Note: For the most comprehensive list of Heritage Railways in the United Kingdom, you can do no better than to visit the UK Heritage Railways web site.
Blackrod Station – Past and Present Nice to see a station that nobody really noticed celebrated by someone who obviously did notice it.
Brockwood Cemetery Railway Anything but dead boring!
Disused stations A useful website that gives masses of information about many abandoned railway stations.
Forgotten Relics of an Enterprising Age A fabulous website containing information about relics from the age of railways (Tunnels, viaducts, etc). Lots of other interesting stuff as well. Fascinating!
Industrial Heritage of Britain All sorts of things about all sorts of industry
Loco Shed Index and Loco Allocation List A list of all steam sheds AND allocations of thousands of locomotives. An incredible resource.
Lost railways of West Yorkshire Fascinating and detailed. Well worth a visit by any enthusiast.
Railscot Detailed and comprehensive information about the railways north of the border, old and new.
Railway Ramblers People putting closed railways to a new and useful purpose.
Railways Around Birmingham & the West Midlands A fabulous and well designed website dealing with this important part of the country
RailWest Fascinating site giving information about railways in the southwest of England.
The Old Dalby Test Track Dedicated to the piece of line upon which many modern, and not so modern, trains were put through their paces before entering service. Fascinating pictures and information about the Midland Pullman, the Advanced Passenger Train and the day that B.R. ploughed a class 46 into a nuclear flask.
The Railway Archive A repository for documents relating to railways including maps and accident reports
The Railway Centre A wealth of information, including news and a database of engine names
The Somerset and Dorset Railway after closure Lots of pics and information in this well built site.
Exploring ghost railway bridges near Paisley, Ontario Canada
New Popular Edition Maps The Ordnance Survey maps of the 1940s all online. A hugely useful tool for any historian.
New Adlestrop Railway Atlas A marvellous map that doesn’t seem to get updated these days. Shame. It doesn’t get much better than this.
Old Maps A repository of old OS maps. A lot predate the railways, but they are fascinating not withstanding.
Old OS Maps This amazing site allows you to view old OS maps, modern maps and satellite images and to then overlay them with variable transparency. The best way to locate old railways and features.
Railway Clearing House pre-1923 Junction Diagrams Excellent collection of RCH maps dating from 1914, brought to you by the people who brought you Wikipedia.
Don Valley Railway An attempt to reopen the Woodhead line from Deepcar to Sheffield.
Royal Deeside Railway A revivalist project for the railway that was stopped in its tracks by Queen Victoria.
Waverley Railway Line Seems like this one is actually happening!
Alderney Railway A standard gauge railway in the the Channel Islands.
Beamish Open Air Museum Stunning! Allow yourself at least one full day to see everything. Don’t miss the new ‘Steam Elephant’
Churnet Valley Railway Staffordshire offering which bills itself as "The Railway in the Valley"
East Lancashire Railway Running between Bury Bolton Street and Rawtenstall, the ELR is the only preserved railway within Greater Manchester
Elsecar Railway Small railway near Barnsley, seemingly not prioritising the provision of a working website. Should this change, perhaps someone could let me know?
Foxfield Railway Staffordshire
Great Central Railway Loughborough, Leicestershire. Britain’s only double track preserved railway
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway One of the best
Lakeside and Haverthwaite Railway 3½ mile line which offers through fairs for Lake Windermere cruises and a three part ticket for the train, boat and the nearby sea life centre.
Lavender Line East Sussex’s best kept secret, apparently.
Middleton Railway Leeds based railway with many claims to fame in railway history
Peak Rail Matlock, Derbyshire. Originally intended as a project to reopen the entire Midland line from Buxton to Matlock, Peak Rail now concentrates on the southern end of the route, greater ambitions having seemingly – and sadly – been dashed. Unfortunately, and despite some improvements, their website remains visually appalling.
South Devon Railway Running trains between Totnes and Buckfastleigh
Strathspey Railway Running from Aviemore to Broomhill along the erstwhile Highland Railway route to Forres.
West Summerset Railway A pleasingly neat and attractive web page for this railway.
Alford Valley Railway 2′ gauge
The Amerton Railway 2′ gauge on a farm in Staffordshire
Bala Lake Railway 1′ 11 5/8" gauge
Belle Vue Steam Railway Information about the steam railway that once ran around the amusement park in Manchester. This was the only steam train that I travelled on when I was a child.
