Light Railways Act
The Light Railways Act (59 & 60 Vict c. 48) passed by the British Parliament in 1896 is a law that defines a type of railroad with the aim of enabling these railways to be carried out in a simple manner without a parliamentary resolution. The corresponding German term for this type of railroad is Kleinbahn .
Light Railways Act
Before 1870, the construction of railways was so complex and expensive because of the necessary approval procedures and building regulations that the development of rural areas could not be financed in this way. The Tramway Act of 1860 allowed the construction of railroads under simplified conditions for the first time, but for various reasons did not have the desired success. This and the construction of the Wisbech and Upwell Tramway , which was built according to the regulations for trams in 1882, but was a light railway apart from the name , gave the impetus for the creation of the Light Railways Act .
The gauge was not prescribed by law and so, in addition to a few regular- gauge railways, narrow-gauge railways were built in a wide variety of gauges. The "Light Railway Order" took the place of the necessary parliamentary resolution. Such ordinances established the modalities for the construction and operation of the light railways .
In contrast to the Tramway Act, the local authorities did not have the right to veto the approval and did not have the option to purchase the tram cheaply after 21 years, and the approval procedure was simpler. The fees payable under the Light Railway Act were 75% lower than under the Tramway Act. These advantages resulted in a number of municipal and private trams being built or expanded, preferably under the Light Railway Act . Nevertheless, light railways are a class of their own.
The Light Railway Act was never a great success. Individual railways that were built according to the provisions of this law survived thanks to skillful management and economical operation. Most light railways began to decline with increasing competition from road transport in the late 1920s, and thirty years later almost all light railways were closed and dismantled. Thanks to a private initiative, only a few sections of the route were preserved as museum trains, some were even rebuilt for this purpose.
Until the introduction of the Transport and Works Act (TWA) in 1992, museum railways in the United Kingdom operated under the rules for light railways (Light Railway Orders) that were not built as light railways .
The name Light Railway has been applied over the years to similar types of railways that did not require a license under the Light Railways Act , such as military railways, miniature railways, and full-length railways on private land.
Webs that after the Light Railways Act were built
The year in the "Opening" column refers to the opening of the first line section of the railway, the next column contains the year of the formal closure or the cessation of regular operations on the last remaining line section.
In 1902 the Cromarty and Dingwall Light Railway was approved but never completed. The tracks that had already been laid were dismantled during the First World War .