NARROW GAUGE RAILWAYS
This gallery includes pictures of all locos owned and operated by narrow gauge railways excluding those in Northern Ireland, which see elsewhere. These pictures are published for pleasure/information/research purposes only and are not for sale or copy under any circumstances. Information in captions has been researched as thoroughly as possible but its accuracy cannot be guaranteed.
The Campbeltown & Machrihanish Light Railway was built in 1905 and ran for 4.5 miles from the port of Campbeltown to the village of Machrihanish largely along the line of a colliery tramway built in 1876. Coal was the main traffic and for some years the railway was successful but by 1932 it was in debt and the railway closed in November 1932 and was dismantled in 1933.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway runs from Llanberis for 4.7 miles to the summit of Mount Snowdon. It is the only public rack and pinion railway in UK. It opened in 1896 and carries more than 130,000 passengers per year.
The Talyllyn Railway was the world's first preserved railway. It runs for 7.25 miles from the little port of Tywyn to the village of Nant Gwernol. It was built to transport locally mined slate. It closed in October 1950 but was quickly taken over by enthusiasts and retuned to life.
The Vale of Rheidol is 19km long and runs from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge and opened in 1902. It has been run by the Cambrian Railway, the GWR and BR and was privatised in 1989. It has been operated as a tourist attraction since the 1930's.
The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway runs west from Welshpool for 8.5 miles to the village of Llanfair Caereinion. The line opened in 1903 and was operated by the Cambrian Railway, then the GWR, losing its passenger services in February 1931 and closed completely in November 1956. In April 1963, volunteers reopened the western section but the eastern end, which ran through the streets of the town, had been built over so a new terminus was opened at Raven Square in July 1981.
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track, 597 mm narrow gauge railway and was slightly over 19 miles long running through Exmoor in North Devon, England. In the United Kingdom it was notable as being the only narrow gauge line required to use main-line standard signalling. For a short period the line earned a modest return for shareholders, but for most of its life the L&B made a loss. In 1923 the L&B was taken over by the Southern Railway, and eventually closed in September 1935.
The Welsh Highland Railway is a 25-mile long, restored 597 mm narrow gauge heritage railway in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway. In Porthmadog it uses the United Kingdom's only mixed gauge flat rail crossing.
The Southwold Railway was a narrow gauge railway line between Halesworth and Southwold in Suffolk. At just over 8 miles long, it was 914 mm, 3 foot, narrow gauge. It opened in 1879 and closed in 1929. The line was lifted and the equipment was scrapped in 1941 to help with war effort.
The Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in Staffordshire that operated between 1904 and 1934. The line mainly carried milk from dairies in the region, acting as a feeder to the standard gauge system. It also provided passenger services to the small villages and beauty spots along its route. The line was built to a 762 mm narrow gauge. The line was just over 8 miles long and featured some steep gradients.
The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a 260 mm gauge heritage railway in Norfolk running between the coastal town of Wells and the inland village of Walsingham. The railway occupies a four-mile section of the trackbed of the former Wymondham to Wells branch which was closed to passengers in stages from 1964 to 1969 as part of the Beeching cuts. The line opened in 1982, is 4 miles long and runs during the summer months.
The Ffestiniog Railway is a 597 mm narrow gauge railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. The railway is roughly 13.5 miles long and runs from the harbour at Porthmadog to the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, The line is single track throughout with four intermediate passing places. The first mile of the line out of Porthmadog runs atop an embankment locally called the Cob. The Festiniog Railway Company which owns the railway is the oldest surviving railway company in the world. It also owns the Welsh Highland Railway which was re-opened fully in 2011. The two railways share the same track gauge and meet at Porthmadog station, with some trains working the entire 40 mile route from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Caernarfon.
The Jersey Railway was opened in 1870 and was originally a standard gauge railway, 3.75 miles long. Converted to narrow gauge in 1884 and extended giving a length of 7.75 miles, the line closed in 1936. On 1 July 1940, German forces occupied Jersey, Hitler declaring that the Channel Islands would become an impregnable fortress. Work was soon begun building gun emplacements, bunkers, tunnels, and sea walls. To support this work, Organisation Todt re-opened almost the entire St. Helier to La Corbière line to metre gauge. This line was used for construction materials and never carried passengers. At the St Helier end of the line, the original terminal was bypassed and the rails went direct to the dockside quays and linked with the 60 cm gauge lines in the east of the island. Steam and diesel locomotives worked the line for the duration of the war but it seems to have fallen out of use by 1945 and the line was taken up at the cessation of hostilities by the liberating troops.
