Heatherslaw Light Railway, Heritage railway in Northumberland, England.
Heatherslaw Light Railway is a narrow gauge railway with fifteen-inch tracks that runs between Heatherslaw Station and Etal Castle through rural countryside along the River Till. The line covers roughly 10 kilometers for the round trip journey through open farmland and natural landscape.
The railway was founded in 1989 and operates on the Ford and Etal estate as the northernmost steam railway in England. It was created to preserve the specialized narrow gauge railway tradition in this part of northern England.
The railway keeps steam locomotive operations alive with carefully restored engines originally built for narrow gauge systems. Visitors can watch how these smaller machines operate differently from standard railways, maintaining traditions specific to this type of rail transport.
The railway operates seasonally from March to October with regular departures throughout the day. The complete round trip takes about one hour, so visitors should allow enough time to enjoy the full journey and explore the station areas.
The locomotives were engineered specifically for extremely narrow track widths, making them technical rarities found at only a handful of railways in Britain. This specialized equipment allows visitors to experience a train journey on a line that would be impossible for standard-gauge trains.
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