Links to UK Miniature Railways

Links to UK Miniature Gauge Railways
(under 15" gauge)

The following railway sites are generally commercial operations where the public are able to watch or ride trains, rather than static museums and a few narrow gauge 15" sites are included.
Please let me know of errors or changes and details of any newly opened sites that you find. Thank you.

1) Recommended general links

Miniature and Model Railways of Britain - The definitive guide to Britains Miniature Railways, News about miniature railways, garden railways and miniature engineering etc. by Ian Thomas. (unavailable)
Miniature Railways E-mail Group Forum - Join the new email discussion list devoted to miniature railways in the UK between 7¼ and 15 inch gauge. To subscribe, simply send a blank email to: UK Miniature Railways
Minor Railways Online - For about £3 you can purchase 'Minor Railways' from here. It is a complete list of the UK's standard, narrow and miniature gauge sites AND its tramways and cliff railways, together with locations by county and suitable contact numbers etc. (temp unavailable)
Narrow Gauge Railway Society - An enthusiasts group for those interested in narrow gauge railways.
U.K. Heritage Railways - Everything including loco database. (unavailable)

ALSO:

Delphi Railroad Forum - By Bob Harbison's (unavailable)
Fincken Miniature Railways (unavailable)
Grand Scales Quarterly magazine.
Knightley Light Railway 7¼" - Locomotive Engineers site (unavailable)
Little Trains (unavailable)
Live Steaming - An international site devoted to Model Engineering Societies, hosted by Ron Stewart. (no longer maintained)

NMRA list of railroad sites - Internet Railroad Directory (unavailable)
Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust - Restoration of 21in & standard gauge Princesses.
RailServe
Roundhouse - Pages by Roger Loxley cover UK miniature railways, garden railways and miniature engineering.
Sandtoft Transport Museum - Original home of the Sandtoft Miniature Railway.
Sharpos world (unavailable)
Southern Electric Group
Steam in the Garden Magazine
The Traction and Rolling Stock Advertiser
WalesRails - Railway attractions in the Principality of Wales

AND:

If you want to search for ANYTHING of a railway nature, try Irail.co.uk, Excellent rail search engine.

2) Rail sites by area - web-sites for more information:-

Sites which no longer have working links are retained for further investigation!

Scotland

Sanday Light Railway 7¼" - This new railway, and member of the 7¼" gauge society, has been making it's presence felt and takes pride in being the U.K.'s most northerly passenger carrying railway.

North England - West

Brookside Miniature Railway This is a half mile long line, at Poynton, in Cheshire. (unavailable)
Blackpool Pleasure Beach 15"
Chris Mansfield's Miniature Railways site 7¼" (unavailable)
Grosvenor Park Miniature Railway 7¼" - Located only a few minutes walk from Chester's historic city centre.
Leyland Model Engineers, Lancs 5" & 7¼"
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway 15" - Famous line between Ravenglass and Dalegarth, in western Cumbria.
Windmill Farm Railway 15" - A new attraction at the Windmill Animal Farm, near Burscough in Lancashire.

North England - East (north of the Humber)

Flamingoland Theme Park &Zoo 15"
Great Northern Steam Company ??

Heatherslaw Light Railway
This is a 1¼ mile long, 15 inch gauge line between Ford and Etal in Northumberland.
Lightwater Valley Theme Park 15" - Located near Ripon in North Yorkshire it contains a miniature steam railway.
Lions Mane Line Miniature Railway 10¼" - This line is located at Saville Bros. Garden Centre, Selby Road, Garforth, Leeds.
Newby Hall 10¼"
Rotherham & District MES 5"
Ryedale Society of Model Engineers 7¼", 5" & 3½" - Based at The Old School, Potter Gate, Gilling East, York.

Central England - West (west of the A1)

Birmingham SME 5" & 7¼"
Drayton Manor Family Theme Park 10¼"
Grosvenor Park Miniature Railway 7¼" - Railway located only a few minutes walk from Chester's historic city centre.
Kinver & West Midlands SME 5" & 7¼"
Markeaton Park Light Railway 15" - Miniature line at Markeaton Park, Derby.
Perrygrove Railway 15" - The closest thing to a genuine Heywood railway you are likely to find, they welcome enthusiasts. MOC members should identify themselves to the driver and if possible, they may be put on the footplate!
Rudyard Lake Steam Railway 10¼" - One mile north of Leek with a 3 mile return trip along the side of Rudyard Lake - always uses steam engines!
Rugby Model Engineering Society 2^1/2" 3^1/2" 5" & 7¼" - The Society operate the Rainsbrook Valley Railway as a club track.
Stapleford Miniature Railway 10¼" - Nearly 2 miles long near Melton, in Leicestershire.
Wortley Top Forge ME 5" & 7¼" - Based at Thurgoland, Sheffield

