Leighton Buzzard Light Railway
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The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (LBLR) is a light railway in Leighton Buzzard in
Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...
,
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
. It operates on
narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
track and is just under long. The line was built after the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
to serve sand quarries north of the town. In the late 1960s the quarries switched to road transport and the railway was taken over by volunteers, who now run the line as a
heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
.


History


Sand extraction

A bed of
Lower Cretaceous Lower may refer to: *Lower (surname) *Lower Township, New Jersey *Lower Receiver (firearms) *Lower Wick Lower Wick is a small hamlet located in the county of Gloucestershire, England. It is situated about five miles south west of Dursley, eig ...
sand across Bedfordshire has been quarried on a small scale for centuries. The most significant occur around Leighton Buzzard. In the 19th century sand was carried by horse carts from quarries south of the town to be shipped on the
Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the ...
- Leighton Buzzard railway. The carts damaged roads and resulted in claims for compensation against the quarry owners from Bedfordshire County Council. At the end of the century steam wagons were introduced which increased the damage to roads. The outbreak of the First World War cut off supplies of
foundry sand Molding sand, also known as foundry sand, is a sand that when moistened and compressed or oiled or heated tends to pack well and hold its shape. It is used in the process of sand casting for preparing the mold cavity. Green sand Green sand is an a ...
from
Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. Sand was needed for ammunition factories and new sources were sought. Leighton Buzzard sands proved well suited and production increased. After 1919 the quarry companies were told they could no longer transport sand by roads, so a private
industrial railway An industrial railway is a type of railway (usually private) that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics, or military site. In regions of the world influenced by British ra ...
was proposed to take the traffic.


The original railway

Leighton Buzzard Light Railway opened on Thursday 20 November 1919, linking the sand quarries ( Double Arches at the far end of the line) with the mainline railway south of the town at Grovebury sidings. The line was built using surplus equipment from the
War Department Light Railways The War Department Light Railways were a system of narrow gauge trench railways run by the British War Department in World War I. Light railways made an important contribution to the Allied war effort in the First World War, and were used for th ...
. The railway was built to a gauge of and laid using mostly rail. The line opened using steam traction by two
Hudswell Clarke Hudswell, Clarke and Company Limited was an engineering and locomotive building company in Jack Lane, Hunslet, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. History The company was founded as Hudswell and Clarke in 1860. In 1870 the name was changed to Hu ...
0-6-0 side tank
steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, oil or, rarely, wood) to heat water in the locomot ...
s. These proved inappropriate for the tightly-curved line and the steam locomotives were sold in 1921. From that point the railway was run using internal combustion, almost exclusively the products of the
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
company. It was one of the first railways in Britain entirely operated by internal combustion. After the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
sand traffic returned to the roads. In 1953 a strike on mainline railways pushed more traffic onto the roads. By the mid-1960s only one sand quarry, Arnold's, still used the light railway. The BR line to Dunstable was closed in 1965, apart from a short stretch from Leighton Buzzard to Grovebury interchange sidings, which survived until 1969.


The preservation era

<--> In 1968 the line was more lightly used and volunteers under the name of "The Iron Horse Railway Preservation Society" took over the line on weekends to run the first formal passenger services on the line. Part of the agreement between the railway and the volunteers was that volunteers would repair the permanent way. This was undertaken, the group having purchased secondhand rolling stock and four Simplex diesels from the St Albans Sand and Gravel company, which were dismantled and formed into one machine. The last sand train ran on the main line in 1969, although several quarries continued to use the lines within their quarries. These were eventually replaced by roads and
conveyor belts A conveyor belt is the carrying medium of a belt conveyor system (often shortened to belt conveyor). A belt conveyor system is one of many types of conveyor systems. A belt conveyor system consists of two or more Conveyor pulley, pulleys (somet ...
and the last internal quarry line was abandoned in 1981. Today the line is run purely as a
heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
. A large collection of steam and internal combustion locomotives run on the line. Visitors can ride the train and are issued with an Edmondson ticket. There is a collection of industrial railway locomotives at Stonehenge Works towards the northern end of the line. The railway is promoted by the
Campaign to Protect Rural England CPRE, The Countryside Charity, formerly known by names such as the ''Council for the Preservation of Rural England'' and the ''Council for the Protection of Rural England'', is a charity in England with over 40,000 members and supporters. Forme ...
.


