Fawley Hill Railway is a privately owned heritage railway on the Fawley Hill estate of the late Sir William McAlpine at Fawley in Buckinghamshire, England.
An acknowledged railway enthusiast as well as a director of the construction company Sir Robert McAlpine, McAlpine returned to Hayes depot during the Beeching Axe to find that the company's Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST No.31 was for sale for £100. He purchased the locomotive, and moved it to Fawley Hill. [1] This marked the start in 1965 of the 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge Fawley Hill Railway, a private railway which now runs to over a mile long, combining the steepest gradient at 1:13 on a British railway, and includes: [2] [3]
- The Great Eastern Railway Somersham railway station
- Midland Railway signal box from Shobnall Maltings, near Burton upon Trent
- The footbridge from Brading on the Isle of Wight, Bridge No 25, where it spanned the Ryde Pier to Shanklin line
- A carved pediment from Broad Street railway station
- The platform shelter from Bourne End railway station
- Fawley Signal Box (formerly a Shunters' Cabin from Upwell Street Wharf, Sheffield)
- Inverernie Station Shelter (formally at Thrapston on the Kettering-Cambridge line)
In addition, the estate surrounding the railway line is adorned with several prominent architectural features which McAlpine acquired – although these were received mostly as donations; these include the original Wembley Stadium Twin Towers flagpoles, some early cast-iron bridge parapets, and several arched structures from prominent London locations.
Apart from the resident steam engine, No.31 (away for boiler overhaul in 2024/5), an ex-British Rail Class 03 diesel-mechanical shunter (D2120) is operational on the line together with two Hibberd 0-4-0 Planet diesel-mechanical industrial locomotives.
Fawley Hill Railway holds open days on a limited number of weekends during the summer months. These are known as Invitation Days and are strictly ticket-only events for which prospective visitors apply through the Fawley Museum web-site. Tickets are not available on the day.
Fawley Hill Railway also hosts mid-week visits to various groups; again with applications made through the Fawley Museum web-site.
The railway, together with Sir William McAlpine's extensive private railway museum, is operated and maintained on behalf of Fawley Hill by volunteers from Fawley Museum Society.