62-621: The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (LBLR) is a light railway in Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire , England . It operates on 2 ft ( 610 mm ) narrow-gauge track and is just under 3 miles (4.8 km) long. The line was built after the First World War to serve sand quarries north of the town. In the late 1960s the quarries switched to road transport and the railway was taken over by volunteers, who now run
124-400: A flagman in a nearby booth who would, on the approach of a train, wave a red flag or lantern to stop all traffic and clear the tracks. This was a dangerous job that cost the lives of gatekeepers and their spouses, their children, their pets and their livestock, due to the inability for a train to stop from a suitable distance. Gated crossings became commonplace in many areas, as they protected
186-488: A banking locomotive. At the bottom of Marley's Bank the line turns sharply north and runs along the level to Leedon Loop. The line here passes through housing. After Leedon, the railway crosses Hockliffe Road and crosses the Clipstone Brook and begins to climb again on a 1 in 50 (2%) gradient to cross Vandyke Road. Immediately after crossing Vandyke Road the line curves 90 degrees to Vandyke Junction where there
248-506: A clearing in the woods', and one version of the addition of ‘Buzzard’ was that it was added by the Dean of Lincoln , in whose diocese the town lay in the 12th century, from Beau-desert . Another version is that having two communities called ‘Leighton’ and seeking some means of differentiating them the Dean added the name of his local Prebendary or representative to that of the town. At that time it
310-523: A direct bus rapid transit service to Milton Keynes and Luton via the Luton to Dunstable Busway , with an onward connection to Luton Airport Arriva also operate the X4 service through the town between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes, as well as several local town services. Z&S and Red Rose also operate bus services into Leighton Buzzard which serve local estates and surrounding villages. Leighton Buzzard
372-790: A member of the Croquet Association, have three croquet lawns in Pages Park next to the pavilion. A greyhound racing track was opened by the Leighton Buzzard Greyhound Racing Association. The track which was located on Bridge Meadows, a flood plain and wharfage between the Grand Union Canal and the River Ouze, south of Bridge Street and is believed to have opened during 1931. The racing was independent (not affiliated to
434-694: A private industrial railway was proposed to take the traffic. Leighton Buzzard Light Railway opened on Thursday 20 November 1919, linking the sand quarries ( Double Arches at the far end of the line) with the mainline railway south of the town at Grovebury sidings. The line was built using surplus equipment from the War Department Light Railways . The railway was built to a gauge of 2 ft ( 610 mm ) and laid using mostly 30 lb/yd (14.9 kg/m) rail. The line opened using steam traction by two Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 side tank steam locomotives . These proved inappropriate for
496-519: A significant risk of collisions between trains and road vehicles. This list is not a definitive list of the world's worst accidents and the events listed are limited to those where a separate article describes the event in question. Aircraft runways sometimes cross roads or rail lines, and require signaling to avoid collisions. Winston Churchill Avenue intersects the runway of Gibraltar International Airport at surface level; movable barricades close when aircraft land or take off. As of March 2023,
558-545: A single Leighton-Linslade Urban District . The Office for National Statistics uses the name Leighton Buzzard for the whole built-up area, including Linslade. The town has had a long association with the Rothschild family , since Lionel de Rothschild bought neighbouring farmlands to the west of the town in 1873. Over time the farm developed into the Ascott House estate located less than 2 miles (3 km) from
620-533: A train is present, may differ from municipality to municipality. There are a number of possible arrangements: In France, cameras have been installed on some level crossings to obtain images to improve understanding of an incident when a technical investigation occurs. In England, cameras have been installed at some level crossings. In South Australia, cameras have been installed at some level crossings to deter non-compliance with signals. Designs of level crossings vary between countries. Level crossings present
682-639: A train of three bogie wagons borrowed from the railway. By 1968 the line was more lightly used and the Iron Horse Society began regular passenger services on the line. Part of the agreement between the railway and the volunteers was that volunteers would repair the permanent way . This was undertaken, the group having purchased secondhand rolling stock and four Simplex diesels from the St Albans Sand and Gravel company, which were dismantled and formed into one machine. The last sand train ran on