The route

The line is unusual as it runs mostly through modern housing built since the 1970s, although the last half mile runs through countryside. There are open
level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, overpass ...
s for which trains stop. The railway began at Grovebury Sidings, where sand trains unloaded into washers and the sand was shipped to
standard-gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), International gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in Ea ...
trains on the Dunstable branch or to road. The sidings and industrial plant at Grovebury were replaced with an industrial estate in the early 1970s. Trains from Grovebury crossed Billington Road by a level crossing and worked up a steep grade to Page's Park. Here a branch line south connected to the line's main engineering workshop and the Pratt's Pit quarry. In 2006 Page's Park forms the southern terminus of the heritage railway. From Page's Park the line curves north towards a summit at Red Barn. From there it descends at 1 in 60 (1.7%) before climbing again to cross Stanbridge Road. On the left is the site of Marley's Tile Works, now a housing estate, which was connected to the railway for most of its existence. The line descends Marley's Bank at a maximum of 1 in 25 (4%). Loaded sand trains to Grovebury Sidings often needed a banking locomotive. At the bottom of Marley's Bank the line turns sharply north and runs along the level to Leedon Loop. The line here passes through housing. After Leedon, the railway crosses Hockliffe Road and crosses the
Clipstone Brook The River Ouzel , also known as the River Lovat, is a river in England, and a tributary of the River Great Ouse. It rises in the Chiltern Hills and flows north to join the Ouse at Newport Pagnell. It is usually called the ''River Ouzel'' ...
and begins to climb again on a 1 in 50 (2%)
gradient In vector calculus, the gradient of a scalar-valued differentiable function of several variables is the vector field (or vector-valued function) \nabla f whose value at a point p is the "direction and rate of fastest increase". If the gradi ...
to cross Vandyke Road. Immediately after crossing Vandyke Road the line curves 90 degrees to Vandyke Junction where there was a passing loop. Here the branch line from Chamberlain's Barn and New Trees quarries joined the main line. A short section of this branch remains intact although heritage trains do not use it. The railway then runs parallel to Vandyke Road, climbing steadily to Bryan's Loop then descending again to cross the Shenley Hill Road. The line levels and continues to Stonehenge Works now the engineering workshop of the preserved railway. This is also the northern terminus of modern operations. From Stonehenge the line continues northwards with a of
double track A double-track railway usually involves running one track in each direction, compared to a single-track railway where trains in both directions share the same track. Overview In the earliest days of railways in the United Kingdom, most lin ...
, climbing towards the two Double Arches sand quarries, owned by Joseph Arnold and George Garside.


Preserved locomotives

These are the locomotives on the preserved railway. All are gauge nominally, except where noted.