Brecon Mountain Railway 1′ 11
Bressingham Steam Experience Standard, 2′, 10¼" and 15" gauges
The Cattle Country Railway 10¼" gauge
Conwy Valley Railway Museum 7¼" and 15" gauge
Dragon Miniature Railway Wyevale Garden Centre, Marple, Cheshire
Eastleigh Lakeside Steam Railway 10¼ and 7¼" gauges
Exbury Gardens Railway 12¼" gauge
Golden Valley Light Railway 2′ gauge line based at the Midland Railway Centre
Hilcote Valley Railway Based in Staffordshire, the gauge of this line is obviously a closely guarded secret as, at the time of writing, it is not mentioned on the web site
National Tramway Museum Derbyshire
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway 15" gauge line in beautiful Cumbria
Rhyl Miniature Railway 15" gauge running around a lake at a popular North Wales holiday resort
Rudyard Lake Steam Railway 10¼" gauge. The only railway this size that I have seen offering driving courses!
South Tynedale Railway 2½ mile 2′ gauge line in Cumbria
Steeple Grange Light Railway Built on a quarry branch from the Cromford & High Peak Railway, this is one of those odd railways that seems pointless, but is still very enjoyable for some reason.
Teifi Valley Railway 2′ gauge line running on a short portion of the erstwhile route from Pencader to Newcastle Emlyn. No website seems to be available at present.
Vale of Rheidol Railway 1′ 11¾" gauge. Was the last British Rail owned steam until until being sold.
West Lancashire Light Railway 2ft gauge railway operating at Hesketh, Nr Preston
Jokioinen Museum Railway Finland
Kentucky Railway Museum (USA) All 22 miles of it. Perhaps the only preserved railway in the world to offer the spectacle of train robberies as a part of the attractions!
Museum Buurt Spoorweg (Holland)
North West Railway Museum Washington, USA
Outeniqua Choo-Tjoe The last scheduled steam passenger service operating in Southern Africa.
Waitara Railway Preservation Society (New Zealand) Project in progress.
Wiscasset, Waterville, and Farmington Railway (USA) 2′ gauge.
The AC Locomotive Group All things electric and AC.
Altrincham Electric Railway Preservation Society A very active and long established society.
The Brighton Circle All things regarding the London, Brighton and South Cost Railway.
BR/Sulzer Type 2 Classes 24 and 25 and all things about them.
Co-Bo World The website dedicated to the Metrovick Co-Bo locomotives
Class 25 in Action A website celebrating this fine breed of engine.
The Class 37 Locomotive Group An interesting engine, much overshadowed by its more glamorous and slightly larger cousins during B.R. days.
The Class 40 Preservation Society I once ploughed D200 into the side of a class 47 on Guide Bridge Holding Sidings. I wonder if they have forgiven me yet?
The Class 47s One of my favourite engines to drive. Did exactly what it said on the tin!
The Deltic Preservation Society All things English Electric and triangular in shape.
The Fifty Fund All things class 50
Helston Railway Diesel Group Owners of a class 103 DMU, amongst other things.
Industrial Locomotive Society. A society dedicated to the recording of information about those locomotives that arguably played as important a role in the development of the UK as their main line cousins. What would industry have done in the age of steam without these hidden heroes of the factory, colliery and quarry?
Jubilees A website dedicated to this famous class of L.M.S. engine.
Preserved Diesels What are they, where are they and what condition are they in?
Suburban Electric Railway Association All things about EMUs, but without Rod Hull!
The Woodhead Site All things to do with the Manchester, Sheffield and Wath line. Shame about the forum being so clunky and difficult to use. Worth visiting just to see the trains running at the bottom of the page!
Caledonian Railway Society All things Caledonian.
Glasgow and South Western Railway Association All things G&SW.
Great Central Railway Society All things Great Central.
Great Eastern Railway Society All things Great Eastern.
Great North of Scotland Railway Association All things Great North of Scotland
Great Northern Railway Society All things Great Northern.
Great Western Archive Lots of information about the GWR.
Highland Railway Society All things Highland.
Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Society All things about the company that took over the L&NW.
London &North Western Railway Society All things L&NW.
London Midland and Scottish Railway Society All things LMS
London North Eastern Railway Encyclopedia An excellent and informative site about the LNER, including a forum on which a lot of people – including me – post
Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway Society All things M&GNJR.
North British Railway Study Group All things North British Railway
North Eastern Railway Association All things North Eastern Railway.
North Staffordshire Railway Study Group All things North Staffs
South Eastern and Chatham Railway Society All things South Eastern and Chatham.
Stephenson Locomotive Society. Founded in 1909, this is the premier railway society in Britain and possibly the world.
Astley Green Colliery Museum 2′, 2′.6", 3′ and standard gauge exhibits with a mining theme
Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society Chesterfield
Darlington Railway Center and Museum Where it all began
Didcot Railway Centre The place for GWR enthusiasts
East Anglian Railway Museum Colchester based museum with operating exhibits
Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester Interesting and varied collection that is now free to visit, but don’t bring your car unless you want to pay £5 for the privilege of parking it
Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Situated on the Talyllyn Railway
National Railway Museum Based in York. Simply the best
Penryhn Castle Industrial Railway Museum Various exhibits housed in the castle stables
Railway Age Crewe Much to interest the signalling enthusiast, but otherwise a depressingly shoddy museum that seems to have achieved amazingly little in a long period of time. A fine example of a diversion of resources away from potentially more worthwhile projects
Vintage Carriage Trust Based at Ingrow on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway in Yorkshire
Alberta Railway Museum Canada
DB Museum (Germany)
Dutch Railway Museum Don’t have your speakers on when you click on this link!
