Downs Light Railway, Children's rideable miniature railway in Herefordshire, England
The Downs Light Railway is a rideable miniature railway running on a 9.5-inch (24 cm) gauge track on the grounds of The Downs Malvern, a private school in Herefordshire, England. The line winds through the school grounds, passing through a tunnel and stopping at a small station.
The railway was built in 1925 by the school's headmaster, Geoffrey Hoyland, originally on a 7.25-inch gauge. In the 1930s, the gauge was widened to 9.5 inches to allow larger engines to run, and the line grew into what visitors see today. After falling into disrepair in the late 1960s, former students restored it in the 1970s, and in 1983 the Downs Light Railway Trust took over its care.
Children between 7 and 13 run the railway themselves as part of their Saturday morning school activities. They operate the trains, maintain the tracks, and manage the signals, which gives the place a hands-on, child-led character that visitors can see directly.
The railway is open to the public during special events and school open days, when visitors can watch the trains run and sometimes take a ride. It is worth checking in advance when these events take place, as access to the school grounds is otherwise limited.
One of the locomotives, George, was built just before World War II, later sold, and eventually returned to the school grounds before being fully restored and running again in 2006. A pupil once won a design and technology scholarship after building one of the railway's carriages by hand.
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