25NC-class #3405. A loco so big that social events have been held in its firebox. Not while it's in steam, obviously. Barbecues are very nice, but...

There's plenty for children to do in the train-themed visitors' centre as well as along the line

The Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton doesn't have a huge amount of track, but it has an awful lot of everything else. It almost certainly has one of the largest collections of engines and rolling stock in the UK. That's fine for adult train buffs, but what about the little folk? Well, apart from the trains themselves, there's an enormous sit-on model railway that runs through the countryside (with its own station), a very large G-guage model railway, and other models and toys going right down to Brio in scale. You can wander round the sheds and displays, climb on some of the engines, and generally run around and let off, er... steam.

Although the centre is open most days in the summer, they only run the steamers on Wednesdays and Sundays even in the most busy part of the year, so make sure you check before you travel. Particularly good for children are the special event days, which include regular visits from our pal Thomas. They usually have other children's attractions, like bouncy castles, rides, magic shows, and the like, as well.

The Bucks Railway Centre is a large, well-funded operation (although you wouldn't believe it if you read the plaintive requests for support on its Web site), and consequently has excellent, professionally-run facilities. The visitors' centre alone cost over three million pounds to refurbish. Ironically, this plenitude does contribute to a certain professional distance between the staff and the visiting public, which is very much not the case with most of the shoestring operations. It isn't too intrusive, however, and it won't stop you or your kiddies having a good time if they like trains.

No steam during our visit owing to heatwave (!); instead we got this interesting Clayton diesel, about 40 years old and the only surviving example of its type

Children go free on `teddy bear days'. But in fact travelling on heritage railways is rarely expensive anyway -- cheaper than the privatized railways, anyway

The Chinnor & Princes Risborough operates out of Chinnor Station, a picturesque branch-line station just outside Oxford. Chinnor is a real station on a real (now closed) branch line, and accomodates real trains. We would have liked to see some steam activity, but unfortunately the day we visited was in the middle of the only proper heatwave that the UK has experienced in about 30 years. As a result, steam services were deemed to present a fire hazard, so we had to make do with diesel.
      The Chinnor line is about 3.5 miles long, and the return trip takes about 40 minutes at a leisurely pace. The view from the carriage window is largely of archetypal Oxfordshire countryside - dead flat farmland. It's pleasant, but not as invigourating as railways in the West and North of England.
      The CPRR has occasional Thomas the Tank Engine Events (generally two a year), distuinguished by the fact that Thomas himself pulls every train for the whole event. This quite unusual; most Thomas events are so busy that poor old Thomas can't cope with every train, or cope single-handedly with the vast passenger loads. At the Forest of Dean Railway's Thomas event this August, for example, some of the trains appeared to have about ten full-sized, fully loaded coaches. This is an awful lot for a small engine to manage, and Thomas had to be helped out by another engine on the other end of the train. The CPRR Thomas events are far less strenuous affair. The railway also runs other childrens' events occasionally.
      The CPRR's main claim to fame is its nostalgic authenticity, and it certainly excels in this respect. Chinnor station recently received a prestigious heritage award for the quality of its reconstruction. This, of course, is fine for train nerds, but less important for children.

This is Denzil (the loco, that is). I understand that the fellow in the cab built Denzil from scratch with his bare hands. He and his family also built the line and the buildings. Respect.

We took to the Exmoor Railway immediately. It was a typical Devon Autum day: raining stair-rods and bitterly cold. When we walked into the station building, we found an open-hearth fire that could roast an ox. While Denzil steamed gently at the platform, we all steamed gently in front of the fire. Magic. What makes the Exmoor railway all the more remarkable, in addition to the fact that it's in Exmoor - one of the nicest areas in the country - is that the whole thing is the handiwork of one family. They built the engines, the line, the buildings, the children's playground, the sit-on model trains, and just about everything else. What's more, they built the 15" gauge loco Spirit of Adventure, currently pottering about on the Perrygrove Railway. Now, if you don't get respect for that, I just can't imagine what you'd have to do.

