Welcome to the Old Kiln Light Railway
Surrey based 2ft gauge railway, owned & operated by a group of volunteers who have collected diesel & steam locomotives, rolling stock, and other narrow gauge relics over the years.
Hop aboard the charming narrow gauge railway in the rural Surrey countryside. Situated in the Rural Life Living Museum, a peaceful open air village museum, and bordering RSPB Heathland, the Old Kiln Light Railway takes you on a short but characterful journey in a coach pulled by one of our many preserved locomotives.
From the forests of Portugal, to the Welsh Slate Quarries of Penrhyn, our fine collection of preserved locomotives and stock provides an abundance of railway history to discover and enjoy. We take pride in our locomotives and rolling stock and we love to show them off! You can read all about them here.
If you're interested in coming to visit, check out our Running Days and Fares or check our our news page for details on what we've been up to recently. Access to the site is granted upon purchase of an entry ticket which can be bought at the museum entrance or on the Rural Life Living Museum's website.
The Rural Life Living Museum Needs You!
The Rural Life Living Museum is owned and operated by the Old Kiln Museum CIO Registered Charity Number 1200370. The museum receives no external funding and has survived hand-to-mouth through ticket sales and donations. The rising cost of operating the museum now means that expenditure outstrips income generated through ticket sales and donations.
The Rural Life Living Museum is our home and without your help, the museum will be forced to close and the Old Kiln Light Railway and all of our rolling stock will have to be moved.
Not only does this mean that we will have to move, the museum's collection will have to be broken up and offered to other museums. Our favourite events, such as Weyfest and Village at War, will be left with out a home. And the purpose of 150 volunteers will be gone.
What can you do?
The Rural Life Living Museum has a goal to raise £150,000 by October 31st. This will allow us to:
- Solve an immediate cash flow crisis and sustain the museum through the winter months when income is at its lowest.
- Bring on board high level professional help to grow our audience to make our basic offering sustainable.
- Return depleted reserves so that we can plan for the future and move to a sustainable operating model.
By donating, you can help preserve not only the Rural Life and Living Museum, but Tilford's favourite narrow gauge railway too!