Steam locomotives


Internal combustion locomotives

{, class="wikitable sortable" !No. !Name !Type !Builder !Works No. !Year Built !Origin !Livery !Notes !Image , - valign="top" , (1) , - valign="top" , , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 5612 , 1931 , St Albans Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd. Nazeing, Essex , Dismantled by 1988. Restored and returned to service to celebrate the 100th anniversary in 2019. , , - valign="top" , (2) , - valign="top" , , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 5608 , 1931 , St Albans Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd. Smallford, Hertfordshire , , Converted to a brakevan, c. 1970 , , - valign="top" , (3) , , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 5613 , 1931 , St Albans Sand and Gravel Co. Ltd. Smallford, Hertfordshire , , Converted to a crane, c. 1970 , , - valign="top" , 7 , ''Falcon'' (''Pam'' until c. 1978) , ,
Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
, 8986 , unknown , Woodham Brick Co. Ltd., Wotton, Buckinghamshire , Blue , Only surviving member of the MD2 class in Britain. Rescued from a
Newport Pagnell Newport Pagnell is a town and civil parish in the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. The Office for National Statistics records Newport Pagnell as part of the Milton Keynes urban area. It is separated from the rest of the urban ...
scrapyard in 1970 by Peter Hodges. , , - valign="top" , 8 , ''Gollum'' , ,
Ruston Hornsby Ruston may refer to: Place names ;United States * Ruston, Louisiana * Ruston, Washington ;United Kingdom * East Ruston, Norfolk, England * Ruston, North Yorkshire, England * Ruston Parva, East Riding of Yorkshire, England Companies * Ruston (e ...
, 217999 , 1942 , Featherby's Brickworks, Rochford, Essex , , , , - valign="top" , 9 , ''Madge'' , ,
Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
, 7600 , 1935 , Oxstead Grestone Lime Co. Ltd., Oxstead, Surrey , , Single cylinder RL1C class , , - valign="top" , 10 , ''Haydn Taylor'' , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 7956 , 1945 , British Industrial Sand Ltd. Middelton Towers, Norfolk , , Originally loaned by its owners in 1971. Nicknamed "Breadbin" due to its unusual cab shape. Rebuilt in 1973 with a conventional cab. , , - valign="top" , 12 , ''Carbon'' , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 6012 , 1930 , Standard Bottle Co., New Southgate, Middlesex , , Arrived in 1972 via M.E. Engineering, Cricklewood. , , - valign="top" , 13 , ''Arkle'' , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 7108 , 1937 , George Garside, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire , , Original Leighton Buzzard sand quarry loco, operated until 1981 , , - valign="top" , (14) , , ,
Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
, 3646 , 1946 , Crumbles Gravel Pits, Eastbourne, Sussex , , Arrived 1972 , , - valign="top" , 15 , ''Tom Bombadil'' (after 1990) , , F.C. Hibberd , 2415 , 1941 , Butterley & Blaby Brick Companies Ltd., Ripley, Derbyshire , , , , - valign="top" , 16 , ''Thorin Oakenshield'' , , Lister , 11221 , 1939 , Guard Bridge Paper Co. Ltd., Leuchars, Fife , , , , - valign="top" , 17 , ''Damredub'' , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 7036 , 1936 , George Garside, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire , , Original Leighton Buzzard sand quarry loco, operated until 1981 , , - valign="top" , 18 , ''Fëanor'' , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 11003 , 1956 , British Industrial Sands Ltd., Middleton Towers, Norfolk , Dark Maroon , , , - valign="top" , 19 , , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 11298 , 1965 , British Industrial Sands Ltd., Middleton Towers, Norfolk , , , , - valign="top" , 20 , , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 60S317 , 1966 , British Industrial Sands Ltd., Middleton Towers, Norfolk , , , , - valign="top" , 21 , ''Festoon'' , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 4570 , 1929 , George Garside, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire , , Original Leighton Buzzard sand quarry loco, preserved 1981 , , - valign="top" , 22 , ''Fingolfin'' , , LBLR , 1 , 1989 , Constructed from parts of Ruston Hornsby 425798 and 444207 , , , - valign="top" , 23 , , ,
Ruston Hornsby Ruston may refer to: Place names ;United States * Ruston, Louisiana * Ruston, Washington ;United Kingdom * East Ruston, Norfolk, England * Ruston, North Yorkshire, England * Ruston Parva, East Riding of Yorkshire, England Companies * Ruston (e ...
, 164346 , 1932 , West Kent Main Sewage Board, Littlebrook, Kent , , Second oldest Ruston Hornsby locomotive in existence , , - valign="top" , 24 , , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 11297 , 1965 , British Industrial Sands Ltd., Middleton Towers, Norfolk , , , , - valign="top" , (34) , RED RUM , , Motor Rail , 7105 , 1936 , , Red , , , - valign="top" , 36 , ''Caravan'' , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 7129 , 1938 , Redland Flettons Brick Company , Yellow , An unusual variant of the Motor Rail ''Simplex'' class with an overall cab. , , - valign="top" , (40) , TRENT , , Ruston & Hornsby , 283507 , 1949 , , Blue , , , - valign="top" , 43 , , ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 10409 , 1954 , Leighton Buzzard Light Railway Company, Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire , , Original LBLR mainline locomotive; purchased by John Cohring in 1972 , , - valign="top" , NG46 , , ,
Baguley-Drewry The Drewry Car Co was a railway locomotive and railcar manufacturer and sales organisation from 1906 to 1984. At the start and the end of its life it built its own products, for the rest of the time it sold vehicles manufactured by sub-contract ...
, 3698 , 1973 , , , , , - valign="top" , NG51 "River Sark" , , {{, 4wDH , Barclay , 720 , 1987 , Eastriggs Munitions Factory, Dumfries-Shire, Scotland. , , Arrived 2022. visited the FR for the 1995 Gala. Nameplates currently removed. , , - valign="top" , - valign="top" , 81 , PETER WOOD , {{Whyte, 4w, DH , Hunslet , 9347 , 1994 , , , ,