None of this stopped us getting soaked, of course, but in the periods that were just too inclement to venture outdoors there was a big bouncy castle to keep the little ones entertained. And lashings of ginger beer. The trampolines would probably have been fun too, but they'd accumulated so much rainwater that they were shaped like one of those models of Einstein's general relativity - you know, the ones where you put ball bearings on a rubber sheet.

All in all, heartily recommended for children of all ages.

[Update Jan/06: Unfortunately, it now seems that the Railway has closed to the public indefinitely, so the proprietors can concentrate on building locomotives for other sites. But, if you're in the area, you could always try the Lynton and Barnstaple railway, just down the road]

Businesslike operations at Tan-y-Bwlch, the middle station of the Ffestiniog route

The Ffestiniog is a large, businesslike railway in the highly-competitive region of Snowdonia, North Wales. It runs between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Porthmadoc, which is also home to the Welsh Highland Railway; and the Llanberis Lake railway and Snowdon Mountain railway are only a short drive away. The Ffestiniog distinguishes itself from the competition by the scale of its operations -- at peak times there are eight or more full return services a day over its 26-mile run, often pulling six or more full coaches. Each of the main stations has shops, places to eat, playgrounds, historic exhibits, etc.; and the whole thing seems to run like clockwork. In the peak of the holiday season the main station at Porthmadoc gets extremely crowded -- and parking a car is a nightmare -- but the smaller stations are still pleasantly quiet.
      The full run from Porthmadog to Blaenau takes nearly an hour and a half and, although the scenery is captivating, this might be a bit much for small children. We got off at the half-way point, Tan-y-Bwlch, and spent an hour exploring the woods and lake nearby. It's about a ten-minute walk from the station to the lake, where there's a picnic area which is very scenic. In Tan-y-Bwlch station itself, there is a large wooden train for the kiddies to climb on, and a huge wooden xylophone which is played with hammers, as well as the more usual things you find in heritage railway stations.
      Although the Ffestiniog Railway has been known to run Thomas the Tank Engine events, they are very infrequent. In fact, the railway does not seem to be overly keen on attracting children, and the proportion of under-fives seemed to be somewhat lower than I've seen on any other steam railway. For many visitors, of course, this will be construed as an advantage. In any event, there's plenty to occupy children on and around the railway, and ours certainly seemed to have a nice time.

Pannier-tank engine #9642 (ex GWR?) at Lydney, Forest of Dean

Thomas the Tank Engine events at the Forest of Dean are always very well attended. Bring your earplugs and valium...

Southern Railways' `Terrier'-class #W11 `Newport' pulling away on the Isle of Wight line

Whose idea was this? Whatever next!

There are occasional Thomas events, but this doesn't seem to be the focus of operations as it is with some railways. The line attracts a lot of visitors, and there are steam services most days during the summer months.

There are reasonably good facilities for children, and one of the stations has a playground that sports an intriguing loco-shaped climbing frame. However, the railway has a professional, somewhat impersonal air, and won't necessarily suit children who like to get their hands on the sticky-out things.

Now there's a thing you don't see every day: this is `Hawk', a Kitson Meyer articulated 0-4+4-0 loco. Yes, that's right, it bends in the middle. Well, its wheel bogies do, anyway

Trains bring out the best in children!

Childrens' attractions include a huge sit-on model railway, and an even huger shop-full of Thomas gubbins to sneak into their pockets while parents are absorbed elsewhere. There are regular Thomas events, and other children's events.

Thomas Bach -- `Little Thomas' -- limbers up for a scenic jaunt around the lake

The Llanberis Lake Railway is one of an incredible nine heritage railways in North Wales -- not entirely surprising given the concentration of quarrying and mining in the area. It's also one of the two railways which starts from the high street of the tiny village of Llanberis: the other is the Snowdon Mountain Railway (see below).
      The Lake Railway has two locos with a passing resemblance to the famous inhabitants of the Island of Sodor: a `Thomas' and a `Duncan'. It is reasonably priced, and well run by friendly and helpful staff. The route is about two miles long, between the very edge of the Llanberis Lake on the one side, and the woods and hills on the other. In summer, the village itself is frenetically busy -- by Welsh standards -- but it's all tranquility once you get a few minutes into the route. It's almost an idyllic setting, even when it's raining -- and it rains every second day right through the year on average.
      It isn't possible to disembark at the station at the end of the line, unfortunately, but it is possible at the two intermediate stations. At one of these stations is a fair-sized children's playground, with a visitor's centre and café. At the other is the incredible Welsh Slate Museum, to which entry is free. The museum has many exhibits of Victorian industrial artefacts, some powered by an absolutely enormous water wheel (the largest, apparently, in Britain). There's an good-sized playground there as well, along with a shop well-stocked with the usual parephenalia of the stream railway.
      Combined with the other attractions of the region, a visit to the Lake Railway has to be a necessity for any family with even a passing interest in railways.

