As the summer heats up, MARK CHIVERS picks out some of the railway highlights to enjoy a day out and draw inspiration from all over Britain.
Where: Station Road, Quainton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire HP22 4BY
When: Steaming days: Sundays (April to October)/Wednesdays (late July/August)/Bank Holiday Mondays
Times: 10.30am-5pm
Prices: Adults £12.50, seniors £11.50, children £8.50, family from £24 (standard steam days – see website for special event prices)
Website: Buckinghamshire Railway Centre
Above: Step back in time at Quainton Road station near Aylesbury, the operating base of the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. Peter Wheeler/Alamy.
Features: With a rich railway heritage dating back to the 1860s, Quainton Road station near Aylesbury is home to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. This thriving heritage railway site boasts two substantial yards either side of the remaining stretch of Network Rail track that until recently carried regular freight trains.
Around 170 items of rolling stock or locomotives are housed at the site, while special demonstration trains operate within both yards on operating days. Amongst the locomotive roster is Metropolitan Railway 0-4-4T No. 1 dating from 1898 and GWR ‘Modified Hall’ 4-6-0 6989 Wightwick Hall.
Steaming events take place on Sundays from April to October and on Wednesdays through the school summer holidays, with special themed events planned marking the 60th anniversary of the Great Train Robbery in early August and a pre-1988 classic car event on August Bank Holiday Monday, while children’s events include Days out with Thomas, Peppa Pig and Paw Patrol themed entertainment. The centre also features the former Oxford Rewley Road station building, which is now the site’s headquarters and visitor centre.
