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Great Whipsnade Railway

Great Whipsnade Railway
ConquerorGWR.jpeg
Locomotive No. 3 Conqueror at Whipsnade Central station.
Locale England
Dates of operation 1970–present
Track gauge 2 ft 6 in (762 mm)
Length 2 miles (3.2 km)
Headquarters London

Coordinates: 51°50′56″N 0°32′42″W / 51.849°N 0.545°W / 51.849; -0.545

The Great Whipsnade Railway, also known as The Jumbo Express, is an English, 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge heritage railway that operates within ZSL Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England.

Construction started in 1970 and the initial line opened on 26 August 1970. The line provided rides within the animal enclosures and an additional attraction in its own right. Originally called the Whipsnade and Umfolozi Railway, it began as a short line running from near the children's zoo. It was later extended to form a loop through several paddocks. The railway is now over a mile in length.

The line was primarily equipped from the Bowater's Railway (now Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway) in Sittingbourne, Kent, which was the last steam-operated narrow gauge industrial railway in the United Kingdom. The railway is now equipped with four steam locomotives and five diesels (although one has been sold to the Sittingbourne & Kemsley Light Railway). Steam services run once every half-hour, usually during the summer holidays.


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