Dean Forest Railway
Volunteer-run heritage railway between Lydney Junction and Parkend in the Forest of Dean, with steam and diesel trains, a shop, cafe and railway museum at Norchard.
Alleen afzonderlijke secties laten voorlezen
Over het museum
The Dean Forest Railway was founded by the Dean Forest Railway Society in 1970. It runs on part of the old Severn & Wye Railway, whose lines began as a tramroad more than 200 years ago to carry goods out of the Forest of Dean.
The present line is about 4½ miles long and has five stations. It runs from Lydney Junction, close to the main-line station and a short walk from Lydney Harbour, to the forest village of Parkend. The main station is Norchard, roughly in the middle of the line, where the railway has a large free car park, a shop, a cafe and a railway museum that is run as a separate charity.
The railway is run largely by volunteers. Its fleet includes steam and diesel locomotives and heritage diesel railcars, and trains normally run on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays from mid-March to early November. Throughout the year there are special events such as steam and diesel galas, evening fish-and-chip trains, murder mystery trains, cream tea trains and Santa Specials before Christmas. Visitors can also book footplate, diesel driving and signalling experiences.
Hoogtepunten
- Steam and heritage diesel train rides through the Forest of Dean
- Main station at Norchard with shop, cafe and free car park
- Royal Forest of Steam Gala and diesel galas
- Evening fish-and-chip, cream tea and murder mystery trains
- Footplate, diesel driving and signalling experiences
Vaste collectie
- Railway museum at Norchard – Objects from the Forest of Dean and the Severn & Wye Joint Railway, showing how the railway looked in earlier years and what its staff wore and used. The museum is a separate charitable trust on the railway’s site.
- Opgericht
- 1970
- Beheerder
- Dean Forest Railway Society
Toegangsprijzen & kortingen
| Volwassenen | £ 18 |
|---|---|
| Groepen (vanaf 20 pers.) | –Groups of 20 or more receive discounted fares. |
| Heritage diesel train ride (adult) | £ 18About 1.5 hours. |
| Evening fish-and-chip steam train (adult) | £ 34,50About 1.5 hours. |
| Santa Special (per person) | £ 22,50About 1 hour 15 minutes. |
| Royal Forest of Steam Gala (adult, from) | £ 32All-day event. |
| Murder mystery on a steam train (adult) | £ 79,50About 4.5 hours, starts at 18:00 at Norchard with a two-course meal on board. |
The standard fare is for an adult steam train ride of about 1.5 hours from Norchard. A steam train ride ticket also allows travel on the heritage diesel railcar services on days when these run. Timed tickets are for Norchard; boarding at Lydney Junction needs a day rover ticket, which may not be available on busy days.
Toegankelijkheid
- Rolstoeltoegankelijk: geen informatie
- Lift: geen informatie
- Aangepast toilet: geen informatie
- Gehandicaptenparkeerplaats: geen informatie
- Hulphonden welkom: geen informatie
- Tastmodellen / voelbare objecten: geen informatie
- Rondleidingen in gebarentaal: geen informatie
- Informatie in eenvoudige taal: geen informatie
- Audiodescriptie: geen informatie
The railway museum at Norchard is on ground level and can be used by wheelchair users. Visitors with particular access needs should contact the railway before travelling.
Kinderen & gezin
Erg geschikt voor kinderen & gezinnen
- Gezinsrondleidingen & workshops
- Speurtocht, doeboekje of kinderaudiotour
The railway promotes train rides as a good experience for children, with compartment carriages and the sights and sounds of steam. Explorer activity books with quizzes and themed activities are sold in the shop and booking office, and Santa Specials run before Christmas.
Bereikbaarheid & parkeren
Met het openbaar vervoer
Lydney bus station
By rail, Lydney Junction station is under five minutes’ walk from Lydney main-line station, which has through trains from Birmingham, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Chepstow, Newport and Cardiff. By bus, the number 23 runs from Gloucester to Lydney bus station, about 1 mile from Norchard, and the number 72 runs from Chepstow to Lydney bus station. A direct bus service to Norchard is planned from September 2027.
Met de auto
Gratis parkeren
Free parking for cars and coaches at Norchard only; there is no designated parking at other stations.
Norchard Station is on the B4234 Forest Road north of Lydney high street, just off the A48 (sat nav GL15 4ET). Forest Road between Norchard and Whitecroft is closed for maintenance until late summer 2027, so Norchard can be reached only from the Lydney end.
Route plannenService & horeca
- Café
- Museumwinkel
Norchard has a shop, a cafe with about 80 seats and a free car park for cars and coaches. Cream teas and fish-and-chip suppers are served on selected trains.
Evenementen & zaalverhuur
Het museum heeft hierover geen informatie gepubliceerd.
Je bezoek plannen
| Aanbod voor scholen | ja |
|---|---|
| Goed om te weten | A steam train ride takes about 1.5 hours. Groups can arrange private train hire, signal box and workshop tours and cream teas on board; schools can book workshops with museum and signal box tours and use fact sheets for key stages 1 to 3. Footplate, diesel driving and signalling experiences are sold separately. |
