Heatherslaw Light Railway
The Heatherslaw Light Railway is a small 15-inch gauge railway in Northumberland, England, near the Ford and Etal estate on the Scottish border. It opened in 1989 and runs from Heatherslaw to Etal Village. The one-way distance is about 2 miles, so a round trip is around 4 miles.
Steam trains run hourly from March to October, with Santa specials on selected weekends in December. The carriages can carry wheelchairs and buggies, and a typical summer train has up to eight coaches for about 90 passengers.
Locomotives
- The Lady Augusta (0-4-2T) was the first locomotive in 1989. It was built for the project but subcontracted to Kirklees Light Railway and became a spare when Bunty arrived.
- Clive is a diesel-hydraulic locomotive built on site by Neville Smith and Sid Ford and rebuilt in 2018.
- Bunty, completed around 2010 and named after Neville Smith’s wife Bernice, is the main passenger locomotive.
- Binky is a new diesel locomotive built in 2015 and entered service in 2016. It is used for February half-term trains and as the Thunderbird loco.
Stations
- Heatherslaw Station has a covered platform, a turntable, a third line to release engines, storage sidings and sheds, plus a ticket office and shop.
- Etal Castle Station is a simple terminal with a run-round loop and a turntable. Turntables at both ends let locomotives always face forwards when pulling trains.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 09:44 (CET).