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The Sanday Light Railway in 2002
The
Sanday Light Railway was a privately owned
rideable miniature railway situated in
Braeswick, on the island of
Sanday,
Orkney,
Scotland.
The railway was of 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm)
gauge. Construction began in 2000 and the line closed at the end of 2006. It was the most northerly passenger carrying railway in the
British Isles, and although it was primarily the owner's hobby it did achieve the status of a
tourist attraction and local curiosity.
The railway sometimes ran one of its two
steam locomotives, a
2-4-2 and a
2-4-0, but more often one of three
petrol locomotives. The railway also owned a number of items of rolling stock, including a very rare Cromar White first-class carriage.
Although trains had been operating occasionally in some form beforehand, the railway was officially opened to the public in August 2006 by Sir
Peter Maxwell Davies just a few months before its closure, which was variously attributed to the owner being unable to keep his promise to hold Sir Peter's civil partnership ceremony there or unreasonable demands placed upon the railway's operators by local council officials.
As at 2008 the owner was taking legal action against a number of organisations over perceived discrimination and misconduct by those organisations, in relation to the railway, its associated tea-rooms and the abortive civil partnership ceremony.
