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Special Trains 2009
You can book tickets for all your train travel over the internet. Click the link to take you to a secure booking site.
If you prefer you can book by post for some of our services but you will need Adobe Acrobat to be able download a booking form. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat you can download it free of charge by following the link. 
Summer Holidays
We run trains on everyday throughout the school summer holidays from July 22nd to September 6th.
Days Out with Thomas
Come and visit the centre on the days when Thomas the Tank is there with all his friends including Sir Topham Hat. Thomas will be at the Centre on the following dates:-
March 7th and 8th
March 14th and 15th
May 23rd to 27th
August 5th to 9th
October 10th to 11th
December 27th to 31st
Days Out with Thomas - Special Tea Trains
There will be a special tea train hauled by Thomas on
March 14th
May 27th
August 8th
October 10th
December 30th
These trains must be booked in advance.
Footplate Experience Days
Passenger Trains with Steam Engines
April 24th
May 1st, 8th, 15th, 22nd
June 5th, 12th, 19th,
July 3rd, 10th, 17th,
September 18th, 25th
October 2nd, 9th, 16th
Passenger Trains with Diesel Engine
June 26th
For more details and a booking form follow the link below
Special Railway Experience Day
Booked Participants can not only experience a steam locomotive footplate ride but also the controls of a heritage diesel locomotive, a steam roller, and a very special behind the scenes tour. Booking is essential. Contact us for more details. This special day will be run on
September 11th
For more details and a booking form follow the link below
DMU Gala
A DMU Gala for all those who miss the local trains of the 60s and 70s.
March 28th and 29th
Diesel Galas
We run diesel galas which feature many resident and visiting diesel locomotives in an intensive timetable with a variety of locomotives pulling the trains. Diesel galas are planned for:-
April 25th and 26th
June 27th and 28th - English Electric Weekend
September 26th and 27th - Great Gable 50th Anniversary/Peak Locomotive Weekend
A revised timetable incorporating more trains than the normal 'C' timetable will run on each of these special Diesel weekends.
Goods Trains
We have a large variety of goods stock at the Centre and we use it occasionally on our normal running days to demonstrate the use of such stock as it used to be.
Vintage Trains
We have some vintage rolling stock which dates back well into the 19th century. We run this stock to demonstrate how it used to be to sit in some of the earliest railway carriages:-
May 2nd to 4th
August 21st to 23rd
There will also be a special Schools vintage train on May 6th and 7th.
1960s Weekend
The 1960s saw the last days of steam and the first days of diesels. Relive these times at this special weekend featuring the sights and sounds of the 60s.
May 9th to 10th.
1940s Weekend
A special weekend commerating the 65th Anninversary of D Day. Those with a Veteren's Badge will travel FREE.
June 6th to 7th.
Teddy Bears' Picnic
Join us with your Teddy Bear for this special weekend. Children who bring their own Teddy Bear (and an adult) will travel Free.
July 4th and 5th
Narrow Gauge Gala and Garden Railway Weekend
This special weekend for those who prefer their locomtives to be of an easier to carry size.
July 11th and 12th
Road Transport Rally
Swanwick site will be the scene of a gathering of all forms of road transport. Make sure that you do not miss this exciting event.
July 12th
IndieTracks Weekend
Trains and Music. Visit the Indietracks Web Site for more details
25th and 26th July
Anything Goes Weekend
Come and see the special events lined up for this weekend.
August 1st and 2nd
Visit of Paddington Bear
Paddington will be appearing at the Midland Railway Butterley this weekend which will include all of the Trust's normal activities as well as additional children's entertainment.
Paddington is now famous for both marmalade and marmite sandwiches! So over this weekend we will be staging a Sandwich celebration, with a full range of usual and not so usual sandwiches on offer.
August 15th and 16th
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Link to Official Paddington Web Site |
Anniversary Week
This week will feature a series of specially arranged exhibitions:
"The Midland Railway Centre - 40 years on" : A reflective look back over the years since the formation of the Midland Railway Project Group in 1969 and the developments that have occurred over the intervening years to the present day.
"Railways into Greenways" - an exhibition relating to former disused railways now re-developed for leisure purposes as walkways under the
Sustrans banner. Many featured will be local including the newly started "Great Northern Greenway" centered upon the former Derby Friargate to Nottingham Victoria line closed in 1964.