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#1732779742252744-613: A tunnel under the runway opened to regular traffic, and the level crossing will only be available to pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooters. The Fianarantsoa-Côte Est railway crosses the runway at Manakara Airport . It is one of the few airports in the world that crosses an active railway line. A level crossing near Gisborne , sees the Palmerston North - Gisborne Line cross one of Gisborne Airport 's runways . Aircraft landing on sealed 1310-metre runway 14L/32R are signalled with two red flashing lights on either side of
806-679: Is a market town in Bedfordshire , England, in the southwest of the county and close to the Buckinghamshire border. It lies between Aylesbury , Tring , Luton / Dunstable and Milton Keynes , near the Chiltern Hills . It is 36 miles (58 km) northwest of Central London and linked to the capital by the Grand Union Canal and the West Coast Main Line . The built-up area extends on either side of
868-590: Is a collection of industrial railway locomotives at Stonehenge Works towards the northern end of the line. The railway is promoted by the Campaign to Protect Rural England . On 22 June 2013, John Travolta visited the railway with his son Benjamin. The line is unusual as it runs mostly through modern housing built since the 1970s, although the last half mile runs through countryside. There are open level crossings for which trains stop. The railway began at Grovebury Sidings, where sand trains unloaded into washers and
930-462: Is based at the White House on Hockliffe Street. Leighton Buzzard was an ancient parish . The parish historically comprised five townships , being Billington , Eggington , Heath and Reach , Stanbridge and a Leighton Buzzard township covering the town itself and adjoining areas. Such townships were all reclassified as civil parishes in 1866. In 1891 the civil parish of Leighton Buzzard
992-542: Is close to the M1 motorway and A5 road , and is served by London Northwestern Railway services on the West Coast Main Line railway at Leighton Buzzard railway station (in Linslade). The railway operates non-stop commuting services to Euston railway station , with the fastest journey times at 30 minutes. The majority of Leighton Buzzard's bus services are operated by Arriva Shires & Essex . Services F70 and F77 provide
1054-583: Is now home to several UK head offices for national and international firms. Connells Group , the estate agents' chains, have their head offices in the town, as do the UK operations of Tupperware and Grundfos . FTSE 250 company Rightmove had their first ever office in the town, which at the time consisted of just 25 employees. Leighton Buzzard is also home to the Vinci SA Technology Centre, where technology for London's new Crossrail stations
1116-593: Is the town's local newspaper. Leighton Buzzard was twinned with Coulommiers in France in 1958. The twinning was renewed in 1982. It was also twinned with Titisee-Neustadt in Germany in 1991. Leighton Buzzard experiences an oceanic climate ( Köppen climate classification Cfb ) similar to almost all of the United Kingdom. For further information on the history and archaeology of Leighton Buzzard see
1178-486: The 1968 Vienna Convention states (chapter 3, article 23b) that: This has been implemented in many countries, including countries which are not part of the Vienna Convention. Trains have a much larger mass relative to their braking capability, and thus a far longer braking distance than road vehicles. With rare exceptions, trains do not stop at level crossings and rely on vehicles and pedestrians to clear
1240-529: The European Railway Agency (ERA). The ERA manages and is responsible for the entire data collection. The Eurostat data constitute a part of the data collected by ERA and are part of the so-called Common Safety Indicators (CSIs). Note: Since 2010, use of national definitions is no longer permitted: 2010 CSI data represent the first fully harmonized set of figures Traffic signal -controlled intersections next to level crossings on at least one of
1302-585: The Old Town Hall , later used as a fire station and now as a restaurant. The Grand Junction Canal opened in 1800. It skirted the western edge of the town, but lay just over the parish and county boundary (the River Ouzel), being in the neighbouring parish of Linslade in Buckinghamshire . The London and Birmingham Railway was built in the 1830s and passed just over half a mile west of
