The first standard gauge heritage steam railway in Britain, the Bluebell
Railway, opened in 1960. Since then, over eighty have opened to the
public. While each of these has its individual characteristics, nearly
all are former British railways branch lines or parts of secondary
routes, closed either under the Beeching axe or under subsequent
cutbacks. The six-mile-long Epping Ongar Railway is different and
unique. Despite its location in rural Essex, this was not part of the
British Rail network at closure but was an electrified section of the
London Underground. Its rundown and closure was a protracted affair
spanning twenty-five years. On closure it was earmarked to become a
heritage line, but it would be another eighteen years before it
re-opened in its current guise with steam and diesel traction. This book
tells its story up to the re-opening in 2012 and of the ten years of
progress since then.