Hunslet narrow-guage quarry loco `Alice', at the Leighton Buzzard railway after a hundred years of slate mining duties at Llanberis. Background betrays new urban setting

``What happens if I turn this one?''
``DON'T TURN THAT ONE!''

The only problem - which is inevitable given the proximity to London - is the urban nature of the line itself. It's a reasonable run - about 3 miles - but a lot of it runs between the backs of terraced houses and through car parks. There's a couple of fascinating stops to let the guard get out and stop the cars while the train runs over an unguarded level crossing. Actually this isn't so bad; there's plenty to make up for it, and steaming through peoples' back gardens is an event by itself.

The railway is really only busy in August, when there are services most days; but there are Sunday runnings most weeks from March until October.

Thomas events are rare, but they do run frequent children's events, and the staff distribute `things to look for' activity sheets to children when they embark. The railway also runs what it disarmingly describes as `anorak days'. For example, last year we attended - don't laugh, this is really true - a display of heritage earth moving equipment. No, seriously, it was fascinating. If you haven't seen a 1940s steam digger at work you haven't lived. There's a small cafeteria and some picnic tables, but on sunny days it's much nicer to sit on the grassy knoll next to the line at Pages Park station.

Bronllwyd, despite being 70 years old, gleams in the July sunshine like a brand-new engine. Even the Fat Controller would have to approve

The gauge of the railway was, and is, 23.5 inches. This is a rather narrow gauge for a passenger operation, but was necessary to allow the railway to follow the contours of the (rather hilly) land, thereby avoiding extensive tunnelling and bridging, and reducing the cost of construction. Despite this cost-saving measure, the Lynton and Barnstable was never a financial success, even in the late 19th century. I imagine that it is now only the current interest in railway preservation, and public generosity, that makes it possible to maintain a viable passenger railway this rather inaccessible location.

Of course, the location has its advantages. Woody Bay is an idyllic place, in an area of rolling hills well inside the Exmoor national park. Although the Railway publicity states that Woody Bay station is in Parracombe, in fact it's a few miles further West, between Parracombe and Lynton. If you're travelling by car -- and you'll almost certainly have to -- make sure your brakes are in good order: there are some very steep hills around here.

The Railway has a number of steam locos, but they only operate them on selected days, so you might want to check before you travel if this is important to you.

To be honest, although the Lynton and Barnstable Railway is a pleasant day out for railway buffs, there is relatively little at Woody Bay to attract small children, unless they are train enthusiasts.

My children think this diesel railcar looks like `Daisy' in the Thomas books.

Plenty to do if you like trains...

Quite so.

Mangapps is a very nice site in what I can only describe as the middle of nowhere. Although it's only about a 45 minute drive from the M25, at least half of that drive is on roads as tortuous and unpredictable as any you might find in Devon or Cornwall. However, proximity to London means that London-style driving adds an extra terror to the journey. After a while you get used to rounding a blind bend to find another car in your lane, hurtling towards you with all four wheels locked and the driver's eyes shut. If you do manage to arrive in one piece, then after trembling quietly for fifteen minutes or so, you'll discover that Mangapps is an anorak's paradise. It boasts, for example, the largest display of railway signalling equipment in Britain. The boast is, no doubt, justified; people who collect railway signalling equipment certainly know where all the other railway signalling equipment is, probably down to the last left-handed thrunglebolt.