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#17327797422521364-516: The River Ouzel (here about 2 metres wide) to include its historically separate neighbour Linslade , and is administered by Leighton-Linslade Town Council. It is unclear when the town was initially founded, although some historians believe that there may have been settlement in the area from as early as 571. There are a number of theories concerning the derivation of the town's name: ‘Leighton’ came from Old English Lēah-tūn , meaning 'farm in
1426-874: The Spartan South Midlands Football League . Also at the Bell Close Site are Leighton Buzzard Tennis Club who have been a part of the town since the 1930s. Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club established in 1901, play field hockey and run 4 Men's and 4 Ladies teams of all ability. The Men's teams play in the South Hockey League and the Ladies teams play in the 5 Counties Hockey League. Leighton Buzzard Hockey Club also have junior sides; starting age of 5. Leighton Buzzard R.F.C. play rugby union in South West 1 East and
1488-742: The 18th century, local Quakers continue to meet in the Meeting House on North Street. After the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 Leighton Buzzard became the centre of a poor law union that consisted of 15 surrounding parishes with the union workhouse (still standing) being sited in Grovebury Road. In 1847, additional land was obtained adjacent to the workhouse on which to build an isolation hospital. It had twenty beds over three wards, one each for patients with Diphtheria , Scarlet Fever and Typhoid . Jane Sarah Downer
1550-494: The Ladies rugby team play in NC South East North 2. Leighton Buzzard Golf Club was established in 1925 and there is also an active running club, Leighton Buzzard Athletics Club. Established in 2011 Leighton Buzzard Road Cycling Club is a cycling club for riders of all abilities. Their race team LBRCC-Solgar compete in local, as well as national, cycling events. Established in 2000, Leighton Linslade Croquet Club,
1612-641: The United States are killed in level crossing accidents. Collisions can occur with vehicles as well as pedestrians; pedestrian collisions are more likely to result in a fatality. Among pedestrians, young people (5–19 years), older people (60 years and over), and males are considered to be higher risk users. On some commuter lines most trains may slow to stop at a station but some express or freight trains pass through stations at high speed without stopping. As far as warning systems for road users are concerned, level crossings either have "passive" protection, in
1674-480: The agricultural hinterland and London. The town's market charter was granted in 1086 and is still active today. The High Street has numerous historical buildings, more than 70 of which are listed. They include the notable Bank Building on the Market Square (now home to Barclays Bank), designed by the eminent architect Alfred Waterhouse , designer of London's Natural History Museum, London . They also include
1736-404: The centre of Leighton Buzzard; Leighton railway station opened with the line in 1838. Although named after Leighton Buzzard, the station (like the canal) was actually in the parish of Linslade. When built, the station was in open countryside, with Linslade village lying 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the station at what is now known as Old Linslade. New development was subsequently laid out between
1798-826: The development of sites in southern Leighton Buzzard through the Southern Leighton Buzzard Development Brief. It is also expanding eastwards, with several developments forming the Eastern Leighton Linslade Urban Extension Scheme. The town is home to the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway , a narrow gauge heritage railway , one of England's longest at just under 3 miles (4.8 km) long and oldest narrow-gauge lines, with an extensive collection of locomotives and rolling stock. The Grand Union Canal runs through
1860-1142: The following references: Level crossing A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, path , or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line crossing over or under using an overpass or tunnel . The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion. Other names include railway level crossing , railway crossing (chiefly international), grade crossing or railroad crossing (chiefly American), road through railroad , criss-cross , train crossing , and RXR (abbreviated). There are more than 100,000 level crossings in Europe and more than 200,000 in North America. Road-grade crossings are considered incompatible with high-speed rail and are virtually non-existent in European high-speed train operations. The types of early level crossings varied by location, but often, they had