The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway was a 597 mm narrow-gauge railway running from Dinas to Bryngwyn, Wales, which was authorised by Act of Parliament 1872 and opened in 1877. The same act authorised a branch from Tryfan Junction to South Snowdon, opened in 1881. Subsequently the railway chose to regard the line from Tryfan Junction to Bryngwyn as the branch. Both lines closed to passengers in 1916, freight operating on an 'as required' basis until 1922, when the railway was taken over by the Welsh Highland Railway.
The Penrhyn Quarry Railway first opened in 1798 as the Llandegai Tramway. It became the Penrhyn Railway in 1801 although on a different route. Constructed to transport slate from Lord Penrhyn's slate quarries at Bethesda to Port Penrhyn at Bangor, Wales, the railway was around six miles long and used a gauge of 578 mm. The line was one of the earliest narrow gauge railways in the world. It closed on 24 July 1962, being lifted in 1965 when the track was sold to the Ffestiniog Railway.
The Padarn Railway was a narrow gauge railway line in North Wales, built to the unusual gauge of 1,219 mm. Its purpose was to carry slate the seven miles from Dinorwic Quarry to Port Dinorwic. The line replaced the previous Dinorwic Railway from March 3rd, 1843, initially using horses, converting to steam haulage on November 23rd, 1848. It was actually two railways in one, with a 1219mm 'mainline' with an extensive 578mm quarry system running alongside. The railway closed on November 3rd, 1961. DINORWIC performed the locomotive fleet's last practical services by hauling the track lifting trains.
The Corris Railway was a 686mm narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire. The line opened in 1859, and originally ran from Derwenlas, south east of Machynlleth north to Corris and on to Aberllefenni. Branches served the slate quarries at Corris Uchaf, Aberllefenni, the isolated quarries around Ratgoed and quarries along the length of the Dulas Valley. The railway closed in 1948.
Read MoreThe Campbeltown & Machrihanish Light Railway was built in 1905 and ran for 4.5 miles from the port of Campbeltown to the village of Machrihanish largely along the line of a colliery tramway built in 1876. Coal was the main traffic and for some years the railway was successful but by 1932 it was in debt and the railway closed in November 1932 and was dismantled in 1933.
The Snowdon Mountain Railway runs from Llanberis for 4.7 miles to the summit of Mount Snowdon. It is the only public rack and pinion railway in UK. It opened in 1896 and carries more than 130,000 passengers per year.
The Talyllyn Railway was the world's first preserved railway. It runs for 7.25 miles from the little port of Tywyn to the village of Nant Gwernol. It was built to transport locally mined slate. It closed in October 1950 but was quickly taken over by enthusiasts and retuned to life.
The Vale of Rheidol is 19km long and runs from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge and opened in 1902. It has been run by the Cambrian Railway, the GWR and BR and was privatised in 1989. It has been operated as a tourist attraction since the 1930's.
The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway runs west from Welshpool for 8.5 miles to the village of Llanfair Caereinion. The line opened in 1903 and was operated by the Cambrian Railway, then the GWR, losing its passenger services in February 1931 and closed completely in November 1956. In April 1963, volunteers reopened the western section but the eastern end, which ran through the streets of the town, had been built over so a new terminus was opened at Raven Square in July 1981.
The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway opened as an independent railway in May 1898. It was a single track, 597 mm narrow gauge railway and was slightly over 19 miles long running through Exmoor in North Devon, England. In the United Kingdom it was notable as being the only narrow gauge line required to use main-line standard signalling. For a short period the line earned a modest return for shareholders, but for most of its life the L&B made a loss. In 1923 the L&B was taken over by the Southern Railway, and eventually closed in September 1935.
The Welsh Highland Railway is a 25-mile long, restored 597 mm narrow gauge heritage railway in the Welsh county of Gwynedd, operating from Caernarfon to Porthmadog, and passing through a number of popular tourist destinations including Beddgelert and the Aberglaslyn Pass. At Porthmadog it connects with the Ffestiniog Railway. In Porthmadog it uses the United Kingdom's only mixed gauge flat rail crossing.
