London Underground trains are a bit like Toy Story characters, if you really think about it. Hear me out for a moment, okay? They’re loved, looked after, (often) ranted about and (less often) raved about; and then something newer, faster and shinier promptly turns up, and they’re forgotten about faster than you can say ‘to infinity and beyond’. But where do those retired tube trains end up when London’s tired of playing with them? Well, whilst some do get snapped up by private buyers, put on show at museums, or – dare I say it – sent to the scrapyard; some lucky locomotives get to live out their days on a beautiful remote island, a mere hop, skip, and jump ferry ride from the French coastline.
Alderney is a charming Channel Island, only three square miles in size. Often overshadowed by its slightly more sizeable neighbours, Jersey and Guernsey; Alderney is home to just over 2000 residents, and is served by a single railway line that uses retired Northern Line trains to transport locals and tourists across the island. Who’d have thought it?
The Alderney Railway
The Alderney Railway uses original Northern Line carriages that operated in London between 1959 and 2000. Shuttling passengers between the island’s Braye Beach and Quesnerd Lighthouse, the carriages have been perfectly preserved and still boast an old London Tube map and the classic London Underground logo. Aside from now being run on a diesel engine locomotive, the trains themselves haven’t changed all that much. But the surroundings in which they now operate couldn’t be more of a contrast to a dark tunnel underneath the streets of London.
The Alderney Railway whizzes past beaches, historic sites, and plenty of other gorgeous things to gawp at. It’s the only working railway line in the Channel Islands, so it’s a pretty big deal. The line was opened in 1847 by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert and was originally used to transport stone from one end of the island to the other. Nowadays it’s a historic gem in the Channel Islands’ treasure trove, and well worth hopping on if you’re in the area.