1922-648: The form of various types of warning signs, or " active " protection, using automatic warning devices such as flashing lights, warning sounds, and barriers or gates. In the 19th century and for much of the 20th, a sign warning "Stop, look, and listen" (or similar wording) was the sole protection at most level crossings. Today, active protection is widely available, and fewer collisions take place at level crossings with active warning systems. Modern radar sensor systems can detect if level crossings are free of obstructions as trains approach. These improve safety by not lowering crossing barriers that may trap vehicles or pedestrians on
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1984-571: The headquarters of the Leighton Buzzard Urban District Council. In 1961 (the last census before the merger) the parish and urban district of Leighton Buzzard had a population of 11,745. Leighton-Linslade Urban District only existed for nine years; it was abolished in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 . District-level functions passed to South Bedfordshire District Council, which in turn
2046-463: The line as a heritage railway . A bed of Lower Cretaceous sand across Bedfordshire has been quarried on a small scale for centuries. The most significant occur around Leighton Buzzard. In the 19th century sand was carried by horse carts from quarries south of the town to be shipped on the Dunstable - Leighton Buzzard railway. The carts damaged roads and resulted in claims for compensation against
2108-574: The local magistrate after being captured a month after the robbery. Leighton Buzzard station was the location for part of the film Robbery , which is based on the ‘ Great Train Robbery ’. The UK's first and only TXE1 electronic telephone exchange went into service here in 1968. The large building, built on the site of the former Lake House, that housed this and later exchanges, can be found in Lake Street. The population of Leighton-Linslade
2170-432: The main line in 1969, although several quarries continued to use the lines within their quarries. These were eventually replaced by roads and conveyor belts and the last internal quarry line was abandoned in 1981. Today the line is run purely as a heritage railway . A large collection of steam and internal combustion locomotives run on the line. Visitors can ride the train and are issued with an Edmondson ticket . There
2232-501: The need for animal protection diminished with time. Full, half or no-barrier crossings superseded gated crossings, although crossings of older types can still be found in places. In rural regions with sparse traffic, the least expensive type of level crossing to operate is one without flagmen or gates, with only a warning sign posted. This type has been common across North America and in many developing countries. Some international rules have helped to harmonise level crossing. For instance,
2294-558: The origin of the Medieval choir stalls see Tracy 1991. The town has a combined library and theatre (called the Library Theatre) where both live events and film screenings are regularly held. Rushmere Country Park and Stockgrove Country Park are in nearby Heath and Reach . The National Trust -operated country home Ascott House is located 2 miles (3 km) from the town in neighbouring Buckinghamshire. Leighton Buzzard
2356-649: The preserved railway. This is also the northern terminus of modern operations. From Stonehenge the line continues northwards with a 1 mile (1.6 km) of double track , climbing towards the two Double Arches sand quarries, owned by Joseph Arnold and George Garside. These are the locomotives on the preserved railway. All are 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge nominally, except where noted. 51°54′31″N 0°39′6.32″W / 51.90861°N 0.6517556°W / 51.90861; -0.6517556 Leighton Buzzard Leighton Buzzard ( / ˈ l eɪ t ən ˈ b ʌ z ər d / LAY -tən BUZ -ərd )
2418-617: The proximity of some stations) rebuilding 51 stations. At railway stations , a pedestrian level crossing is sometimes provided to allow passengers to reach other platforms in the absence of an underpass or bridge, or for disabled access. Where third rail systems have level crossings, there is a gap in the third rail over the level crossing, but this does not necessarily interrupt the power supply to trains since they may have current collectors on multiple cars. Source: US Department of Transportation. (1 mile=1.6 km) Source: Eurostat : The rail accident data are provided to Eurostat by
2480-526: The quarry owners from Bedfordshire County Council. At the end of the century steam wagons were introduced which increased the damage to roads. The outbreak of the First World War cut off supplies of foundry sand from Belgium . Sand was needed for ammunition factories and new sources were sought. Leighton Buzzard sands proved well suited and production increased. After 1919 the quarry companies were told they could no longer transport sand by roads, so
