Middleton Railway

About

The Middleton Railway in south Leeds holds the remarkable distinction of being the world's oldest continuously working railway. Established by an Act of Parliament in 1758 to transport coal from the Middleton colliery into Leeds, it was also the first railway in the world to be commercially operated by steam traction, a milestone achieved in 1812 with Matthew Murray's pioneering Salamanca locomotive. After closure in 1960, it became the first standard-gauge railway in Britain to be preserved and operated by volunteer enthusiasts, a tradition that continues to this day. Services operate on weekends and bank holidays along a short but historically significant route through Middleton Park. The railway's visitor centre tells the remarkable story of how this unassuming Leeds line changed transport history forever.