SEE HOW THE TRAIN TOOK THE STRAIN AT GREAT CENTRAL RAILWAYS’ GALA WEEKEND

  • Great Central Railway’s Gala Weekend takes place 19-20 August.
  • Kids travel for a £1 with each adult ticket this summer.

Experience the rattle of milk churns and the chatter of busy porters, plus cranes and trains will chugging back to life at the Great Central Railway on 19-20 August at the “Railways At Work” Gala Weekend.

Visitors will have the chance to experience the sights, sounds and atmosphere of a busy railway station in 1960s Britain with dozens of railway re-enactors, vintage trains and vehicles to help recreate the scene at the station which this year celebrates its 50th anniversary of trains returning to its historic tracks.

What’s more, the Leicestershire visitor attraction, which welcomes more than 100,000 visitors every year, is offering its popular ‘Kids for a Quid’ offer all weekend which sees up to 3 children travel for just £1 each with each adult ticket purchased.

Simon Bracewell, Head of Marketing & Communications of the Great Central Railway said: “This is one of our most exciting weekends of the year. Before lorries prowled motorways, freight trains criss-crossed the country loading and unloading wagons, parcels and goods at every small country station. We’ve got an impressive fleet of award-winning wagons which moved everything you can imagine. Also on display will be more unusual vehicles like rail mounted cranes which we’ll set to work lifting heavy loads.

During Railways At Work, uniformed porters galore will be busy making sure the right goods get to the right destinations so you can experience ‘special deliveries’ 1960s style, long before anyone had heard of a warehouse sized fulfilment centre! Quorn and Woodhouse station will probably be busier than it ever has been, so come and watch the show unfold.”

Several steam and diesel locomotives will be in action over the weekend hauling the freight trains and the Great Central’s regular service of heritage passenger trains too.

Full timetable details and fares can be found at https://www.gcrailway.co.uk/special-events/railways-at-work-gala/