Electric Locomotives

{, class="wikitable sortable" !No. !Name !Type !Builder !Works No. !Year Built !Origin !Livery !Notes !Image , - valign="top" , NG23 , , {{Whyte, 4w, BE ,
Baguley-Drewry The Drewry Car Co was a railway locomotive and railcar manufacturer and sales organisation from 1906 to 1984. At the start and the end of its life it built its own products, for the rest of the time it sold vehicles manufactured by sub-contract ...
, 3702 , 1973 , , , Rebuilt by Andrew Barclay 1987 ,


Previous resident locomotives

{, class="wikitable sortable" !No. !Name !Wheel Type !Builder !Works No. !Year Built !Origin !Notes , - valign="top" , (1) , , - valign="top" , 6 , ''Alice'' , {{Whyte, 0-4-0, ST ,
Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
, 780 , 1902 , Dinorwic slate quarry , Now running at the
Bala Lake Railway The Bala Lake Railway ( Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid'') is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth ...
, - valign="top" , (24) , , {{Whyte, 4w, PM ,
Motor Rail Motor Rail was a British locomotive-building company, originally based in Lewes, Sussex, they moved in 1916 to Bedford. In 1987 loco manufacture ceased, and the business line sold to Alan Keef Ltd of Ross-on-Wye, who continue to provide spar ...
, 4805 , 1934 , J. Arnold & Sons Ltd., Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire , Original Leighton Buzzard sand quarry loco, dismantled by 1980 , - valign="top" , 740 , , {{Whyte, 0-6-0, PT ,
Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
, 2343 , 1907 ,
Matheran Light Railway The Matheran Hill Railway (MHR) is a narrow-gauge heritage railway in Maharashtra, India, which is administered by the Central Railway. It covers a distance of , cutting a swathe through forest and connecting Neral to Matheran in the Wester ...
, Maharashtra, India , Restored to working order, has rare
Klein-Linder The Klien-Lindner axle (German: ''Klien-Lindner-Hohlachse'') is a special type of hollow driving axle on steam locomotives that enable better curve running due to its ability to slide transversely. It was developed by the German engineers, Ewald K ...
radial axles. Now at the
South Tynedale Railway The South Tynedale Railway is a preserved, narrow gauge heritage railway in Northern England and at 875ft is England's second highest narrow gauge railway after the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway in north Devon. The South Tynedale line runs fro ...
. She first worked at Leighton Buzzard on 7 September 2002.


