Most interesting short heritage line.

Chinnor takes it for me, purely for Chinnor station. The lack of loop makes it feel very wayside, and only having one other station so you feel like you are really journey-ing rather than stopping at every stick and stone.

 

Just looked up on Chinnor on wiki 4 miles length and a mainline connection at Princes Risborough station, cross platforming with a mainline is certainly an advantage.

 

It is a nice line, not much there but what they have got is presented very well and there's a real ale bar too! See my pictures on the Photography thread ofr a flavour of it. Later this year the extension opens that doubles the length of the line

 

Two stations , the other at prices Risborough

 

He does say one *other* station

 

Derwent Valley near York.
Very friendly bunch.

 

I see now, I misread it

 

Of course I’m biased, but it’s got to be Telford Steam Railway

about a mile in length (so far), trains leave Horsehay & Dawley on a 1 in 36 gradient, on a curve, loco shed built in 1860 and been in continuous use ever since. 5619 is 100 years old this year. Our 2ft narrow gauge steam tram has just passed its boiler exam and will be back in action this year after a 6 year restoration, three stations, 15inch miniature railway. Very friendly volunteers and the potential to extend line back to Buildwas, close to Buildwas Abbey and the Ironbridge.

Unfortunately, Shropshire's best kept secret atm

 

Just been to Cambrian Heritage Railway today at 1.7 miles it certainly has an USP, Oswestry station building is huge and a split railway with Oswestry to Weston Wharf and Llancyls South to
Penygarreg Lane Halt, there is a plan to unite the two and go to Gobowen creating a potential 9 mile route, I'm watching this one

 

Bias disclosure but it’s fair to say that the Gwili has moved up a few gears in the post-Covid world. The new car park at Abergwili, carriage shed, new platform at Abergwili and use of GWR locos with hires from the SDR and now the purchase of L150/5521. There is an ongoing project to refurbish the railway’s carriages as well and a push to get a vintage train up and running.

 

I struggle to maintain interest for a whole day at lines less than 5 miles long unless they have the added value of exhibition halls, museums etc. which provides the required access to their heritage assets. Unfortunately too many lines can't show off locos not in service that day, or special rolling stock stored in a non accessible carriage shed on a typical day. Having said the above, I would prefer stock to be undercover and protected and available for many years to come at events, than outside all the time viewable from the car park but rotting away! It's a bit of a paradox...

I partially get round this by either visiting on gala days (not normal open days) for max loco/stock exposure or building in added value by arranging to meet a fellow volunteer who we may be lucky enough to have show us round said inaccessible locations. Many of my favourite heritage visits have been to small lines where I've had a guided tour, but I get a tinge of guilt that my experience is not available to 99.9% of visitors.

Longer lines are often becoming crippled by their own infrastructure, whilst smaller lines have the interest issues mentioned above. I do not believe it is a coincidence that the Worth Valley is getting a lot of love on this thread, as they have a shorter line, well presented and with multiple publicly accessible halls that have out of ticket engines and vintage carriages available to view every day, not just galas. Isle of Wight now sit at the same table after Train Story was built, opening up their collection. It's a winning combination and it's why the Worth Valley and IOWSR are also on my "small and beautiful" list. The success of these examples convinces me that my argument on this is not solely confined to the hardened enthusiast. Provided the museum space is presented properly and there are varied locos and coaches to put in them, I think it's a real added attraction for all visitors, it's not just us trying to photograph every single carriage!

I think we may see in the future other lines less than 10 miles long building more exhibition space and getting their collections accessible, if they're fortunate enough to fund this. My home line, the North Norfolk, is crying out for some more undercover exhibition/museum space, as whilst I'm very proud of our loco and heritage rolling stock fleet, we are handicapped in showing them off on days they are not in service.

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Will the HIVE development provide undercover storage for locomotives awaiting overhaul?

 

I can't offer an official view but I think it's fair to say that the HIVE development is at such an early stage that details such as those are probably still in the "discussion" category and outside of the public domain.

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Seeing the thread title, my immediate thought was Tanfield - interesting history, a time-warp loco shed, some excellent rolling stock, plus a bona-fide historical landmark (the Causey Arch) a short stroll from Causey station.

Isle of Wight - I think the real strength is that it has a very clear vision of what it wants to portray, and does it brilliantly. That's not as easy as it sounds: the temptation is always to try to do more, preserve more, broaden what is collected. The IoWSR has resisted that to a very large degree. Instead it sets out to show Island railway history and does it brilliantly.

North Norfolk - I didn't realise it was that short When I visited a couple or years ago, my over riding impression was "this place feels loved". The grounded carriage body at Holt recreated as a house was interesting, and delivers something of interest to a family who might not all be enthused by locomotives, however interesting their collection is. (My daughter loved it). The only issue is it seems in an odd place; Holt had several interesting displays but they all seem a long way apart given they were all at one station!

Mid Suffolk is quite unlike anywhere else I have been; really just an extended siding, but with bags of charm, and again, giving a real feel for what it once was. (the day we went there was also a bus rally, so between the two, we spent a good chunk of a day on a line only about half a mile long).

Tom

 

Admittedly I haven't visited a huge amount of Heritage Lines and there are many I'd like to tick off (KWVR being one, although I have passed through Keighley on a rail tour), but I'll echo those who have said IoWSR and the Spa Valley.

The Spa Valley is arguably one of the lines that seems to have grown during/post Covid, following the arrival of 34053 and I really like the section that runs alongside Harrison Rocks onto the parallel running section with Network Rail. It also seems, to my eyes anyway on my visits, to have quite a strong core of younger volunteers.

 

With some short lines, you've barely settled down before the journey's over, but to me, the KWVR feels more like an 8+ mile line than a 5 mile line, partly due to it having six stations. And of course you've got Haworth to visit (if you can get up the hill - the good thing is it's downhill all the way if you're coming back from the pub!).

 

Another thing about the Worth Valley is that from Keighley it’s all uphill.

The NNR has a decent gradient up Kelling Heath which adds to the experience and certainly makes the ride seem longer, at least to me

 

Both Worth Valley and NNR feel like they go from somewhere to somewhere, via somewhere else. That steps round the issue with some short lines that they don’t feel like a “proper” railway, but a stub missing context.

 

The KWVR has been mentioned a few times but its worth saying again. Its got so much going for it from the six stations in a short length, the steepness of the track, the going from town to countryside with a tourist area in the middle, two museums, access to lots of different era coaching stock, something of interest at every station (including food and drink at all but Damems). But its real key (IMO) is that along with all already mentioned it really works with the local community. As a result any event they run has loads of extras (Bands playing at stations, local breweries supplying, vintage buses on display and sometimes running between Haworth station and the top of Main Street etc. All of that packed into a relatively small space is what certainly makes it a favourite of my mob.

 

Bo'ness and Kinneil , nice terminus and stations, museum and model railway, although being in Scotland may be outside the scope of this search.

Aln valley has potential if it gets to Alnmouth station eventually.