| Whistlestop Valley | |
|---|---|
 Both 0-6-2ST Badger and 2-4-2 Katie at Shelley Woodhouse | |
| Locale | West Yorkshire, England |
| Terminus | Clayton West |
| Coordinates | 53°35′49″N 1°36′43″W / 53.597°N 1.612°W |
| Commercial operations | |
| Name | Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway Clayton West branch |
| Built by | Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway |
| Original gauge | 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge |
| Preserved operations | |
| Length | 3+1⁄2 miles (5.6 km) |
| Preserved gauge | 15 in (381 mm)[1] |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1 September 1879 |
| Closed | 24 January 1983[2] |
| Preservation history | |
| 19 October 1991 | opened[3] |
| 26 December 1992 | extended to Skelmanthorpe |
| May 1997 | extended to Shelley Woodhouse |
Whistlestop Valley, formerly the Kirklees Light Railway, is a visitor attraction featuring a 3+1⁄2-mile (5.6 km) long 15 in (381 mm) gauge minimum gauge railway. The attraction's main site is in the village of Clayton West in Kirklees, West Yorkshire, England which was first opened to the public on 19 October 1991, with a second, smaller site in a rural area near the village of Shelley.
The railway at Whistlestop Valley runs along the trackbed of the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway's former branch line, from Clayton West via Skelmanthorpe to Shelley Woodhouse (a few yards close to the former Clayton West Junction[4] 1⁄2 mile (0.8 km), near Shepley) on the Penistone line from Huddersfield to Sheffield via Penistone and Barnsley.
From 1991 to 2021 the attraction was known as the Kirklees Light Railway. In June 2021, the attraction was rebranded under the name Whistlestop Valley[5] but retains the name Kirklees Light Railway for its 15 inch railway operation.[6]
- ^ "Kirklees Light Railway 15 Inch". UK Miniature Railway world. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ "Clayton West Branch". lostrailwaysofwestyorkshire.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ "Kirklees Light Railway celebrates 21st anniversary with a ride for each year". Huddersfield Daily Examiner. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ "Boiler incident on the Kirklees Light Railway 3 July 2011" (PDF). Department of Transport. Rail Accident Investigation Branch. March 2012. p. 7. Retrieved 15 March 2016.
- ^ Kirklees has become Whistlestop Valley Heritage Railway issue 283 August 2021 page 38
- ^ "What's on". Whistlestop Valley. Retrieved 9 January 2022.