2542-405: The railroad crossing which will turn red, keeping new traffic from crossing the tracks. This is in addition to the flashing lights on the crossing barriers). After enough time to clear the crossing, the signal will turn. The crossing lights may begin flashing and the barriers lower immediately, or this might be delayed until after the traffic light turns red. The operation of a traffic signal, while
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2604-471: The railway from people trespassing and livestock, and they protected the users of the crossing when closed by the signalman/gateman. In the second quarter of the 20th century , manual or electrical closable gates that barricaded the roadway started to be introduced, intended to be a complete barrier against intrusion of any road traffic onto the railway. Automatic crossings are now commonplace in some countries as motor vehicles replaced horse-drawn vehicles and
2666-461: The roads in the intersection usually feature traffic signal preemption . In the US, approaching trains activate a routine where, before the road lights and barriers are activated, all traffic signal phases go to red, except for the signal immediately after the crossing, which turns green (or flashing yellow) to allow traffic on the tracks to clear (in some cases, there are auxiliary traffic signals prior to
2728-475: The roads. By the mid-1960s only one sand quarry, Arnold's, still used the light railway. The BR line to Dunstable was closed in 1965, apart from a short stretch from Leighton Buzzard to Grovebury interchange sidings, which survived until 1969. In November 1966 "The Iron Horse Railway Preservation Society" was formed with the objective of running passenger services on the line. They ran their first excursion on 3 March 1966. using two Simplex locomotives at each end of
2790-440: The runway and a horizontal bar of flashing red lights to indicate the runway south of the railway line is closed, and may only land on the 866 metres (2,841 ft) section of the runway north of the railway line. When the full length of the runway is open, a vertical bar of green lights signal to the aircraft, with regular rail signals on either side of the runway indicating trains to stop. The runway of Ometepe Airport crosses
2852-543: The sand was shipped to standard-gauge trains on the Dunstable branch or to road. The sidings and industrial plant at Grovebury were replaced with an industrial estate in the early 1970s. Trains from Grovebury crossed Billington Road by a level crossing and worked up a steep grade to Page's Park. Here a branch line south connected to the line's main engineering workshop and the Pratt's Pit quarry. In 2006 Page's Park forms
2914-453: The southern terminus of the heritage railway. From Page's Park the line curves north towards a summit at Red Barn. From there it descends at 1 in 60 (1.7%) before climbing again to cross Stanbridge Road. On the left is the site of Marley's Tile Works, now a housing estate, which was connected to the railway for most of its existence. The line descends Marley's Bank at a maximum of 1 in 25 (4%). Loaded sand trains to Grovebury Sidings often needed
2976-544: The sports governing body the National Greyhound Racing Club ) known as a flapping track, which was the nickname given to independent tracks. The date of closure is not known. Local news and television programmes are provided by BBC East and ITV Anglia . Local radio stations are BBC Three Counties Radio on 103.8 FM, Heart East on 97.6 FM, Greatest Hits Radio Bucks, Beds and Herts (formerly Mix 96) on 96.2 FM. The Leighton Buzzard Observer
3038-500: The station and the canal, known initially as Chelsea or New Linslade, before assuming the name Linslade. Linslade has always had Leighton Buzzard postal addresses, forming part of the Leighton Buzzard post town . Linslade remained administratively separate from Leighton Buzzard until 1965, when it was transferred from Buckinghamshire to Bedfordshire, and the urban districts of Leighton Buzzard and Linslade merged into
3100-587: The tightly-curved line and the steam locomotives were sold in 1921. From that point the railway was run using internal combustion, almost exclusively the products of the Motor Rail company. It was one of the first railways in Britain entirely operated by internal combustion. After the Second World War sand traffic returned to the roads. In 1953 a strike on mainline railways pushed more traffic onto
3162-470: The town, alongside the River Ouzel . All Saints' Church , an Early English parish church dating from 1277. The church is the starting point for the annual Wilkes Walk, described as "a curious procession of the church choir, clergy, and churchwardens across town to the alms houses in North Street." The church was damaged by fire in the 1980s, but has since undergone restoration. For information on