Visiting locomotives

{, class="wikitable sortable" !Number !Name !Builder !Year Visited !Location !Notes , - valign="top" , , ''Gertrude'' , Andrew Barclay , 2009 ,
Welsh Highland Heritage Railway The Welsh Highland Heritage Railway is a short reconstructed heritage railway in Gwynedd, Wales. Its main station is in Porthmadog. History The origins of the WHHR lie in a small group of railway enthusiasts, including some disgruntled volunt ...
, Restored and operated by Exmoor Transport, sister locomotive to Doll, built as works No. 1578 in 1918. , - valign="top" , DHR19 , , Sharp Stewart , , Beeches Light Railway , Works No. 3518, built for the
Darjeeling Himalayan Railway The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, also known as the DHR or the Toy Train, is a narrow-gauge, gauge railway that runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal. Built between 1879 and 1881, it is about long. It c ...
, B Class No. 19 (778 under the all-India number scheme) , - valign="top" , 22 , ''Montalban'' ,
Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major Germany, German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876 in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. ...
, ,
West Lancashire Light Railway The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank, situated between Preston and Southport in North West England. The distance between the stations on the railway is , though track extends eastward ...
, , - valign="top" , , ''Woto'' ,
WG Bagnall W. G. Bagnall was a locomotive manufacturer from Stafford, England which was founded in 1875 and operated until it was taken over in 1962 by English Electric. History The company was founded in 1875 by William Gordon Bagnall. The majority of ...
, ,
Alan Keef Ltd Alan Keef Ltd is a British narrow gauge railway engineering company which manufactures, overhauls, and deals in narrow gauge locomotives, rolling stock and associated equipment. The Limited Company was formed in 1975 at Cote, Bampton, Oxon, co ...
, , - valign="top" , , ''Elidir'' ,
Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
, ,
Llanberis Lake Railway The Llanberis Lake Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Llyn Padarn) is a narrow gauge heritage railway that runs for along the northern shore of Llyn Padarn in north Wales in the Snowdonia National Park. The starting point is the village of Llanberis a ...
, , - valign="top" , , ''Britomart'' , ,
Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
, ,
Ffestiniog Railway The Ffestiniog Railway ( cy, Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a heritage railway based on narrow-gauge, located in Gwynedd, Wales. It is a major tourist attraction located mainly within the Snowdonia National Park. The railway is roughly long an ...
, , - valign="top" , , ''Jack'' , , ,
West Lancashire Light Railway The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank, situated between Preston and Southport in North West England. The distance between the stations on the railway is , though track extends eastward ...
, , - valign="top" , , ''Irish Mail'' , ,
Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
, ,
West Lancashire Light Railway The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank, situated between Preston and Southport in North West England. The distance between the stations on the railway is , though track extends eastward ...
, , - valign="top" , , ''Barbouilleur'' ,
Decauville Decauville () was a manufacturing company which was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to stee ...
, , Amberley Museum Railway , , - valign="top" , 1 , ''Bronhilde'' ,
Berliner Maschinenbau Berliner Maschinenbau AG was a German manufacturer of locomotives. The factory was founded by Louis Victor Robert Schwartzkopff on 3 October 1852 as ''Eisengießerei und Maschinen-Fabrik von L. Schwartzkopff'' in Berlin. History The facto ...
(Schwartzkopff) , ,
Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway The Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway (BWLR) is located near the villages of Wormshill and Bredgar in Kent, just south of Sittingbourne. It is a narrow gauge railway about in length. The BWLR is a private line which has been built up as ...
, Built in 1927 , - valign="top" , 2 , ''Katie'' , Arn Jung , ,
Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway The Bredgar and Wormshill Light Railway (BWLR) is located near the villages of Wormshill and Bredgar in Kent, just south of Sittingbourne. It is a narrow gauge railway about in length. The BWLR is a private line which has been built up as ...
, Built in 1931 , - valign="top" , 10 , ''Naklo'' ,
