Wells & Walsingham Light Railway

The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a 10¼” gauge miniature railway running between bustling Wells-next-the-Sea and the quaint Saxon village of Walsingham on the banks of the River Stiffkey.

The line starts at Wells Station, on the A149 coast road just south of the town, passes the villages of Warham and Wighton, and terminates at Walsingham Station, just west of Little Walsingham village.

There are three request stops at The Midden Halt (serving a CL caravan and motorhome park), Warham and Wighton Halt.

The railway uses enclosed, semi-open & fully open carriages with both forward & backward-facing seats. Once aboard, there are flowers, butterflies, birds of prey, brown hare & deer to see as you rumble along.

No need to book – just turn up and pay the guard for your fares and parking. The WWLR do not offer online booking, operating on a first come first served basis.

Dogs are welcome, but at busy times priority will be given to human passengers.

Please note that due to the increasing costs of steam coal and maintenance, the WWLR are not able to run steam engines on a daily basis and your train may be pulled by one of the characterful diesel engines.

Wells Station is clearly signposted on the Stiffkey Road just to the east of Wells-next-the-Sea.

Sat Nav postcode is NR23 1QB or use the what3words co-ordinates wishes.exotic.snail.

Passengers are welcome to leave their cars in the Wells Station car park whilst they visit the town (around a 15 minute walk away). If you buy a train ticket, your parking charge will be reduced by 50%.

Walsingham Station is located just on the edge of Walsingham village on Egmere Road.

Sat Nav postcode is NR22 6BT.

Parking at Walsingham is available at Mill Car Park (pay & display) between Coker’s Hill and Bridewell St.

Sat Nav postcode is NR22 6BN.

There are no facilities at the station itself, however it is within easy walking distance of cafés and restaurants.

The Anglican Shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham and the Walsingham Farm Shop are a short walk away.

At the Wells Station, snacks are available from the Signal Box Café and there is a play area to enjoy before or after your adventure on the train.

During the holidays, the WWLR crew are always planning special new activities and events for young passengers – follow them on Facebook for updates.

There’s also Wi-Fi, toilets, a tearoom and gift shop.

Lieutenant-Commander Roy Wallace Francis (1922-2015) was a British naval officer who served on HMS Edinburgh and HMS Manchester during World War II.

In the the 1960s and 70s he rekindled his childhood interest in railways by taking miniature steam trains to fairs. In 1976, he built the 10¼” gauge Wells Harbour Railway at the request of Norfolk County Council to alleviate traffic congestion in the town.

In 1979 he sold that railway to finance the construction of his next project, the Wells & Walsingham Light Railway.

The new railway followed the course of the old Great Eastern line for four miles from Wells to Walsingham. On 6 April 1982, services officially began, making it the longest 10¼” narrow gauge steam railway in the world.

The WWLR currently operates three principal engines:

Norfolk Hero
A navy blue 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt steam locomotive named after Admiral Lord Nelson. He entered service in 1987

Norfolk Harvester
A navy blue Bo-Bo diesel locomotive. He entered service in 1987, and underwent a rebuild in 2005.

Norfolk Heroine
A dark red 2-6-0+0-6-2 Garratt steam locomotive named after Edith Cavell. She entered service in 2010.

Wells & Walsingham Light Railway holds the Guinness World Record – jointly with the Wells Harbour Railway (now decommissioned) – of the narrowest gauge on which a public railway service is operated, at 260mm (10.25 inches.)