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The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway was originally built to the narrow gauge of 3ft between the rails. It was the first public narrow gauge railway in England and today is one of the world’s oldest and longest surviving narrow gauge railways.

The railway was originally built in 1873 and was commercially opened on the 24th of May 1875. Its primary purpose was to transport iron ore, mined in the hills above the village of Boot, down to the coast at Ravenglass where ore was transferred to the Furness Railway's mainline to Barrow. Shortly after, in 1876, the railway opened to passenger traffic. This made the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway the first public narrow gauge railway in England.

In 1913, the railway closed due to diminishing quantities of iron ore and falling passenger numbers. Subsequently, the railway's rolling stock and track fell into disrepair. In 1915, miniature railway engineers and prolific model makers, WJ Bassett-Lowke and R Proctor-Mitchell, acquired the railway line as a base for testing their little locomotives. These engines ran to a smaller gauge of 15 inches. They began to re-lay the line and by 1916 the re-gauged track ran as far as Irton Road. By the following year, it ran the full length of the line to its terminus and present-day position at Dalegarth for Boot. 

Quarrying recommenced on the line near Beckfoot in the 1920s, this time for granite, which was transported to Murthwaite. Here it was crushed for use mainly as road stone and railway ballast. Ownership of the line was transferred to the Keswick Granite Company, which in 1953 ceased quarrying operations.

In 1960, the line was closed and sold to a group of locals and railway enthusiasts who formed Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Preservation Society to save the line. Today, the railway is a popular visitor attraction in the Lake District, with most of its annual passenger numbers coming during the summer months. The entire single journey takes 40 minutes from end to end. Passengers can choose between open and covered seating, with some saloon coaches being fitted with heaters for the winter months.

The line is known locally as La'al Ratty and its 3 ft gauge predecessor as Owd Ratty.


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