"History of Derby Signalling" depicting the 40 years since the introduction of power signalling in the Derby / Trent / Saltley areas in 1969 and the future major East Midlands Signalling scheme.
August 24th to 28th
Works Open Day
A special gala weekend re-creating the Works Open Days that were popular in the 1950s. We will be repeating our very successul
"Works Open Day" event over the period 29th-31st August 2009. The format will be similar to that in 2008 with a wide range of steam and diesel traction operating to an intensive timetable.
There is a joint promotion with the Inland Waterways Association who are holding their National Festival and Boat Show at Redhill
Marina at Ratcliffe on Soar with discounted entry to both events.
For more details and a booking form follow the link below
August 29th to 31st
Doctor Who Convention
This unofficial one day convention is organized by The Whoovers Doctor Who Group in conjunction with The Midland Railway. It is a must for followers of the nation's favourite Time Lord and brings to Derbyshire guests from both the new and classic series.
Guests so-far confirmed include Colin Baker, the Sixth Doctor; Anneke Wills who played Polly, companion to both the First and Second Doctors; Nick Briggs, famous as the voice of the Daleks, Cybermen and countless other creatures in the new series; and Cheryl Hall, who appeared in Doctor Who opposite Jon Pertwee's Third Doctor.
You will have the chance to meet guests and get autographs as well as to attend interview panels and ask questions.
With the opportunity to travel out to Midland Railway's famous museum too, it will be a wonderful day for Doctor Who fans of all ages, but be careful, there may be monsters about!
Special fares apply this day. Adults £30, children over 5 £10.
September 6th
1940s Indian Summer Weekend
Relive those lovely Indian summers that we used to enjoy in the 40s.
October 3rd and 4th.
Wizards & Spooks Week
Half Term Ghostly trains for Halloween.
October 24th to 27th and November 1st.
Halloween Fright Night
Travel by special steam train starting at 5.30pm to the Ghostly station.
Dare you ride the Spooky train through the haunted Country Park?
Visit the site's many other attractions and see them in a new light!
Enter the Trick or Treat Trail.
Have a drink and recover in the Real Ale bar serving a range of potions.
Or treat yourself from our Vampire menu.
Adults £9.00 including narrow gauge spooky rides.
Children FREE
October 31st
Fireworks Evening
We have a special fireworks evening on Saturday 7th November. A shuttle train will run between 5.30 p.m. to 7.15 p.m. from Butterley to Swanwick where you can get a grandstand view of our magnificent firework display.
A return service will be available after the end of the display.
The GVLR narrow gauge (extra charge) will run trains at Swanwick.
Other attractions at Swanwick will be open
The cost will be £9.00 for adults with children FREE
November 7th
Santa Specials
During the Christmas period we run Santa Specials for all the family. Santa's grotto is on the train and the children will meet Santa during the train ride. There is a quality gift for every child. Every adult will receive a mince pie and a miniature bottle of spirits. The Pinxton puppets put on a show in a heated marquee.
Festive Thomas Trains
After Christmas we run our Festive Thomas Trains from 27th December to 31st December. Each adult will receive a bottle of beer or wine and each child will receive a free present.
There will be special trips along the newly opened Swanwick Branch with "Daisy".
Trains will run at 11.00, 12.30 and 1.55 on each day with a special tea train at 4.00 on Wednesday 30th.
The usual Festive Trains (without Thomas) will run from 1st to 3rd January 2009.
Winter Warmer Trains
Winter Warmer trains are run at weekends during January and February.
Other Special Weekends
During the summer we have other themed days and weekends. Examples are:-
Mothering Sunday Lunch on 22nd March
St George's Day Celebration on April 23rd
Disabled Weekend - Free for registered disabled, half price for helper on June 13th and 14th. (Supported by Ripley Rotary).
Fathers' Day on June 21st
Half price for the over 60s Week from 27th to 31st July
Anniversary Week from 24th to 28th August
Lunch on the Train
Our Mid-day Midlander Sunday Lunch Services will run on January 18th, February 15th, March 1st, March 22nd (Mothering Sunday), April 19th, May 17th, June 21st (Fathers' Day), July19th, September 20th, October 18th and November 15th.
For more details and a booking form follow the link below
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