The location of the site means that you have to really want to go there, to go there. It's actually in Burnham-on-Crouch, in Essex, which is near some other place you won't have heard off, which is near, er..., nowhere (it's amazing that this close to London there are places with names like `Paglesham Churchend'). What this means is that the place is really quiet. If you want to have a leisurely, uninterrupted stroll around, looking and trains (and, of course, signalling equipment) it's ideal. Mangapps is only open weekends and public holidays, even in the summer. We visited in the very height of summer, on a cloudless day with the temperature in the 30's, and there was still probably fewer than two dozen visitors. No doubt it's busier on special events, but if you want to go to a Thomas the Tank Engine event where you don't have to play sardines, Mangapps is probably the place to go. They have about four such events a year.

Mangapps has a good collection of engines, both steam and diesel, all in a good state of repair. They only run the steamers on public holidays and occasional Sundays, so check before you travel if nothing else fills your bucket. The line itself is standard gauge and very short -- about three quarters of a mile -- so the end-to-end return journey only takes about fifteen minutes. There is a small station at the far end of the line, so you can alight and have a look around, or walk back. I understand that the owners are extending the line, but I don't know when this will be done.

Despite its olde-worlde appearance, Mangapps is not an original railway station, nor is the line that it serves original. The facility is purpose-built, and all the buildings and equipment have been salvaged from other places. This is not a criticism; on the contrary, the owners have very skillfully integrated a large number of railway structures into a unified theme. The museum area houses a huge collection of railway gubbins, apart from the aforementioned signalling equipment.

So, what does this all mean? Well, if you're interested in railway history and technology, there's certainly plenty to keep your interest. If you just want to ride on old trains, you can do that all day for a few quid. And it's very relaxing, as railways go. Some heritage railways pride themselves on having people dashing about shouting at each other all day, but the pace is rather more pedestrian here. In some ways it would be better if the line were longer, as even small children soon realize that they aren't actually going anywhere. There isn't as much to keep children occupied here as there are at some places, but mine seemed to have a nice day.

What? No loco? Launceston is a very busy railway: the engines don't hang around long enough to photograph...

The locomotives are all Hunslets (see the picture of Alice above for an example), and the passenger wagons are purpose-built in the appropriate period style. Some are open-sided, which is nice on a hot day.

For the serious anoraks, a 15-minute drive takes you to Dingles Steam Villiage in Milford Lifton. This is essentially a huge barn full of traction engines and machinery, much of it running. There's some fascinating stuff here, including a steam-powered rock crusher and (seriously) a steam-powered potato peeler. What will they think of next?

This is Dora, Avonside Engine Co. #1973. Dora is standing in for Thomas during his (gulp) £75,000 refurbishment

A child-sized train, complete with signal box and signals

The Nene Valley Railway is near Peterborough, a few minutes' drive off the A1, and reasonably accessible from London, if the traffic is on your side. A particular attraction for children is that the Railway has its own Thomas, very much like the real thing. Sadly, Thomas is currently undergoing a major refurbishment, at a cost of about £75,000, and probably won't be running again this season. The Railway also has its own versions of Percy and Toby, and a couple of dozen other locos, many of which are viewable. In the absence of Thomas, the Railway is operating Dora, an 0-4-0ST with a close enough resemblance to the real thing to fool my children.

The Railway operates a standard-guage line from Wansford to Peterborough, a distance of about 8 miles. The leisurely return journey takes about one and a half hours, and is reasonably scenic. The carriages are full-sized and in good repair. Many are of the `corridor' type that were very popular in my youth and which, sadly, are now too expensive to operate.

At the Wansford site is a new childrens' playground with a railway theme: it includes a child-sized train and signal box. There's also the usual shop and cafeteria, well stocked with Thomas stuff. Wansford also has a model railway display and a bookshop.

All in all, the Nene Valley has plenty to offer Thomas fans, and is tidy, well-run, and busy. The anorak factor is not as high as on some of the smaller sites, but there's still plenty to interest enthusiasts.

A couple of industrial diesels, c. 1940, at the North Devon Railway Centre

There's model trains as well...

...in a whole range of different sizes.

