Sanday Light Railway

{{Short description|Former railway line in Scotland}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

{{Use British English|date=December 2022}}

{{Infobox rail line

| name = Sanday Light Railway

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| image = Sanday Light Railway - geograph.org.uk - 86228.jpg

| image_width = 250px

| caption = Sanday Light Railway in June 2002

| type = Passenger railway

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| open = 1999

| close = 2006

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| gauge = {{Track gauge|7.25in|lk=on}}

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The Sanday Light Railway was a privately owned ridable miniature railway situated in Braeswick, on the island of Sanday, Orkney, Scotland.

The railway was of {{RailGauge|7.25in}} gauge. The first rails were laid down in 1999, 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.{{cite news |title=Do the Locomotion with Charlie |url=http://living.scotsman.com/juliawelstead/Do-the-locomotion-with-Charlie.2755787.jp |work=The Scotsman |author=Julia Welstead |date=4 March 2006 |accessdate=2006-11-21}}

Although trains had been operating occasionally in some form beforehand,{{cite news | title=From Heat And Dust To Sanday Shores | author=Sandra Towrie | date=21 October 2005 | work=Times Educational Supplement | page=8}} the railway was officially opened to the public in August 2006 by Sir Peter Maxwell Davies{{cn|date=January 2021}} 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 {{cite web | url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2533465,00.html | archive-url=https://archive.today/20110604104233/http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-2533465,00.html | url-status=dead | archive-date=4 June 2011 | title=Gay marriage of a royal master hits the buffers | date=6 January 2007 | accessdate=2007-01-28 | work=The Times | author=David Lister}}{{subscription required}} or unreasonable demands placed upon the railway's operators by local council officials.

In 2008, the owner was taking legal action against a number of organisations{{cite web |url=http://www.sandaylightrailway.co.uk |title=Sanday Light Railway |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080403062151/http://sandaylightrailway.co.uk/ |archivedate=2008-04-03}} over perceived discrimination and misconduct by those organisations in relation to the railway, its associated tea-rooms and the abortive civil partnership ceremony.