Fablok Fablok is a Polish manufacturer of locomotives, based in Chrzanów. Until 1947 the official name was ''First Factory of Locomotives in Poland Ltd.'' ( pl, Pierwsza Fabryka Lokomotyw w Polsce Sp. Akc.), Fablok being a widely used syllabic abbreviat ...
(Chrzanow) , ,
South Tynedale Railway The South Tynedale Railway is a preserved, narrow gauge heritage railway in Northern England and at 875ft is England's second highest narrow gauge railway after the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway in north Devon. The South Tynedale line runs fro ...
, Built 1957 , - valign="top" , , ''Triassic'' ,
Peckett Peckett and Sons was a locomotive manufacturer at the Atlas Locomotive Works on Deep Pit Road between Fishponds and St. George, Bristol, England. Fox, Walker and Company The company began trading in 1864 at the Atlas Engine Works, St. George, ...
, ,
Bala Lake Railway The Bala Lake Railway ( Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Llyn Tegid'') is a narrow-gauge railway along the southern shore of Bala Lake in Gwynedd, North Wales. The line, which is long, is built on a section of the former standard-gauge Ruabon–Barmouth ...
, , - valign="top" , , ''Alan George'' ,
Hunslet Hunslet () is an inner-city area in south Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It is southeast of the city centre and has an industrial past. It is situated in the Hunslet and Riverside ward of Leeds City Council and Leeds Central parliamentar ...
, ,
Teifi Valley Railway The Teifi Valley Railway (Welsh: ''Rheilffordd Dyffryn Teifi'') is a narrow gauge railway occupying a section of the former standard gauge Great Western Railway line between Llandysul and Newcastle Emlyn. After the closure of the former line ...
, Works No. 606, built in 1894 , - valign="top" , 4 , ''Stanhope'' ,
Kerr Stuart Kerr, Stuart and Company Ltd was a locomotive manufacturer in Stoke-on-Trent, England. History It was founded in 1881 by James Kerr as "James Kerr & Company", and became "Kerr, Stuart & Company" from 1883 when John Stuart was taken on as a ...
, 2001 ,
West Lancashire Light Railway The West Lancashire Light Railway (WLLR) is a narrow gauge railway that operates at Hesketh Bank, situated between Preston and Southport in North West England. The distance between the stations on the railway is , though track extends eastward ...
, Owned by the Moseley Railway Trust, Tattoo class 2395 built in 1917 , - valign="top" , 939 , ''Justine'' , Arn Jung , 1986 , North Gloucestershire Narrow Gauge Railway , , - valign="top" , 1091 , ,
Henschel Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicle ...
, 2009 , North Gloucestershire Narrow Gauge Railway , , - valign="top" , 1652 , Type 17 ,
Decauville Decauville () was a manufacturing company which was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to stee ...
, 2009 ,
Froissy Dompierre Light Railway The Froissy Dompierre Light Railway (french: Chemin de fer Froissy-Dompierre, CFCD) is a narrow gauge light railway running from Froissy (a hamlet of La Neuville-lès-Bray) to Dompierre-Becquincourt, through Cappy, in the Somme department ...
,


Notable visitors

On 22 June 2013,
John Travolta John Joseph Travolta (born February 18, 1954) is an American actor. He came to public attention during the 1970s, appearing on the television sitcom ''Welcome Back, Kotter'' (1975–1979) and starring in the box office successes ''Carrie'' (19 ...
visited the railway with his son Benjamin.{{cite web, url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-23082406, title=John Travolta visits Leighton Buzzard Railway with son, publisher=BBC News, date=27 June 2013, access-date=30 May 2020


See also

*
British narrow-gauge railways 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 railway ...


References

* {{cite book , author=Leleux, Sydney , title=The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway , publisher=The Oakwood Press , year=1996 , edition=2nd , isbn=0-85361-460-1 * {{cite book , title=Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Guide , author=Hughes D.N.R., publisher=Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society Ltd. , year=1974, display-authors=etal {{Reflist, refs = {{irs-el , el=17


External links

{{Commons category, Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway
Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20160110092408/http://www.gertrude1578.co.uk/ * http://www.railworld.net {{Heritage railways in England {{Authority control {{Coord, 51, 54, 31, N, 0, 39, 6.32, W, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Heritage railways in Bedfordshire 2 ft gauge railways in England Industrial railways in England Leighton Buzzard