Leighton Buzzard Light Railway

The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 created a demand for sand and it was transported by road from the new northern quarries to sidings on the Dunstable branch at Billington Road. As a result, the roads in the area suffered enormously.

Once the war was over, the quarry owners were told that they would be responsible for repairing any future damage, and this led quickly to the formation of Leighton Buzzard Light Railway Ltd. Owned by the two main quarry operators in the area – Joseph Arnold & Sons Ltd and George Garside (Sand) Ltd – the railway company had its line built, from the Billington Road sidings to Double Arches, near Heath & Reach, and in service by the end of 1919. Using mostly surplus materials and equipment from the War Department Light Railways (WDLR), which had operated the supply lines to the battle zones, it was built to 2 foot (610 mm) gauge, and was just over 3.5 miles (5.6 km) long.

The peak period for traffic on the LBLR was in the late 1940s and early 1950s, when 20 train loads of sand were regularly dispatched each day. Thereafter, road competition, and the rationalisation of the main-line railway system, took away much of the traffic, and through trains to Billington Road ended in 1969.

In 1967, a group of railway enthusiasts had received permission from the owners to run passenger trains over the LBLR “main line”, starting with a series of diesel-hauled “fan trip” specials, on 3rd March 1968. This was the beginning of the  non-profit body whose members still operate the railway as volunteers. Initially, it was called the Iron Horse Preservation Society, and sought to recreate an American image, but soon changed to Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society.

The very last operational branch line, from Churchways quarry, ceased operation in June 1981, ending a form of transport going back over a century.