North Wessex Light Railway

The Chippenham and Calne Tramway opened in 1873, with intermediate stops at Stanley Bridge and Black Dog Halt. The line was a resurrection of the failed attempt to open a public railway between the two towns, which took advantage of the loosening of regulations permitted by the Tramways Act of 1870. A link to the GWR at Chippenham provided a significant source of revenue for the line in its early days, allowing through goods traffic to Calne, which included traffic for Harris' bacon factory.

The North Wessex Light Railway was opened in 1902 under the terms of the Light Railways Act 1896. It connected a station near to the east of Chippenham with Badminton, Gloucestershire. The line was barely profitable and struggled for much of its short existence. However, the line became very valuable after the GWR discovered that significant expenditure would be required in order to cross the route of the NWLR at Badminton. The delay and cost increases in construction of the Bristol Direct Line would have been unnacceptable, and recognising the delicate financial position of the NWLR it was agreed that the GWR would compensate the NWLR for the closure of the line from Yatton Keynell to Badminton. As well as being permitted to link with the GWR's goods yard at Chippenham (allowing potential for through goods traffic - the line had previously catered mainly for passengers and market traffic) NWLR would be offered the opportunity to purchase the failed prototype locomotive number 101 at a reduced price, which the GWR would rebuild into a coal-burning locomotive. This was completed in 1905, and the locomotive entered service on the NWLR between Chippenham and Yatton Keynell. While the original two locomotives were sufficient for the NWLR's traffic requirements at this time, experience suggested that a third was required for reliablility purposes when the line to Badminton had been open.

This was important because the NWLR had planned to re-extend the line using the compensation provided by the GWR. This extension, overseen by Colonel H.F. Stephens, would take the NWLR down to a halt at Long Dean, then onto Ford and Marshfield along the valley of the Doncombe Brook. A halt between Ford and Marshfield would serve The Shoe, a hamlet above the valley. The line was initially able to break even, but resources were stretched. In 1939, a short branch line was constructed at the request of the War Office, to facilitate the construction of an airbase near the village. The NWLR and the Chippenham and Calne Tramway were both nationalised in 1948.

The rise of road transport after the war had negatively affected the profitability of both lines. The Tramway had experienced large volumes of passenger traffic to RAF facilities during the war, but was now losing money quickly. It was closed by BR in 1965. Meanwhile, the local government had recognised the increasing value of the NWLR in bringing students from rural areas to the growing schools on the Hardenhuish Park estate. They offered to share the costs of the line with BR, and the line was kept open, although a significantly reduced service was run during school holidays and the connection to the GWML was closed. In the late 20th Century, the rise of heritage railways across the UK inspired a re-orientation of the NWLR. Connecting the picturesque villages of Marshfield, Colerne, Ford, and Yatton Keynell to the well-connected Chippenham, the NWLR was perfectly placed to expand its operations during the summer season (when the lack of school traffic meant the line was quietest) in order to cater for the tourism industry. The venture was so succesful that the local authoriry began investigating whether the line could be extended along the route of the former tramway to Calne. This project began in 1986, when the former link to the GWML was reinstated, enabling railtours and mainenance vehicles to run onto the NWLR, although the approaching line was constructed at a different elevation to the original in order to prepare for a grade-separated crossing. A second station was opened in Chippenham to facilitate interchange with the national network, and the NWLR's original Chippenham station was renamed to Sheldon. At this point, ownership of the line was transferred to a company owned by the local authority and various community stakeholders, leaving the Vale of Rheidol Railway as the only steam-operated line in BR ownership, until it too was sold on three years later. Significant fundraising from the public, added to local government investment and a number of grants from cultural bodies allowed the GWML to be crossed by 1998. By this stage, track had already been laid from Chippenham to Stanley Park Halt, which formed a temporary terminus. The line was extended to Black Dog Halt in 2003, by which time track had also been laid as far as Calne. In 2006, Black Dog Bridge over the A4 was reopened, allowing trains to run through to Calne for the first time in 61 years. Since the line to Calne had been reopened by a Light Railway Order, there was no longer a requirement for locomotives used between Chippenham and Calne to be fitted with tramway equipment.

Today, the NWLR's main line runs from Calne to Marshfield, stopping at Chippenham, Yatton Keynell, and Ford. There are four halts on the line: Stanley Bridge, Allington, Long Dean, and Shoe. All trains stop at Black Dog Halt while the Bowood estate is open, although it operates as a halt at other times of the year. Trains on the Colerne Branch either terminate at Ford to connect with mainline trains or continue to Chippenham. Through coaches are provided between Colerne and Chippenham for school services. The NWLR primarily operates using the line's historic rolling stock, including the Mk1 suburban coaches which were made offered to the line after becoming redundant on the national network.