Leighton Buzzard Railway

Address: Page's Park Station, Billington Road, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire LU7 4TN

Telephone; 01525 373888 Email: info@buzzrail.co.uk
Line Length: 3 miles Gauge: 1ft 11½ inches
Route: Page's Park to Stonehenge Works Journey Time: 35 minutes
Service: Sundays 14 March - 31 October / some Saturdays and extra days April - July / August every days except Mondays and Fridays / December Saturday, Sunday and extra days
Tickets: Adult £8.00, Child £4.00, Family (2 adults and 2 children) £22.00 return fare
Parking: Free parking Page's Park Station LU7 4TN
Website: www.buzzrail.co.uk YouTubevideo location map

Page's Park Station: Souvenirs, refreshments, viewing of locomotives and carriages in use, public park adjacent with children's playground

Stonehenge Works Station: Refreshments, craft shop, viewing of locomotives and rolling stock

The Leighton Buzzard Railway owes its existence to the sand which is available in vast quantities in the area. After World War I a line was laid from Billington Road sidings to Double Arches, to transport excavated sand.

Advantage was taken of the fact there was a large quantity of light railway equipment which became surplus to requirements after the war. The 3½ miles of of track was completed by 1919. Steam traction was only used for the first two years after which Simplex petrol locomotives were used. Trains to Billington Road ended in 1969, closure of commercial sand hauling ended in 1981.

In 1968 a group of enthusiasts had started running passenger trains over the line. This was the start of the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society, the organisation that runs the railway at the present.

Over 50 locomotives have their home at the Leighton Buzzard Railway which are steam, diesel and petrol driven. They claim to have one of the largest narrow gauge collections in the country.

The line is built to true light railway standards with the track following the terrain, it has sharp curves and steep gradients. Another feature is regular working displays at the Stonehenge Works demonstrating how the sand was excavated and transported.

Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway

Address: Chinnor Station, Station Approach, Station Road, Chinnor, Oxfordshire OX39 4ER
Talking Timetable: 01844 353535 Booking Telephone: 01844 354117
Line Length: 3½ miles Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Chinnor to Thame Junction
Service: Sundays 14 March - 31 October / most Saturdays 3 April - 28 August / December 4,5,11,12,18,19 / some other days
Tickets: Adult £9.00, Child £4.50, Family £22.50 (2 adults and 2 children) unlimited travel on day of issue
Parking: Chinnor station OX39 4ER
Website: www.chinnorrailway.co.uk YouTubevideo location map

Chinnor Station: Refreshments, shop, picnic area

The branch line that forms the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway (CPRR) ran for nine miles from Princess Risborough to Watlington, with two other stations at Chinnor and Aston Rowant. On 15 August 1872 the Watlington and Princes Risborough Railway Company, as it was called, ran the first trains. The railway started with three trains every weekday, this was increased to four a day in the early part of the century. A single track line it was operated on the 'one engine in steam' principle so there was the minimum of signalling. On 1 July 1883 the independent railway company was taken into Great Western Railway ownership. Chinnor cement plant opened in 1908 and provided the branch with the majority of its freight traffic.

A passenger service lasted until 1 July, 1957 after this the track from Chinnor to Watlington was taken up. Goods trains continued to serve the cement works on the line until 20 December 1989.

The Chinnor and Prince Risborough Railway (CPPR) took over in 1990, one of the first tasks was to build a new station at Chinnor. Passengers were first carried on 20 August 1994, with trips to Wainhill Halt. A further extension in April 1995 reached Harsden Lane, by 1996 the present end of the line at Thame Junction was attained. Future plans to extend the railway the further half mile to Princes Risborough are at an advanced stage.

The CPRR has No.1369 GWR 0-6-0PT steam locomotive, one diesel locomotive and one DMU in use. As there is only one station only round trips are run.

Isle of Wight Steam Railway

Address: The Railway Station, Havenstreet, Isle of Wight, PO33 4DS
Telephone: 01983 882204 Email: havenstreet@iwsteamrailway.co.uk
Talking Timetable: 01983 884343
Line Length: 5 miles Gauge: 4ft 8½ inches
Route: Smallbrook Junction to Wootton Journey Time: 21 minutes
Service: Sunday and Thursday from 14 March / April, May, June, September most days / every day July, August / occasional days October, November, December
Tickets: Adult £9.50, Child £5.00, Family £24.00 (2 adults and 2 children) unlimited travel on day of issue
Parking: Large car park at Havenstreet PO33 4DS, limited parking at Wootton, no parking at other stations

Website: www.iwsteamrailway.co.uk YouTubevideo location map

Havenstreet Station: Refreshments, shop, museum, children's area, picnic tables

In the 19th century the Isle of Wight had a comprehensive network of railways run by nine independent companies. The first line on the island went from Cowes to Newport this opened in 1862. Next the route from Ryde to Newport was added in 1875 it went via Wooton and Havenstreet. At the time of grouping when the Southern Railway took possession in 1923 the number of railway companies had been reduced to only four. Many local inhabitants did not use the railway because they thought the fares were too high. This meant that outside the holiday season there was little passenger traffic.

In 1952 the line from Merstone to Ventnor closed, the following September the section from from Freshwater to Newport was shut down. The Newport to Sandown branch ended services in February 1956. Alarmed at the fast disappearing railway network the islanders forced the Transport Commission to pledge that five years notice would be required before further closures. Despite this agreement the Beeching Report listed Ryde to Cowes and the Shanklin to Ventor lines for the axe. The locals were told the Beeching Report overturned the previous arrangement. On 21 February 1966 passenger trains ceased from Ryde to Cowes with Shanklin to Ventnor meeting the same fate in April 1966. Steam power was still used on the only remaining line up to 31 December 1966. Temporarily the Isle of Wight had no railway while the Ryde to Shanklin route was converted to electric traction. Re-opened on 20 March 1967 the service uses ex-London Transport underground trains.

During 1966 the Wight Locomotive Society (WLS) was set-up to establish a museum to save some of the island's railway relics. The new museum would be based at Newport station, a number of items had already been collected including No.24 'Calbourne' 0-4-4 tank locomotive and Hawthorn No.37 'Leslie' 0-4-0. Negotiations by the WLS resulted in the museum moving to Havenstreet in 1971.

In the meantime the Isle of Wight County Council had purchased the trackbed form Havenstreet to Wooton. The council leased the line to the WLS who held steam days on alternate Sundays in 1971. A landslip at Wooton meant it would be impossible to use the original station but the first priority was to construct a run around loop which was completed in 1997.

Facilities at Havenstreet were improved with the construction of a workshop, locomotive storage shed and museum. Work began on clearing the trackbed to the next station at Ashey, with the aim of reaching the Ryde to Shanklin line. The extension to the Network South East station at Smallbrook Junction was completed in 1991.

There are five steam locomotives in working condition on the railway No.W24 ' 02' Class 'Calbourne' 0-4-4T, No.W8 A1X Terrier 'Freshwater' 0-6-0T, No. WD198 Hunslet Austerity 'Royal Engineer' 0-6-0ST, Army No.WD192 Hunslet Austerity 'Waggoner' 0-6-0ST and No.38 Barclay 'Ajax' 0-6-0T. The majority of the carriages were built before World War I and have been restored to a high standard.

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