Sample the atmosphere and take a ride on an award winning period country railway. A pretty line, almost a mile long, with relocated station buildings, signal boxes and bridges all lovingly restored and rebuilt. A large and varied collection of operational vintage steam and diesel engines, carriages and wagons that represent much of our Railway Heritage.
Country Railway
For our mainline train ride, you board one of our restored railway coaches at our station. The train takes you for about 1/2 a mile towards the village of Castle Hedingham, over and alongside the River Colne to a loop named Nunnery Junction, where the locomotive will run around the train - watch for it out of the window. The journey then resumes for a non stop run through our station and past our restoration areas, to a second loop named Drawell. After running around a second time (this time the locomotive will pass the train on the other side), you are returned back to our station. The total line length is just under 1 mile and there is only the one station complex.
Garden Railway
Visit our attraction for all ages. The Garden Railway is located adjacent to the Travelling Post Office. A few of our volunteers have developed a miniature railway in a Garden Environment. SM32 and G gauge trains run around 100 metres of track through a tunnel, stations and over bridges. Can you find Nessie? Fully functioning most weekends, weather permitting. Located on Platform 0.
7ΒΌ" Miniature Railway
Opened in 2008 this has now been relocated and extended with a new station, a turntable and 4 locomotives. It can be accessed from the far end of platform no.0 behind the station building on our "Halstead" platform1. The ride is 600 metres long and should operate, weather permitting, on all main railway open days. Please Note: This is a small train and we insist that all customers remain seated and do not lean out of the trains. This is for your and other customers safety. For further details click here
Exhibition Centre
An exhibition of artifacts and visual displays, see how our railway has developed over the years, and the previous Colne Valley & Halstead Railway's early history.
Signalbox
This working Signalbox is open for visitors on most operational days, but please be patient if the signaling staff are busy, or need to close to visitors for operational reasons.
Travelling Post Office
The Travelling Post Office is located on our new platform 0 (behind the exhibition centre), it now has level access (1 small step) for all our visitors.
The Tierney Model Railway Shed
Located behind the signal box, it houses a large 10m x 5m 00 gauge layout, donated to the railway by the Family of Mr John Tierney of Great Dunmow, shortly after his death in 2007. It was quickly dismantled and stored, whilst the location for the new building was agreed, planning permission sought and new foundations created. The Shed itself was rebuilt and extended to make room for public access during 2010.The Model Railway was formally opened on the 4th June 2010, and should open on most operating days for at least part of the day, however at present it will require a staff member present, so may need to close at short notice.
Sidings' Buffet Car
The 'Sidings' Buffet carriage is open every day the trains are running. A typical menu includes breakfasts, hot and cold light lunches, cream teas, freshly m
No Comments Yet - Why not be the first to leave a comment
Every effort is made to make sure that all the information is correct but we strongly recommend that you call Colne Valley Railway before you set off on your day out to confirm opening times and admission prices.
Please also note that the position on Google maps for Colne Valley Railway is a rough estimate using their postcode in the database and might be slightly out.
It may also be worth clicking the web link for Colne Valley Railway to see if there are any special events coming up or currently on.
Colne Valley Railway