Leighton Buzzard Railway

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

Tel: 01525 373888 Fax: 01525 377814

website: www.buzzrail.co.uk

One of England's premier narrow gauge heritage railways, Leighton Buzzard Railway was established in 1919 to carry sand from the quarries, which had opened up to supply the demand for sand during the First World War, in the north of the town through to the town's railway sidings and canal wharf. Built using war surplus materials and equipment, the line, since 1968, has carried a passenger service, mostly steam hauled, from Page's Park to Stonehenge Works in the countryside near the village of Heath and Reach.

Operated by volunteers of the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society, the trains pass through a modern housing estate before emerging into rolling countryside with views of the Chiltern Hills in the distance. The railway is now the home of the largest collection of narrow gauge locomotives in Britain and, of the 50 here, some 12 are steam driven. The oldest engine dates from 1877 whilst the newest is a diesel locomotive built especially for the line in 1999. The return journey takes just over an hour and the railway operates on Sundays and Bank Holiday weekends between March and October.