One of South Leeds treasures, Middleton Railway, will start running trains again on Saturday 2nd April. To mark this our header photo for April shows the locos on display at the Middleton Railway Trust in Hunslet. Guest blogger Fraser Croft gives us more details.
The Middleton Railway was established by Act of Parliament in 1758 and besides the many other claims it holds, is able to say it is the oldest continuously working railway in the world. The Railway is kept alive today by volunteers, who run the shop, operate the trains, restore the locos and generally keep the place going! The Railway houses a number of preserved steam and diesel locomotives, many of which have been restored and are used to operate the passenger services between our Moor Road and Park Halt stations.
The railway operates a diesel service each Saturday from 13:00 and a steam service each Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday from 11:00. A round trip takes approximately 25 minutes and tickets are valid all day. After a ride on the train, visitors can explore the museum which houses a number of steam and diesel locomotives from Leeds and other countries around the world. There’s also plenty for children to see and do including audio-visual displays and access to locomotive driving cabs. The Railway will re-open this weekend on Saturday 2nd April 2011 at 13:00.
For more information about ticket prices and special events which take place throughout the year go to http://www.middletonrailway.org.uk or call 0845 680 1758 (9am – 7pm).
