The complete guide to Heritage railways

HERITAGE - DO YOU MEAN MOULDY SARNIES AND BROKEN-DOWN TRAINS?

HERITAGE - DO YOU MEAN MOULDY SARNIES AND BROKEN-DOWN TRAINS?

No: the nation that gave the world the railway is also the place to celebrate its history. The best way to sense the romance of rail travel, often with brightly polished steam locomotives and carriages straight out of Brief Encounter, is to take an excursion train.

The excursion train was once big business for British railway companies. Whether you wanted a land cruise of the Highlands, a dining-car special to watch the St Leger at Doncaster, or to attend the Military Tattoo at Aldershot, an excursion train would take you.

However, interest in running such trains steadily diminished after the Second World War, and privatisation killed off what was left. Enter a different private sector. A number of people and companies recognised the enduring appeal of well-organised train travel and set up companies to provide it. Some bought their own locomotives and carriages and spent large sums doing them up; others charter trains and pay for "power by the hour".

Most of these trains on Network Rail are aimed at people who enjoy rail travel and prefer not to spend their weekend on a motorway. Organisers find that steam haulage has a great appeal, so many departures are heralded by a whistle rather than a diesel horn.

Heritage railways offer excursions on privately owned lines, and the larger ones are now major businesses with turnovers of several million pounds, though all rely on volunteer help to varying degrees. Volunteers are not necessarily interested in railways; the appeal of helping lies in the sense of camaraderie, especially when faced with the challenge of a major reconstruction. Rebuilding the Ffestiniog Railway to Blaenau Ffestiniog attracted people from all walks of life who relished hard physical work in beautiful Welsh countryside.

The oldest heritage railway in the world, the Talyllyn, has now been operating for more than half a century. Its success has encouraged many others, giving Britain more heritage railways than any other country.

WHERE DO THESE TRAINS START - AND WHERE DO THEY GO?

Excursion trains run from most big cities - the largest number is unsurprisingly from London, followed by Manchester. Many stop to pick up from other stations en route. Destinations include historic towns and cities, seaside resorts, gardens and museums, country houses, castles, sporting events and tattoos, with coach transfers where necessary, and most offer the option of meals on board.

Some parts of the country do better than others. North Wales has an embarrassment of riches, and Scotland is compensated for its small number of heritage railways by having a long season of steam trains over the scenically outstanding Fort William-Mallaig line (01463 239026, www.steamtrain.info). The Jacobite runs daily from 16 June to 3 October and the return fare costs £24 for adults and £14 for children. (The four daily Scotrail trains, however are only £7.90/£3.95.)

I DON'T WANT TO SPEND ALL DAY ON A TRAIN

A few excursions are for dedicated rail buffs who want the most puffs for their bucks and are happy to ride the rails all day, but most include sufficient time to enjoy the destinations as well. Heritage railways offer the travel element of the excursion with the atmosphere of the steam-age railway, and most of them are in locations where the train can be used to see and do other things.

Steam Dreams allows about three-and-a-half hours to wander round one of the 14 historic cities and towns served by the Cathedrals Expresses from London. Excellent notes and a map are provided to guide you round (01483 209888, www.steamdreams.co.uk). Hertfordshire Rail Tours allow three to six hours in the towns and cities its trains visit from London (01438 718125, www.traintrips.co.uk). The Spalding Flower Festival and a recreation of the Golden Arrow to Dover are among the new ideas from Wessex Trains for its steam Excalibur Expresses (0870 747 3829, www.wessex-trains.com).

Vintage Trains operates two steam-hauled Shakespeare Expresses between Birmingham and Stratford-upon-Avon every Sunday from 6 July to 14 September at times that allow passengers from either end to have at least three-and-a-half hours at their destination (0121 707 4696, www.vintagetrains.co.uk). Similarly, if you're on holiday in Scarborough, you can have a day in York by taking the first of two steam-hauled Scarborough Spa Expresses, on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 15 July to 28 August (01433 650189, www.steamtrain.info).

WHERE CAN I DINE IN STYLE

ON THE MOVE?

By far the largest programme of excursion trains is offered by Venice Simplon-Orient Express (VSOE) with its two incomparable trains: the British Pullman based in the south of England for London departures; and the Northern Belle serving the Midlands, northern England and Scotland. The destinations may be matched by other operators but the VSOE carriages, food and service are in a class of their own.

Some VSOE excursions are simply lunch and tea trains, for the pure pleasure of enjoying haute cuisine in carriages that were either Pullman vehicles or have been refurbished to that standard. Dinner is generally a four-course affair, served in a five-star manner (0845 077 2222, www.orient-express.com).

Many heritage railways offer meals on the move, but three deserve a special accolade for the standard of their carriages and cuisine: the Bluebell in Kent (01825 720800, www.bluebell-railway.co.uk), the Kent & East Sussex between Tenterden and Bodiam (01580 765155, www.kesr.org.uk), and the North Yorkshire Moors from Grosmont to Pickering (01751 472508, www.northyorkshiremoorsrailway.com). They have Pullman coaches in their regular lunch or dinner trains, and the quality of food is good.

