Wells and Walsingham Light Railway
| Wells & Walsingham Light Railway | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Norfolk Hero taking on water at Wells station. | |
| Locale | North Norfolk |
| Terminus |
Wells-next-the-Sea Walsingham |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | LNER |
| Original gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Operated by | Wells & Walsingham Light Railway |
| Stations | 5 |
| Length | 4 mi (6 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1845 |
| Closed | 1964 |
| Preservation history | |
| 1979 | Rebuilding commenced, converted to 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) |
| 1982 | Light Railway Order granted |
| 1982 | Reopened to public |
The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge heritage railway in Norfolk, England running between the coastal town of Wells and the inland village of Walsingham. The railway occupies a four-mile section of the trackbed of the former Wymondham to Wells branch which was closed to passengers in stages from 1964 to 1969 as part of the Beeching cuts. Other parts of this line, further south, have also been preserved by the Mid-Norfolk Railway.
Despite its miniature dimensions, the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a "public railway", indicating that its operation is established by Act of Parliament. The original establishment of the preserved line was authorised by the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway Order 1982, the terms of which were altered under the subsequent Wells and Walsingham Light Railway (Amendment) Order 1994. Prior to 1982 the 15 in (381 mm) gauge Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway had traded as "The World's smallest public railway", a phrase sometimes quoted by the Wells and Walsingham Light Railway since the 1982 Light Railway Order.
The line, which is 4 miles (6.44 km) long, is now the longest 10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge railway in the world. It runs from the coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea to the village of Walsingham, famous as a centre of pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining authority to operate across main roads via level crossings, the railway operates between a new-build station located on the A149 approximately 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) south of the original terminus at Wells, and a similar new terminus at Walsingham situated a short distance north of the original GER station, and within sight of it.
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