The North Devon Railway Centre near Tiverton is another small, family-run operation. The compact site manages to accomodate a surprisingly long narrow-guage line, by virtue of twisting and turning. The locos are mostly small industrial diesels built between 1930 and 1950, with rolling stock to match, but there are occasional visits from steam locos. Although the little site shop does sell Thomas stuff, the North Devon Railway doesn't run specific Thomas events. However, there's plenty to keep children occupied. Ours were particularly fascinated by the interactive model railways; they would cheerfully have spent the whole day prodding the buttons and switches to see what happened. Also on the site are sit-on model railways, including a small `Toby' that children can drive themselves.

The entire site, although it was at one time a railway station, was used by the local authority as a dumping ground for decades before it was bought by its present owners. Everywhere you look you can see what a Hurculean task it must have been to restore it to its current condition. It's also evident that there's a lot more work to do. The station building is now partially restored, and houses a small snack bar, but on the original fireplace - still boarded up - is a sticker saying `Restore fireplace, job #672'. It's all very different from the multi-million pound redevelopment of Quainton, for example, but no worse for all that.

Warrington, originally built for the War Department in 1944, has seen active service on a number of heritage railways over the last 40 years

The Peak Rail line runs in an emerald-green valley in the far south of the Peak District between Matlock and Rowsely. In Britain, greenness like this can mean only one thing -- rain, and in quantity. It was characteristically raining when we visited. Despite the rain, the railway's surroundings are extremely pleasant; no doubt they would be outstandingly pleasant if you had the good fortune to visit on one of the rare dry days. Peak Rail is very much an enthusiasts' railway: businesslike with an air of seriousness. The trains run on time, and stop where they are supposed to, for as long as the timetable says. To be honest, it probably isn't a place to go if you aren't interested in trains. Of course, if you aren't interested in trains, or at least acquainted with someone who is, you probably wouldn't be reading this. All the same, there are railways which cater better for general children's entertainment than this one. There are relatively few children's events, although Santa does put in a seasonal appearance.
      The Peak Rail stations and trains recreate fairly authentically a branch line of the 1960s. The carriages are typical British Rail construction, of the type I remember from my childhood as, no doubt, will many other people. Of course, I hated sitting on those scratchy BR seats when I was in short trousers, but 1960s BR coaches now seem opulent beyond the dreams of Kubla Khan. Anyone travelled on a Virgin inter-city service lately?
      In future the Peak Rail station at Rowsely is likely to become even more of a magnet for railway enthusiasts than it currently is. In addition to the standard-gauge railway, a long narrow gauge line is also under construction. This is intended to be about a half mile in length, and a number of 1950 industrial locos are already lined up and waiting to run.

`Dickie' is a 7.25"-gauge quarter-sized model of an 0-4-2 Douglas tender engine

Pecorama isn't really a heritage railway -- it's a train-themed children's playground and ornamental garden. There's also a permanent, large model railway exhibition, most of which is indoors -- useful if it rains. As it happens, we didn't need to worry about rain when we visited: it was gloriously sunny, and the view from Pecorama to the sea down (a long way down) below was simply breathtaking.
      Pecorama is located on the aptly-named Beer Heights, near Seaton, on the South Devon coast. The whole site is on a steep hill, and this allows for a very clever use of space by the 7.25" light railway. The railway loops around itself, up and down the slopes, and runs for about a mile in what is, after all, a relatively small site. The line includes a long dark tunnel, bridges, cuttings and embankments, and a number of stations -- a complete railway in miniature. Passengers sit in two-seater coaches, of which the locos seem to be able to pull about twenty at a time.

Along with the railway, and set in the ornamental gardens, are a number of play areas, to suit children of different sizes. There are climbing frames, zip slides, mazes, castles -- all the usual stuff. Children's events run all day in the summer -- there are clowns, face-paintings, plays, and storytelling. When we were there, Christover Awdry was reading Thomas the Tank Engine stories written by himself and his father to a packed audience of toddlers. My children wanted to listen too, despite being way too old for that kind of thing. The gardens and play areas are elegantly designed and immaculately maintained.

