Pictured: The railway in Britain that's Europe's shortest line - it's less than ... trends now

Pictured: The railway in Britain that's Europe's shortest line - it's less than ... trends now
Pictured: The railway in Britain that's Europe's shortest line - it's less than ... trends now

Pictured: The railway in Britain that's Europe's shortest line - it's less than ... trends now

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Britain doesn't hold many current railway records, but it does have a line in the West Midlands that claims the title of Europe's shortest – the Stourbridge branch line.

At just 0.8 miles (1.2km/1,287 metres) in length, it's also Britain's shortest railway line.

What's more, the service that runs on it is operated by 'Pre Metro' and West Midlands Railway using a pair of rare Class 139 'Parry People Movers'.

They are the only Class 139s in service in the UK.

The one-car vehicles - the brainchild of light rail pioneer John Parry - are described by "Pre Metro as 'self-sustained trams', powered by a hybrid flywheel and an LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) engine.

Europe's shortest railway line ¿ the Stourbridge branch line

Europe's shortest railway line – the Stourbridge branch line

The website for the line explains that the flywheel enables the shuttle to perform regenerative braking, where the vehicle's kinetic energy is collected when braking, and later re-used for acceleration.

The line they trundle up and down was opened in 1879, with Parry

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