All aboard for our new railway experiences
A day of nostalgia for all the family with these vintage railway experiences
Whether it’s a little ‘un who loves Ivor the Engine or Grandad who enjoys the nostalgic world of steam, our trio of new railway experiences will be appreciated by all the family and make for a great day out in Kent.
All taking place at the Kent and East Sussex Railway, one of Britain’s best loved heritage light railways, you’ll have plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere. If you’re looking for a hands on railway experience, you can’t beat the signal box experience, where you’ll spend a day working with a signaller at the Rolvenden signal box. Imagine spotting the train, getting ready to move the enormous colour coded levers to alter the points on the track and then waving the train off as she trundles by. Not a bad job!
Enjoy a ride on the footplate of a steam train engine in Kent
If you want to get out on the track, we’ve got a steam train footplate ride and a diesel engine cab ride for you to choose from. The steam train experience is always really popular – there’s something very emotional and satisfying about the spurts of steam, the sounding of the whistle and the gentle rhythm as the train pulls away under the power of its own steam. This steam train experience will see you riding on the footplate, where you’ll see just how much work it is to get these majestic giants moving!
Diesel trains may sound a lot less exciting, but these Diesel Mechanical Multiple Units are typical of what were originally used on this railway line post war and sitting upfront in the cab gives you an amazing view of the track which you just don’t get in a steam engine with its very long ‘nose’!
A panoramic view from the cab of a vintage restored diesel engine
Whichever of the experiences you choose, you know it’ll be a great day out for all the family. Just think, Grandad could go on his steam footplate experience and the rest of you could buy tickets at the station to ride on the train, a magnificent 21 mile round journey through the Kent countryside.
There’s also plenty of interesting things to see and do around the stations with visits to the worksheds at Rolvenden station, the railway museum and of course a gift shop and cafe too.
All in all a triple bill of railway experiences that make for excellent gifts to give!