What I found particularly impressive about Pecorama was that, although it is an arm of the Peco railway modelling company and is, in fact, right next to the company's business headquarters, there is absolutely no advertising or endorsement of Peco products anywhere on the site. There is a small shop near the entrace which does sell Peco stuff, but it isn't all that it sells. In a world where entertainment is increasingly dominated by cycnical product placement, I find this most reassuring.
      Pecorama is justly popular with families, and its very popularity could be a problem. We visited in the summer, but before the local schools finished for the summer break, and it was already quite busy. I believe that on very busy days they shorten the train run, to accomodate a larger passenger volume.
      Pecorama is great fun for small (and even not-so-small) children, it's in an incredible setting, and it's modestly priced. What more could a parent ask? OK, so it's a tourist attraction first and a heritage railway second (if at all), but it's not like Disneyworldland in any form, which is just fine by me.

Spirit of Adventure: like the railway itself, the loco was built from scratch about ten years ago.

The Perrygrove Railway is in the Forest of Dean, but although it's only about a half hour's drive from the standard-gauge Dean Forest Railway, it's light years away in all but the geographical sense. Although it isn't a `miniature' railway in the traditional sense (crew and passengers get inside the train, rather than sitting on top of it), the Perrygrove is probably one of the most compact railways open to the public. Although there are mine workings on the site, the railway itself has nothing to do with mining. In fact, it was custom-built to fit the site. The track is 15" gauage, about three quarters of a mile of which is crammed into a site of a few acres. However, the track is so skillfully laid out, with dense foliage and trees between the adjacent track sections, that it gives the impression of a much bigger site. This illusion is reinforced by the fact that there are a number of small stations on the line; although the stations are only a few yards apart in some places, the way the track folds back on itself provides a significant run between each station.
      The main station has a covered waiting area, and a shed in which can often be found interesting engines and coaches. There's also a large cafeteria and picnic areas.
      Perrygrove does not run specific Thomas the Tank Engine events, as far as I know, but it caters well for small children. There is, for example, a bizarre but fascinating indoor play area. This consists mostly of small cell-like rooms connected by a network of tunnels and stairs. It sounds mad, but it really works, at least for the under-fives. There's also a good selection of toy trains and track laying around.
      Like most small railways which are run by enthusiasts, Perrygrove charges a pittance, and the admission price lets you ride all day.

Despite it's 1930s styling, this tram started life as a single-decker in Eastbourne in the 60s, and was later converted to an open-top design

I wonder about my sanity, sometimes. No, really. Although, to be fair, my family probably wonders about it all the time. But when other families were whooping it up in Disneyworldland, or soaking up the rays on some sun-drenched Spanish beach, here we were, on a rickety old tram, in a hailstorm. Rattling along from some place I'd never heard of, to some other place I'd never heard of, huddled in our anoraks, I had to wonder whether I'd finally lost my few remaining marbles. Are we having fun yet?
      But my children (bless 'em) have an unfailing ability to have fun even in the most inauspicious environment, and by now they're well used to my odd idea of what constitutes a nice day out. And, if nothing else, they come away with another tale of Mad Dad with which to regale their friends at school.
      Eventually the sun did put in an appearance, and it was all quite agreeable, really.

Seaside trams were a major tourist attraction at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century. By the 1930s many popular English seaside resorts had them. But they never had any particular value as a means of transport and, as trams were introduced for public transport in city centres, seaside trams eventually came to be seen as reminders of the kind of thing people came on holiday to get away from.
      To the best of my knowledge, only Blackpool still has its original seaside tramway in operation. Nearly all the others were ripped up in the 1960s, if they were still running by that time. Seaside trams were not a part of my childhood, not because I'm too young (hah!), but because we didn't go to places that had them. But no doubt there are plenty of folk my age and older who do have fond memories of trams -- probably associated with four-seater bicycles and donkey rides -- and there is now a significant movement towards restoring and preserving them.

The Seaton Tramway is a 3-mile electrified tram route, running from Seaton on the South Devon coast, along the river Axe to Colyton. It was never a traditional seaside tramway -- the whole thing was built by an enthusiast in the 1960s, with equipment and stock transplanted from Eastbourne, which was closing down. The trams run on a disused railway branch line, but the electric catenary was installed specifically to support tram operation -- the line was originally battery powered.

Seaton and Colyton are both unremarkable but pleasant towns, and the scenery along the way is quite striking, at least when the sun comes out. You get a good view from the top deck of an open-topped tram, but getting to the top deck can be a challenge if you have broad shoulders or wide hips.