Nairobi Railway Museum Garratts rub shoulders with engines from the Vulcan Foundry and North British works. What looks like a truly amazing museum. (Kenya)
Railway Preservation Society of Ireland Preserves and runs stock on the Irish main line.
Southeastern Railway Museum Georgia, USA
53A models Model railway shop and a fabulous collection of railway photographs as well. Many subjects and eras are covered.
Andy Kirkham’s Photos A fabulous collection of colour photos from the 80s and later. Some obscure and unusual stuff.
Chris Tolley’s Railways Pictures Another fantastic collection of railway pictures
British Railways Board Yes, it really does still exist.
Network Rail Everything you need to use and/or work on the modern (and surprisingly good) railway system.
The Railway Centre All sorts of information about all sorts of aspects of modern railways
UK Railways The whole lot of them.
West Coast Railway Company Based at Carnforth, erstwhile home of Steamtown.
Derby Area Signalling Site Devoted to the history of mechanical signal boxes in the derby area.
Exeter West Group The group that owns Exeter West signal box, now located at The Railway Age, Crewe.
Railway Signs and Signals of Great Britain Ever wondered what a feather or a dolly looks like? Look no further.
Railway Technical Web Pages Loads of very technical stuff about signalling and other aspects of railway operations
The Signal Box Anything and everything you might ever want to know about signalling. Many extra features including a monthly quiz and classified adverts. Many links to other signalling sites.
Signalling notices This fascinating website is an attempt to bring together a collection of signalling alteration notices for the whole of the UK. Briefly, when a line is re-signalled, or a signal box is closed, a notice is issued to all relevant parties giving a detailed description and diagrams of the changes. This site will, in my opinion, quickly become a valuable resource for railway historians and can only become more important with time.
Signalling Record Society Sharing knowledge of signalling, here and abroad.
Rail3D A 3D rail simulator
LNER Encyclopaedia Forum and excellent and informative forum concerned with all things LNER
National Preservation A website and forum for volunteers and staff from heritage railways
Rail UK Forums An extensive forum that seems to major on the modern scene
1980s Timewarp There are some web pages that leave me open-mouthed in astonishment, awe and a certain amount of bemusement. This is one such site. It details loco hauled passenger trains during the 1970s and 80s and includes well in excess of 200,000 workings!
Cardiff Canton A personal website about the men and machines that spent their working lives at this depot
Carnforth Station and Visitor Centre Fancy a brief encounter?
Drivers Manuals A website dedicated to the development of the B.R. Drivers Manual.
Gorton Locomotive Works Lots of info about this famous GC depot
Headcodes Info A useful site giving headcodes, timetables for stations and timing points and lots of other information.
Margam Depot A site about, well, Margam depot
North Eastern Tile Company Ever seen one of those huge tiled maps of the North Eastern Railway on a station wall and wished you could have such a masterpiece on your bathroom wall? Well, now you can. Go on, you know it makes sense. The wife will love it!
Pipedreams A site dedicated to those underground railways that never got built, but seemed like a good idea at the time.
Railway Codes Errrrm…where to begin describing what this amazing website contains? Electrification mast codes, signal box codes, station codes, station grid references, the list goes on. A plain, functional site containing a mind boggling amount of obscure information
Railway Magazines The specialist railway magazine retailer
Railway Ramblers They explore old railways
Rugby M.P.D. A website and forum dedicated to the men and machines based at Rugby in steam days.
Samuel Smiles A site about Samuel Smiles (1812 – 1904), "a prolific author of books that extol the virtues of self-help, character and duty, and of biographies lauding the achievements of famous civil and mechanical engineers among whom are Brindley, Smeaton, Rennie, Boulton, Watt, Telford and the Stephensons, but, oddly, not Isambard Kingdom Brunel."
Save our Railways UK resource and campaign centre
Science and Society Picture Library Lots of old transport posters to buy and frame
Screenonline "The definitive guide to Britain’s film and TV history". Not about railways, particularly, but including some gems that can be bought for viewing.
Six Bells Junction "Probably the largest source of rail tour gen…anywhere on the planet!" A site that is obviously a real labour of love.
Steamsounds Sounds of kettles, for those who like listening to kettles.
Transport History of the Transcontinental Railroad An interesting page suggested to me by some girls (and their tutor) from the Green Mountain Central School in Vermont, USA.
West Coast Railway Co. Occupying what was once Steamtown at Carnforth – and previous to that, Carnforth M.P.D., W.C.R. offer a range of services to the preservation world and the ‘proper’ train operating companies.