile 	Leadhills, Scotland 	Passenger carrying tourist line built on a standard gauge trackbed.
Leighton Buzzard Railway 	1968 	Present 	 	3 miles (4.8 km)	Leighton Buzzard, England 	Heritage railway operating over the tracks of the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway
Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway 	1958 	1985 	 	? 	Humberstone, England 	Tourist line built using ex-Nocton Potato Estate railway equipment
Llanberis Lake Railway 	1972 	Present 	 	? 	Llanberis, Wales 	Tourist railway running along part of the trackbed of the Padarn Railway using equipment from the Dinorwic quarry railway.
Llechwedd Slate Caverns 	1972 	Present 	 	? 	Blaenau Ffestiniog, Wales 	Passenger carrying railway, mainly underground in the Llechwedd slate mine. Operated with battery-electric locomotives.
Lynton and Barnstaple Railway (II) 	2003 	Present 	 	1 mile 	Woody Bay, England 	Restoration of the Lynton and Barnstaple railway, on the trackbed of the original line
Morwellham Open Air Museum 	? 	Present 	 	? 	Tavistock, England 	Passenger-carrying tourist railway at the museum
Monkton Farleigh Mine Museum 	before 1987	1990 	 	? 	Bath, England 	4wDM locomotive at a mining museum in an abandoned quarry.
Moseley Railway Trust 	1968 	Present 	mainly 	? 	Newcastle-under-Lyme, England	A significant collection of industrial locomotives currently in store, but due to re-open at the Apedale Heritage Center in 2006.
Moseley Industrial Narrow Gauge Tramway and Museum Tumblydown Farm railway	2001 	Present 	 	600 yards 	Tolgus Mount, England 	Part of the original Moseley Tramway collection now relocated to Cornwall.
Narrow Gauge Railway Museum 	1956 	Present 	Various 	? 	Tywyn, Wales 	Static exhibits at the Talyllyn Railway's Tywyn Wharf station.
North Gloucestershire Railway 	1985 	Present 	 	400 yards 	Toddington, England 	A short railway laid beside the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway, replacing the Dowty Railway Society
North Western Museum of Science and Industry 	before 1981	Present 	 	? 	Liverpool, England 	Static exhibit of ex-Isle of Man Railway No. 3 Pender
Penrhyn Castle Railway Museum 	1951 	Present 	various 	 	Bangor, Wales 	Collection of industrial narrow gauge locomotives and artifacts
Purbeck Mineral and Mining Museum 	2004 	Present 	various 	 	Norden, England 	Collection of narrow gauge rolling stock from the Purbeck clay mining industry. A demonstration railway is under construction.
Radstock Light Railway 	1995 	Present 	 	 	Radstock, England 	Equipment on the Somerset and Avon Railway Association's site, mostly from the former Vobster Railway.
Ramsgate Harbour Railway 	? 	1965 	 	? 	Ramsgate, England 	Steeply graded tourist line running mainly in a tunnel under Ramsgate
Rudyard Lake Steam Railway 	1985 	Present 	Various 	? 	Rudyard, near Leek, England 	Steam operated one and a half mile long railway along the side of Rudyard Lake.
Shipley Glen Tramway 	1895 	Present 	1 ft 8 in (508 mm) 	? 	Saltaire, England 	Rope-hauled inclined tourist railway.
Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway 	1969 	Present 	 	? 	Sittingbourne, England 	Heritage railway founded by the Locomotive Club of Great Britain, operating over part of the Bowater Light Railway.
South Tynedale Railway 	1983 	Present 	 	2¼ miles 	Alston, England 	Steam-hauled line running on part of the trackbed of the standard gauge Newcastle and Carlisle Railway's Haltwhistle to Alston Branch.
Steeple Grange Light Railway 	1988 	Present 	 	? 	Wirksworth, England 	Passenger-hauling minimum gauge railway running on the trackbed of the Killer's Branch of the standard gauge Cromford and High Peak Railway.
Talyllyn Railway (II) 	1951 	Present 	 	7.25 miles (11.8 km) 	Tywyn, Wales 	First heritage railway in the world to be preserved and run by volunteers
Teifi Valley Railway 	1986 	Present 	 	? 	Henllan, Wales 	A steam-hauled tourist railway on the trackbed of a standard gauge GWR branch to Camarthen.
Tolgus Tin Mine Museum 	? 	? 	2 ft 2 in (660 mm) 	? 	Redruth, England 	Static display of mining locomotive
Twyford Waterworks Trust 	? 	present 	 	 	Twyford, England 	Short industrial narrow gauge railway line
Welland Valley Vintage Traction Club 	? 	? 	 	? 	Market Harborough, England 	Ex-ironstone quarry railway equipment on static exhibition, including Kettering Ironstone Railway No. 8
Welsh Highland Railway (Porthmadog) 	1964 	Present 	 	1.25 miles 	Porthmadog, Wales 	Restoration of the south end of the Welsh Highland Railway.
Welsh Highland Railway (Caernarfon) 	1998 	Present 	 	12 miles 	Caernarfon, Wales 	Restoration of the north end of the Welsh Highland Railway.
Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway (II) 	1963 	Present 	 	8 miles 	Welshpool, Wales 	Heritage revival of the line.
West Lancashire Light Railway 	1966 	Present 	 	0.43 miles 	Hesketh Bank, England 	Developed as a private railway, now operating as a tourist line with ex-industrial steam and diesel locomotives.
Westonzoyland Pumping Station Museum 	? 	2004 	 	? 	Westonzoyland, England 	Small industrial museum at restored pumphouse with a short demonstration railway.