REAL ALE IS MORE MY SCENE

You can have jazz or folk music with it too. The idea of combining a local jazz band with beer supplied by a local brewery came from the community railways' partnerships which support secondary railways on the national network - 2004 is the 10th anniversary of such trains between Huddersfield and Sheffield. Some heritage railways have extended the idea to afternoon as well as evening trains on certain weekends.

ANYTHING FOR THE WEEKEND?

If a luxurious long weekend in Cornwall, Edinburgh or the Highlands sounds like a tonic, VSOE (0845 077 2222, www.orient-express.com) operates weekend tours with the British Pullman and Northern Belle trains, staying in hotels that won't let the side down.

Hertfordshire Rail Tours (01438 718125, www.traintrips.co.uk) organises a trip from London to Edinburgh for the Tattoo, as well as a long weekend tour of the Highlands that takes you to John o'Groats.

...OR THE WEEK?

For the ultimate in sleeping-car train travel in Britain, join 36 other guests on the Royal Scotsman (0131 555 1021, www.royalscotsman.com) for its two- to five-day excursions from Edinburgh that venture as far as Kyle of Lochalsh via Perth and Aviemore, or take the east coast route through Dundee and Aberdeen. The train is unique both in providing on-board accommodation, with en-suite facilities for every sumptuous mahogany-lined "state cabin", and for its all-inclusive price of £550 to £2,790. Even drinks are included. The ambience is intended to be that of a country-house hotel, and the train is "stabled" every night in a quiet siding for a good night's sleep.

VSOE operates one £2,650 six-night tour from London, travelling up the east coast main line to Edinburgh via York and then to Oban before returning south with overnight stops in Chester and Bath.

ANY CHANCE OF SEEING THOMAS?

Plenty. Thomas the Tank Engine weekends have become major money-spinners for almost every heritage railway (and the holder of the rights to the stories). A circular face usually covers the smokebox of appropriately sized locomotives, which may include some of Thomas's friends, as well as a rotund Fat Controller.

AND WHAT ABOUT HARRY POTTER?

The two principal railway locations for the first three Harry Potter films were between Fort William and Mallaig - Glenfinnan Viaduct and Loch Eil to be precise - and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The West Highland line has a programme of regular steam trains known as the Jacobite between 17 June and 4 October (01463 239026, www.steamtrain.info). The North Yorkshire Moors Railway (01751 472508, www.northyorkshiremoorsrailway.com) is arguably the most scenic heritage railway in Britain, weaving its way through the national park. The intermediate station of Goathland was used in Harry Potter and also has a claim to fame as the setting of the TV series Heartbeat.

I WANT TO WALLOW IN NOSTALGIA

The heritage railways have developed a main line in it. Most have 1940s or war weekends with sandbagged emplacements, military vehicles and service personnel, and the sounds of Glenn Miller. The Severn Valley Railway (01299 403816, www.svr.co.uk) has a heavy horse weekend (7-8 June) with shire horses hauling a variety of the vehicles that used to collect and deliver merchandise at railway goods yards.

Appropriately for the area, the Kent & East Sussex has a hop-pickers weekend (13-14 September), recalling the time when special trains were laid on for Eastenders to travel to Kent to help with the harvest. Hop tents are erected at Bodiam as they once were, local farmers bring hop-processing equipment, and former hop-pickers and a Pearly King and Queen come down from London to recount their memories.

ANYTHING SEASONAL?

Hallowe'en and Bonfire Night are excuses for nocturnal pyrotechnics and evening trains, when the steam railway can be at its most atmospheric, particularly at stations with gas lighting. As the evenings draw in, some railways operate thrilling dining trains of the "Murder on the Loughborough Express" sort (£45, Great Central Railway 01509 230726, www.gcrailway.co.uk), while the Kent & East Sussex has a "Fawlty Towers Style Evening" for those who can't get enough of Basil and Manuel (£45).

Unquestionably the most popular of all seasonal trains are the Santa Specials, which usually begin from the last weekend of November and continue into the new year as mince pie specials. Some railways carry tens of thousands of people to a series of Santa's grottoes with punch and mince pies served on the train.

CAN I HAVE A GO AT DRIVING?

More than 40 heritage railways offer the chance to live that childhood dream of becoming an engine driver (few dreamed of being the fireman). Courses range from half days to weekends, and give you the opportunity both to fire and drive a steam locomotive. Many have found it such an addictive experience that they have gone on to train as volunteer firemen and drivers.

Many railways now have weekends aimed at demonstrating the various ways in which people can become involved. The Ffestiniog Railway (01766 512340, www.festrail.co.uk) holds Interactive weeks to enable the public to try their hand at various roles (advance booking required), and during the school holidays (2-9 August) it holds a Kids' Week for volunteers aged 13 and above to participate in a working party. £50 covers accommodation, food, all transport during the week and evening activities.

WHERE CAN I FIND OUT MORE?

