The Alderney Railway, located on the island of Alderney in the Channel Islands, is the only working railway in the Bailiwick of Guernsey and one of the oldest in the British Isles. It was constructed by the British Government in the 1840s and officially opened in 1847. Its primary purpose was to transport stone from the eastern quarries to build the island’s breakwater and Victorian-era forts. Queen Victoria and Prince Albert famously rode the railway in a horse-drawn tender during a royal visit in 1854, marking its early use for passenger transport.

Initially operated by the Admiralty, the railway played a crucial role in the island’s infrastructure for over a century. In 1921, the line and quarry rights were leased to Brookes Limited, which used it to export crushed stone for road construction. During the German occupation in World War II, the railway was partially converted to a 600 mm gauge line for munitions transport, and much of the original track was removed or repurposed. After the war, the British Home Office restored the line to standard gauge and resumed maintenance operations using a Sentinel vertical boiler engine named Molly.

By the 1970s, the railway had fallen into limited use, prompting local interest in preserving it for heritage and tourism. The Alderney Railway Society was formed in 1978, and in 1980, the Alderney Railway Company Ltd. was established to operate the line and manage its lease. That same year, the railway reopened for regular passenger service, using Wickham railcars and later incorporating former London Underground 1959 Stock carriages, which remain in use today.

The line runs for approximately two miles between Braye Road and Mannez Quarry, offering scenic views of Alderney’s coastline and countryside. It operates primarily on weekends and bank holidays from May to September, attracting railway enthusiasts and tourists alike. The railway’s rolling stock includes a Vulcan Drewry 0-4-0 diesel locomotive named Elizabeth and several Wickham railcars, with sheds at Mannez Quarry built in 1997 and 2008 to house the equipment.

Today, the Alderney Railway stands as a testament to the island’s industrial past and community spirit. Maintained by volunteers, it continues to serve as both a historical attraction and a symbol of local heritage. Its blend of Victorian origins, wartime adaptations, and modern preservation efforts makes it a unique and enduring feature of Alderney’s cultural landscape.

This summary was generated using AI based on publicly available sources, including the Alderney Railway official site, Wikipedia, and Visit Alderney.