Central England - East

Ashmanhaugh Light Railway 7¼" - Small private club near Wroxham, the railway opens to the public on the first Sunday of the months May to October. For more information, see the website.
Bressingham Steam Museum 15" (and others)
Bure Valley Railway 15" - At 9 miles, this is Norfolk's longest narrow gauge line from Aylsham to Wroxham.
Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway 15" - This line is located at Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire.
East Anglian Railway Museum 7¼"
Malden & District Society of Model Engineers 7¼"
Sandtoft Miniature Railway Group - Home railway now at Thorne Park, Doncaster.
Thorne Park Railway 5" & 7¼" - Original home of Doncaster & District Model Engineering Society Ltd. and since June 2000, also the Sandtoft Miniature Railway Group
Wells Harbour Railway 10¼" - Line at Wells-next-the-Sea in Norfolk.
Wells & Walsingham Light Railway 10¼" - At Wells Next-The-Sea, North Norfolk.

South England - West

Beer Heights Light Railway 7¼" - Line at the Pecorama Pleasure Gardens and Exhibition, at Underlys, Beer, near Seaton, Devon.
Lappa Valley Steam Railway 7¼ ,10¼ & 15" - Lines at St. Newlyn East, Newquay, Cornwall.
Longleat House & Safari Park
Seaton Tramway 15" - A miniature tramway, operating trams between Seaton and Colyton, along the Axe Valley.

South England - Central

Eastleigh Lakeside Railway 7¼" & 10¼" - Located at Lakeside Country Park, Eastleigh, Hampshire.
Exbury Gardens Steam Railway This is a 1¼ mile long railway, near Beaulieu.
Hollycombe Steam Collection 7¼"
Isle of Wight MES 5"
Moors Valley Railway 7¼" - Line at Moors Valley Country Park, Ashley Heath, Hampshire.
Poole Park Railway 10¼" - Line at Poole, Dorset.
Royal Victoria Railway - A 1 mile long line at Netley, Southampton.
South Downs Light Railway 7¼" - A half mile long railway at Pulborough garden centre.
Worthing MRC 5" & 7¼"

South Eastern England

Brooklands Model Railway Group 7¼" - To be located with the Mizens Railway during Spring 2001. Part of Woking Miniature Railway Society
Brooklands Pleasure Park 7¼" - Located about 1m East of Worthing
Chelmsford Model Engineers 5" & 7¼"
Eastbourne Miniature Steam Railway 7¼" - Located at the Adventure Park, Lottbridge Drove, in Eastbourne, Sussex.
Frimley Lodge Miniature Railway 3½", 5" and 7¼" - Located in the 59 acre Frimley Park wiath an excellent web-site.
Great Cockcrow Railway 7¼" - Line is in the small village of Lyne near Chertsey.
Harrow & Wembley SME 5"
Knebworth Park Miniature Railway 10¼" - Line at Knebworth House, Gardens and Park, nr Stevenage in Hertfordshire (link not working).
Merton Mill Railway 10¼" - Short line at Merton in South West London.
Mizens Railway 7¼" - Passenger carrying railway which was based at Mizens Farm, Woking, operated by the Woking Miniature Railway Society and which has been re-located - first run at the new site was in Spring 2001.
Pinewood Miniature Railway 7¼" - Line at Wokingham, Berkshire.
Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway 15"
Thames Ditton Miniature Railway 3½", 5" and 7¼" - Lines at Claygate Lane, Thames Ditton, Surrey.
Swanley New Barn Railway Society 7¼"
Uckfield Model Railway Club 7¼"

Wales

Fairbourne & Barmouth Railway 12¼" - Information of interest can also be found at Wales Rails. The two and a half mile line Fairbourne line lies between Fairbourne Village and Penrhyn Point where it connects with a ferry, which takes passengers across the Afon Mawddach estuary to Barmouth.
Rhyl Miniature Railway 15" - A history of this ever changing railway by Simon Townsend.
Simon Townsends Narrowgauge Pages

Ireland

Cavan & Leitrim etc. later.

Further Abroad

Driving Creek Railway 15"
New Jersey Live Steamers
Redwood Valley Railway 15"
Wabash, Frisco & Pacific Railroad 12in

These are only the known sites with web addresses. If you know of any more, please email details to Mick Morgan so I can share them with everyone. In time I may put on details of all reasonably publically accessible miniature railway sites.

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