Colne Valley Railway
Heritage steam and diesel railway in Essex with train rides, a museum about the Colne Valley line, a signal box, a post office sorting train and a model railway.
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Over het museum
Colne Valley Railway is a volunteer-run heritage railway on the site of part of the former Colne Valley and Halstead Railway, near Castle Hedingham in north Essex. The original company's early history is told in the railway's own museum, and the line today runs for just under a mile between two loops named Nunnery Junction and Drawell, with a single station complex.
The site has been rebuilt with relocated station buildings, signal boxes and bridges that have been restored. A new entrance, car park and combined reception and gift shop building were completed in 2019, and the level crossing was later upgraded to make it easier for visitors with limited mobility and for pushchairs.
The railway keeps a large collection of vintage steam and diesel locomotives, carriages and wagons. Besides train rides, visitors can see the Brewster Centre Museum on platform 1, which explains how the railway changed the communities of the upper Colne Valley and has a library and archive that can be consulted by arrangement. Other attractions include a working signal box, a travelling post office sorting train, the Tierney Model Railway, a 7 1/4 inch gauge miniature railway and a recreated Plotlands railway-carriage cottage.
Hoogtepunten
- Heritage train ride along a line of just under a mile
- Collection of vintage steam and diesel locomotives, carriages and wagons
- Brewster Centre Museum on the history of the Colne Valley line
- Working signal box and travelling post office sorting train
- Tierney Model Railway and miniature railway
- Plotlands railway-carriage cottage
Vaste collectie
- Brewster Centre Museum – A museum on platform 1 about the Colne Valley and Halstead Railway and the communities it served, with artefacts, cameo scenes and displays.
- Travelling Post Office – A railway post office sorting carriage where visitors can try sorting letters as travelling postmen once did.
- Plotlands Cottage – A recreated cottage in a railway carriage body, showing how a young family lived on a plotland during the Second World War.
- Beheerder
- Colne Valley Railway Preservation Society
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Season ticket, adult | £ 36Valid for 12 months. |
|---|---|
| Season ticket, concession (65+) | £ 28 |
| Season ticket, child (3 to 15) | £ 18 |
| Season ticket, family (2 adults and 3 children) | £ 99 |
| Season ticket, joint concession | £ 50 |
| Dog supplement (per dog) | £ 3 |
Day tickets are sold through the railway's online booking system and include unlimited train rides; prices depend on the type of day and event, and advance booking is recommended for many running days. A season ticket gives free entry and train rides on all public operating days for 12 months and 10% off shop purchases (not food or drink).
Toegankelijkheid
- Rolstoeltoegankelijk
- Lift: geen informatie
- Aangepast toilet
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
- Hulphonden welkom
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
Most of the site and all station platforms are step-free, as are the museum, shop, model railway, travelling post office, buffet patio and the accessible toilet. A ramp on the main train allows wheelchair access (safe weight limit 230 kg), and most services can carry wheelchairs in the guard's van. The miniature railway is accessible only with assistance, because wheelchairs are too large for its carriages, and the gaps at the level crossing make it less suitable for small-wheeled mobility devices. The trains have no toilets. Larger groups are asked to give advance notice.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Doe- en voelstations
- Kinderwagenvriendelijk
- Speeltuin / speelhoek
Families can ride the main train and the miniature railway, play in the railway-themed fun and games room, visit the model railway and the post office sorting train, where visitors can try sorting letters, and walk the woodland trail in season. Pushchairs can reach platforms 0 and 1 over the upgraded level crossing. The railway runs family events such as Santa trains, Twilight evenings and school holiday programmes.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Braintree railway station
Bus services to the railway are very limited, so visitors should check with the operators. The nearest railway station is Braintree, 10 miles away, and the nearest major airport is Stansted, 28 miles away, with an express bus (X20) to Braintree and local service 42 onward.
Met de auto
Gratis parkeren
Free parking for nearly 200 cars at the new entrance.
The entrance is on the A1017 about half a mile past Castle Hedingham, between Castle Hedingham and Great Yeldham. It is about 9 miles from Braintree.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Museumwinkel
The coffee shop in the reception building serves coffee, sandwiches, cakes and snacks, and a buffet is open on some days. Other catering outlets may open on busy days, and a buffet car with a licensed bar runs on HST event days. The gift shop doubles as the ticket office and sells railway souvenirs and books. Toilets are near the main entrance.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
- Ruimtes te huur
The railway can be hired for filming and photoshoots, and private hire of the railway is available through the office.
Aanvragen & detailsJe bezoek plannen
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
|---|---|
| Goed om te weten | Schools and pre-schools can book term-time visits with a conducted tour and talk linked to the curriculum, a diesel railcar ride and, on request, a miniature railway ride. The Brewster Centre library and archive can be used by prior arrangement with the collections manager, with an hourly fee outside public opening. Well-behaved dogs on short leads are welcome. |