Wey Valley Light Railway 	before 1971	1982 	 	? 	Farnham, Wales 	Passenger-carrying railway run by Farnham District Scouts. Became the Old Kiln Light Railway
Yaxham Light Railway 	1967 	Present 	 	? 	Yaxham, England 	Steam-hauled passenger line at the former GER railway station at Yaxham.
=== Visitor attractions ===
thumb|Amerton Railway
Many tourist-oriented theme and amusement parks, stately homes etc. include narrow-gauge railways as part of the attraction as well as to provide internal transportation within the venue. 
Name 	Opened 	Closed 	Gauge 	Length 	Location 	Notes
Alton Towers Railway 	1929 	1996 	 	? 	Leek, England 	A short tourist line at the Alton Towers amusement park.
Amerton Railway 	1990 	Present 	 	 mile 	Amerton, England 	A steam-hauled passenger line running round the Amerton Working Farm.
Battersea Park Far Tottering and Oystercreek Railway	1951 	1953 	 	 mile 	Battersea, England 	A whimsical attraction at the Festival of Britain Pleasure Gardens built to the designs of the Punch cartoonist Emett.
Bicton Woodland Railway 	1963 	Present 	 	? 	Budleigh Salterton, England 	A tourist railway running round Bicton Gardens, originally equipped with stock from the Woolwich Arsenal Railway.
Billing Aquadrome Railway 	? 	Present 	 	? 	Billing, Northamptonshire 	A lakeside circuit at the Billing Aquadrome holiday park.
Blenheim Palace Railway 	1990s? 	Present 	1 ft 3 in (381 mm)	? 	Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire	The line runs between car park and palace, through parkland surrounding the ancestral home of the Dukes of Marlborough. The steam-outline diesel locomotive, built by Alan Keef, is named after Winston Churchill, who was born at Blenheim in 1874.
Bressingham Steam Museum 	1970s 	Present 	 	2 miles	Diss, Norfolk 	Short passenger carrying line around the famous Bloom gardens at Bressingham; part of a larger steam collection.
Chessington Zoo 	1970 	1978 	 	? 	Chessington, England 	Passenger carrying tourist line that was built to replace a 12 in gauge miniature railway.
Cotswold Wildlife Park 	1970s 	Present 	 	? 	Burford, England 	Passenger carrying tourist line around the wildlife park.
Doddington Park Light Railway 	? 	Present 	 	? 	Chipping Sodbury, England 	A tourist railway in the grounds of Doddington House stately home.
Drusillas Park Railway 	1946 	Present 	 	? 	Alfriston, England 	Short tourist line around an amusement park.
Gardner's Pleasure Resort 	1893 	1934 	 	? 	Riddlesdown, England 	Early pleasure railway with home-built steam locomotive which survived until 1948.
Knebworth Park and Winter Green Railway 	1972 	1990 	 	1 miles	Knebworth, England 	Steam-hauled passenger line in the grounds of Knebworth House
Margam Train 	 	Present 	 	 	Margam County Park, Wales 	Tourist railway round the Country Park hauled by a steam-outline diesel locomotive
Old Kiln Light Railway 	1982 	Present 	 	? 	Tilford, England 	Short steam-hauled railway at the Rural Life Centre.
Overstone Solarium Light Railway 	1969 	? 	 	? 	Sywell, England 	A short line running as a tourist attraction round the Overstone Solarium amusement park.
Seaton Tramway 	1971 	Present 	2 ft 9 in 	3 miles	Seaton, England 	Electric tramway using half-scale models of trams.
Telford Town Tramway 	1980 	1990 ? 	 	? 	Telford, England 	A steam-hauled tramway in Telford new town.
Thorpe Park Treasure Island Railway 	1984 	present (?)	 	? 	Chertsey, England 	Short tourist line around an amusement park.
Thorpe Park Canada Creek Railway 	1989 (?)	present 	 	? 	Chertsey, England 	Short tourist line at an amusement park.
Whipsnade and Umfolozi Railway 	1970 	Present 	 	? 	Dunstable, England 	Steam-hauled passenger line running around the grounds of Whipsnade Zoo. Rolling stock came from the Bowater Light Railway.
Yafford Mill Railway 	1994 	2000 	 	 miles 	Newport, England 	Short-lived passenger railway using ex-MOD diesel locomotives and stock built by Alan Keef
=== Private railways ===
These are private lines or collections owned by individuals or small groups and generally not open to the public.
===Military railways ===
Many British military establishments and former UK Government-owned explosives sites used narrow gauge railways. These locations were often subject to the Official Secrets Act and other government restrictions, so many of them are less well documented.
The industrial use of narrow-gauge railways was quite extensive amongst the various military and civilian explosive factories, for example ICI Nobel's works at Ardeer and the Agency Explosive Factories run by ICI Nobel in the Second World War. To give an example, the Ministry of Supply (MOS) Factory Dalbeattie used 30 inch (750 mm) gauge with a variety of bogie trucks mostly pushed by teams of three to six women. Stores, explosives, chemicals, rubbish and sewage, were all transported on this narrow-gauge system, which used at least 8 miles (12 kilometers) of track.
=== Industrial railways ===
Great Britain was home to many industrial narrow gauge railways, ranging from temporary hand-powered lines a few yards long to significant locomotive-worked complexes of lines that served substantial industrial concerns.
== See also ==
* List of British heritage and private railways
* List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland
* Industrial railways
* Miniature railways
* Decauville
== References ==
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Narrow gauge