Steam Railway magazine lists some forthcoming excursions and has a comprehensive directory of heritage railways. If you can't find it at your newsagents, call 01733 282719. A full list is also available by sending an SAE to the Heritage Railway Association, 7 Robert Close, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire EN6 2DH.

All aboard for a trip to remember

Excursions available throughout Britain

BIRMINGHAM

You can take a train to reach Kidderminster for the Severn Valley Railway (01299 403816, www.svr.co.uk), which follows the river to Bridgnorth. Wonderfully atmospheric intermediate stations (Goodnight Mr Tom), and both Bewdley and Bridgnorth are a pleasure to wander round.

BOURNEMOUTH

Heritage railway meets park-and-ride: to relieve Corfe Castle of traffic congestion, the Swanage Railway (01929 425800, www.swanagerailway.co.uk) built a park-and-ride station at Norden. Visit the seaside or the scene of the redoubtable Lady Bankes's defence of the castle.

BRISTOL

Britain's longest heritage railway, the 20-mile West Somerset (01643 704996, www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk), runs through combes and along the sea from Bishops Lydeard near Taunton to Minehead. Stations serve beaches and picturesque Dunster with its National Trust castle.

EDINBURGH

Take the Bo'ness & Kinneil Railway (01506 822298, www.srps.org.uk) to visit the Birkhill Clay Mine in a spectacular wooded gorge. Its clay was used to make the bricks that went into steam fireboxes, and underground you can see fossilised trees that were growing 170 million years before the dinosaurs.

GLASGOW

More of a weekend jaunt, but the Strathspey Railway (01479 810725, www.strathspeyrailway.co.uk)from Aviemore to Broomhill, and nearby Speyside is worth a long weekend of anyone's time.

LEEDS

The 1970 film of The Railway Children with Jenny Agutter and Bernard Cribbins helped put the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway (01535 645214, www.kwvr.co.uk) on the map. It runs from Keighley (Leeds-Skipton trains) to Oxenhope via Haworth for a walk up the hill to the Brontë parsonage.

LIVERPOOL

You can combine a ride on the Llangollen Railway (01978 860979, www.llangollen-railway.co.uk) to Carrog - one of the best heritage railways for glorious landscapes - with a canal boat journey along the Llangollen Canal, boasting the longest aqueduct in Britain at Pontcysyllte.

LONDON

Britain's first standard-gauge heritage railway, the Bluebell (01825 720800, www.bluebell-railway.co.uk), opened its carriage doors in 1960 and brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the country railway. A vintage bus service at weekends and school holidays links East Grinstead station (trains from London Victoria) with Kingscote station for Sheffield Park, close to the National Trust gardens.

MANCHESTER

Connections with Sir Robert Peel and Charles Dickens, as well as a linear sculpture park and Britain's last temperance bar, can be explored during a journey up the Irwell Valley on the East Lancashire Railway (0161 764 7790, www.east-lancs-rly.co.uk) from Bury to Rawtenstall.

NEWCASTLE

Travelling through a vale of ancient woodland from Andrews House near Gateshead, it's hard to believe the Tanfield Railway (0191-388 7545, www.tanfield-railway.co.uk) was a colliery railway. Not only the oldest working railway in the world, dating from its opening as a waggonway c1712, it also passes close to the world's oldest railway bridge, the Causey Arch of 1727.

NORWICH

North Norfolk Railway (01263 820800, www.nnr.co.uk) trains run along the North Sea coast and skirt woodland on the fringes of Humphry Repton's Sheringham Park (NT) on their way between Sheringham and Holt.

PLYMOUTH

The Paignton & Dartmouth Steam Railway (01803 555872, www.paignton-steamrailway.co.uk) offers cliff-top views over Torbay before tunnelling past Agatha Christie's house at Greenway (National Trust) to descend alongside the Dart estuary to a seaside terminus at Kingswear.

EAST ANGLIA

The Eden Project and Fort William are among the places visited by trains from 18 East Anglian towns and cities, organised by Nenta Train Tours (01962 406152, www.nentatraintours.co.uk).

MIDLANDS AND SOUTHERN ENGLAND

Most Pathfinder Tours pick up from at least six stations, starting at such unlikely places as Luton and West Ruislip (01453 835414, www.toursatpathfinder.freeserve.co.uk).

NORTH-EAST

Western Scotland is the most common destination for tours from Newcastle, organised by North East Railtours (0191-252 3774, www.srps.org.uk).

NORTH-WEST

Green Express Railtours operate trains from dozens of towns and cities in North Wales and north-west England (01484 422920).

NORTH-WEST, MIDLANDS AND SOUTHERN ENGLAND

Premier dining is offered by Past-Time Rail on its excursions, which include six trains to the Eden Project (0871 871 4119, www.past-timerail.co.uk).

SOUTHERN ENGLAND

Daylight Railtours is operated by the Mid-Hants Railway, so all trains start at Alton and pick up en route, with a dining option (01962 733810, www.watercressline.co.uk).

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