Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, Torfaen

It may be small, and out of the way, but this heritage railway ranks as one of my favourite, simply because it still oozes much of its industrial past. It's not like the other more widely visited lines such as the North Yorkshire Moors or the Severn Valley, but what it lacks in the typical manicured chocolate-boxey finesse found on those lines it more than makes up for its grittiness and authenticity. It's been a slow burner in heritage railway terms, but plans for expansion are forever on the horizon. Let us hope they make it!