To be fair, there's not a huge amount to attract small children on or around the tram. There's the beach at Seaton, of course, although it's rather pebbly, and I can attest to the fact that the sea is jolly cold, even in July. Children's events are put on in Colyford in the school holiday period, and there are Halloween and Santa events on the tramway itself. So far as I can tell, the tram works (sheds, workshops, etc) are not open to the public, so you don't really get much of a feel that this is a heritage restoration project. Still, there are plenty of worse ways to spend the day than pottering around in trams.

Can there be a more dramatic setting for a railway anywhere in the world?

The Snowdon Mountain Railway starts in the high street of the village of Llanberis -- just over the road from the Lake Railway -- and climbs over 3,500 feet in about four miles to the summit of Mount Snowdon. The scenery is absolutely staggering: lakes, mist-shrouded rocky mountains, and sheep-dotted hillsides all the way. It's hard to imagine a more dramatic location for a railway.
      Unfortunately, I can't really comment on the railway itself, because we felt it was just too expensive. It would have cost a staggering £68 for the four of us -- for that price I'd want something that I could take home and get years of service from. I'm not suggesting for a moment that the price is unreasonable; after all, it must cost a fortune to maintain a railway that runs up the side of a mountain in the most inhospitable conditions that Britain has to offer. Moreover, I'm told that it takes nearly a half-ton of coal per run to power the steam service, which takes an hour each way, not including stopovers. All the same, we felt that we could think of better ways to spend such a large sum. In the interests of fairness, I should point out that substantial discounts are frequently available for the less-popular services if you book in advance, which we did not have the opportunity to do. The photograph opposite was taken from the Llanberis Path -- a well-surfaced walking trail that takes much the same route up the mountain as the railway, and is perfectly manageable by reasonably fit children with stout footwear.

Eastleigh `Canadian Pacific' #35005 working hard on the Watercress Line. The nostalia is only spoiled by the occasional Intercity hurtling past on the opposite platform

The Watercress Line is about ten miles long, and runs between Alton and Alresford in rural Hampshire. It's readily accessible for a day out from most parts of London. If you watch television at all, you may well have seen Alresford station: it crops up in a lot of TV programmes set in the 1940s. The station is in its original state, which means, of course, gas lighting rather than electricity. Like the West Somerset Railway, the Watercress prides itself on period authenticity, and there are signal boxes, footbridges, and ticket offices in original condition. This, of course, is less likely to be interesting to children than to adult train buffs. For children, there are regular Thomas events, sometimes lasting for a whole week. In fact, the Watercress has its own Thomas and members of the supporting cast. These events are very well attended (for which, read `crowded') and there's usually plenty of other children's entertainment on offer as well. Outside of these events, I wouldn't necessarily recommend the Watercress Line for small children; it's a bit serious and there isn't a huge amount for them to do.

The station at Alton is shared with the main line, which does mean that you will see 1950s steamers and modern express trains sitting side by side, which is disconcerting. Away from Alton, however, it's all very charming and rural.

The Watercress Line is unusual in that it generally runs at least a few services even in the dead of winter (that's real snow in the photo). Most heritage railways don't really start operating properly until April, but the Watercress runs on some weekends even in January and February.

The West Somerset: a real railway, and about as close as you can get to time travel

Eh?

The West Somerset is a `real' railway. It runs standard-guage passenger services that actually go somewhere, and at a fair clip, too. The overall run from Minehead to Bishops Lydeard takes about an hour, and it's all rural. All the stations on the route have been carefully restored, and many house interesting museum displays. If you overlook the vast car park at minehead - big enough alone to accomodate some of the steam railways we've visited - then traveling on the West Somerset is probably as close to reliving the golden days of steam as you can get. It's authentic right down to the original ticket dispensers.

The West Somerset does run occasional Thomas events but - and I say this with some trepidation - apart from these it would perhaps not be my first choice for a day out with children. The railway's main claim to fame - its nostalgic authenticity - makes little impression on children and, to be honest, there isn't a huge amount for them to do. Unlike the smaller railways, you don't really get to see the locos up close, and the overall atmosphere is a bit serious. Great for anoraks, of course.