The Southwold Railway was a narrow gauge railway line between Halesworth and Southwold in Suffolk. At just over 8 miles long, it was 914 mm, 3 foot, narrow gauge. It opened in 1879 and closed in 1929. The line was lifted and the equipment was scrapped in 1941 to help with war effort.
The Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway was a narrow gauge railway in Staffordshire that operated between 1904 and 1934. The line mainly carried milk from dairies in the region, acting as a feeder to the standard gauge system. It also provided passenger services to the small villages and beauty spots along its route. The line was built to a 762 mm narrow gauge. The line was just over 8 miles long and featured some steep gradients.
The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a 260 mm gauge heritage railway in Norfolk running between the coastal town of Wells and the inland village of Walsingham. The railway occupies a four-mile section of the trackbed of the former Wymondham to Wells branch which was closed to passengers in stages from 1964 to 1969 as part of the Beeching cuts. The line opened in 1982, is 4 miles long and runs during the summer months.
The Ffestiniog Railway is a 597 mm narrow gauge railway, located in Gwynedd, Wales. The railway is roughly 13.5 miles long and runs from the harbour at Porthmadog to the slate mining town of Blaenau Ffestiniog, The line is single track throughout with four intermediate passing places. The first mile of the line out of Porthmadog runs atop an embankment locally called the Cob. The Festiniog Railway Company which owns the railway is the oldest surviving railway company in the world. It also owns the Welsh Highland Railway which was re-opened fully in 2011. The two railways share the same track gauge and meet at Porthmadog station, with some trains working the entire 40 mile route from Blaenau Ffestiniog to Caernarfon.
The Jersey Railway was opened in 1870 and was originally a standard gauge railway, 3.75 miles long. Converted to narrow gauge in 1884 and extended giving a length of 7.75 miles, the line closed in 1936. On 1 July 1940, German forces occupied Jersey, Hitler declaring that the Channel Islands would become an impregnable fortress. Work was soon begun building gun emplacements, bunkers, tunnels, and sea walls. To support this work, Organisation Todt re-opened almost the entire St. Helier to La Corbière line to metre gauge. This line was used for construction materials and never carried passengers. At the St Helier end of the line, the original terminal was bypassed and the rails went direct to the dockside quays and linked with the 60 cm gauge lines in the east of the island. Steam and diesel locomotives worked the line for the duration of the war but it seems to have fallen out of use by 1945 and the line was taken up at the cessation of hostilities by the liberating troops.
The North Wales Narrow Gauge Railway was a 597 mm narrow-gauge railway running from Dinas to Bryngwyn, Wales, which was authorised by Act of Parliament 1872 and opened in 1877. The same act authorised a branch from Tryfan Junction to South Snowdon, opened in 1881. Subsequently the railway chose to regard the line from Tryfan Junction to Bryngwyn as the branch. Both lines closed to passengers in 1916, freight operating on an 'as required' basis until 1922, when the railway was taken over by the Welsh Highland Railway.
The Penrhyn Quarry Railway first opened in 1798 as the Llandegai Tramway. It became the Penrhyn Railway in 1801 although on a different route. Constructed to transport slate from Lord Penrhyn's slate quarries at Bethesda to Port Penrhyn at Bangor, Wales, the railway was around six miles long and used a gauge of 578 mm. The line was one of the earliest narrow gauge railways in the world. It closed on 24 July 1962, being lifted in 1965 when the track was sold to the Ffestiniog Railway.
The Padarn Railway was a narrow gauge railway line in North Wales, built to the unusual gauge of 1,219 mm. Its purpose was to carry slate the seven miles from Dinorwic Quarry to Port Dinorwic. The line replaced the previous Dinorwic Railway from March 3rd, 1843, initially using horses, converting to steam haulage on November 23rd, 1848. It was actually two railways in one, with a 1219mm 'mainline' with an extensive 578mm quarry system running alongside. The railway closed on November 3rd, 1961. DINORWIC performed the locomotive fleet's last practical services by hauling the track lifting trains.
The Corris Railway was a 686mm narrow gauge preserved railway based in Corris on the border between Merionethshire and Montgomeryshire. The line opened in 1859, and originally ran from Derwenlas, south east of Machynlleth north to Corris and on to Aberllefenni. Branches served the slate quarries at Corris Uchaf, Aberllefenni, the isolated quarries around Ratgoed and quarries along the length of the Dulas Valley. The railway closed in 1948.
