The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway

The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway was constructed in 1919 to carry sand from pits near the town about three miles to the main line. The railway used steam locomotives for a short while, then Simplex petrol locomotives, and finally Simplex diesels. Sand traffic declined from the late 1950s until it ceased in 1981. In the 1960s enthusiasts realised there was a railway idle at weekends and obtained permission to run passenger trains and over the years since then the preservation society has evolved and this heritage railway now operates a varied collection of historic steam and non-steam locomotives. This new third edition describes the railway's history and other local railways which mainly served sand pits.