The Light Railway

Book excerpt: The light Railways Act 1896 marked the final phase in the development of the traditional railway in Britain, being designed to open up rural areas of Britain that had been bypassed by the larger railway companies. The promoting and construction of light railways allowed many parts of Britain and Ireland, to have an outlet to the outside world and major cities, which previously they had not enjoyed. The Light Railway is not designed to be a definitive history, but a pictorial tribute to the brave attempt to develop a rural network of lines to serve some of the areas of the British Isles and Ireland that had sadly been neglected by the large main line companies throughout the initial and later railway development period from 1825 to 1896. This volume looks at the railways themselves, motive power and infrastructure that made up these small but important lines, promoted by our Victorian and Edwardian ancestors.