The Ruislip Lido Railway is a 12 in (305 mm) gauge miniature railway around Ruislip Lido in Ruislip, 14 miles (22.5 km) west of central London. Running from the main station at Woody Bay by the lido's beach, on a 1.5-mile (2.4 km) track around the reservoir, the railway passes through Ruislip Woods to Ruislip Lido station near the Water's Edge restaurant and the lido's car park and is the longest exact 12-inch gauge railway in the United Kingdom. There are two disused stations (formerly termini) on the line: Eleanor's Loop and Haste Hill. The Woody Bay to Wellington Junction section of the railway features a double track, with passing loops at Eleanor's Loop and Haste Hill thereby allowing two-train operation. There is a level crossing between Haste Hill and Ruislip Lido stations.
Originally built by the Grand Union Canal Company over a much shorter route, the line has been extended in recent years and now covers over two thirds of the perimeter of the reservoir. Following several years of decline under the ownership of the local council, the railway has been operated by a voluntary society since 1979.
Read more about Ruislip Lido Railway: History, Locomotives, Operations
Famous quotes containing the word railway:
“Her personality had an architectonic quality; I think of her when I see some of the great London railway termini, especially St. Pancras, with its soot and turrets, and she overshadowed her own daughters, whom she did not understand—my mother, who liked things to be nice; my dotty aunt. But my mother had not the strength to put even some physical distance between them, let alone keep the old monster at emotional arm’s length.”
—Angela Carter (1940–1992)