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#17327797422523224-521: The town. In the late 19th century, Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild used the now demolished Leighton House and its stabling, on the High Street, as a hunting box . The family still maintain links with the town through their ownership of Southcourt Stud in Southcote . The town has a strong history of dissenters and is home to one of the oldest Friends meeting houses in the region. Established in
3286-481: The tracks in advance. Several accidents have occurred where a heavy load on a slow road transporter has not cleared the line in time, eg Dalfsen train crash and Hixon rail crash . At Hixon the police escort had received no training in their responsiblities. Level crossings constitute a significant safety concern internationally. On average, each year around 400 people in the European Union and over 300 in
3348-414: The tracks, while signalling trains to brake until the obstruction clears. However, they cannot prevent a vehicle from moving out onto the track once it is far too late for the locomotive to slow even slightly. Due to the increase in road and rail traffic as well as for safety reasons, level crossings are increasingly being removed. As of 2024 Melbourne is closing 110 level crossings by 2030 and (due to
3410-495: The world", was located to the south of Stanbridge Road. Also the headquarters of No. 60 Group RAF , which controlled the air defence radar network across Britain, operated from Oxenden House (now demolished) off Plantation Road. The Great Train Robbery took place in 1963 at Bridego Bridge just outside Leighton Buzzard. The robbers were held at the Old Police Station on Wing Road Linslade while waiting to be seen by
3472-534: Was Theobald de Busar and so over the years the town became known as Leighton Buzzard. The other Leighton became Leighton Bromswold . In the Domesday Book of 1086, Leighton Buzzard and Linslade were both called Leestone. A further variation may be seen in a legal record of 1424, where "William Dagenale of Leytun Busherd, Beds" appears as a defendant. Leighton Buzzard developed into a thriving market town supported by good road, canal and, later, rail links to
3534-481: Was a passing loop. Here the branch line from Chamberlain's Barn and New Trees quarries joined the main line. A short section of this branch remains intact although heritage trains do not use it. The railway then runs parallel to Vandyke Road, climbing steadily to Bryan's Loop then descending again to cross the Shenley Hill Road. The line levels and continues to Stonehenge Works now the engineering workshop of
3596-576: Was appointed Nurse-Matron of the Isolation Hospital in 1899, and worked there until at least 1911. Downer had trained under Eva Luckes at The London Hospital between 1895 and 1897, and then worked on the Private Nursing Staff for one year, before her appointment as Matron in Leighton Buzzard. During World War II , RAF Leighton Buzzard , a secret communications facility described as "the largest telephone exchange in
3658-415: Was made a local government district , administered by an elected local board. Such local government districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894 . The Leighton Buzzard Urban District was abolished in 1965, merging with Linslade Urban District to become Leighton-Linslade Urban District . The merged council was based at the White House, which had previously been
3720-542: Was originally recorded in the 2001 census as 32,417. Part of Billington parish was transferred in 2003 to Leighton-Linslade, and the revised census result including this area was 32,753. At the 2011 census, the population of the Leighton-Linslade built-up area was recorded by the Office for National Statistics as 37,469, and was estimated to have reached 43,203 in 2020. The town is expanding southwards, with
3782-418: Was replaced by the unitary Central Bedfordshire Council in 2009, which also took over the functions of the abolished Bedfordshire County Council . A successor parish covering the abolished urban district of Leighton-Linslade was created in 1974, with its council taking the name Leighton-Linslade Town Council. Leighton Buzzard is represented by the sporting teams of Leighton Town F.C. who play football in
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#17327797422523844-622: Was tested. Since 2014, the town has had its own brewery . The town has a sizeable sand quarrying industry , with good enough quality 'building' sand to export to Egypt. The town is, or has at one time been, the home to various other industries including B/E Aerospace (Aircraft Interiors), Polyformes, Lipton Tea which has now closed down, Gossard clothing, and Lancer Boss ( forklifts , etc.). There are two tiers of local government covering Leighton Buzzard, at civil parish (town) and unitary authority level: Leighton-Linslade Town Council and Central Bedfordshire Council . The town council
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