Spavalleyrailway Reviews 4

Tried to book a virgin experience day,dont know whether successful or not,when I tried to query it I was referred to a Virgin telephone number that does not exist.Virgin,s site says they don,t have telephone numbers,Spa Valley must know this yet are still giving this phone number out.

What an amazing day we had taking our Grandson Harley for his 1st steam train trip for his 6th birthday .
Thank you Martin & Angela for arranging an announcement for Harley's Birthday over the tanoy and to everyone on board who sang Happy Birthday to him ,
It didn't stop there Harley was allowed to stand up on the foot plate of the steam train , then was allowed to sit up in the driver seat of the Diesel Train and learnt all about train driving .
We cannot thank you enough this made Harleys Day and we are grateful for the generous gestures .
You are amazing Thank you :)

If you are a railway enthusiast and you want to experience what it’s like to drive a train for real then I can’t recommend enough a footplate activity with the folks at the Spa Valley Railway in Tunbridge Wells (Kent) - having left them with a grin like a Cheshire Cat!
They provide opportunities to drive either steam or diesel, and my preference was for the latter so took charge of their Class 25 toward Eridge towing a Class 33 and Queen Mark Brake Van, then light-loco return.
It was literally ‘bum on the drivers seat’ and ‘hands on’ from the off - with excellent tuition provided by my instructor Steffan. What seems like a complex set of levers and processes soon starts to make sense and before long I was stopping (more or less) where I planned at the platforms on route, and enjoying the noise of the engine under full throttle - remembering to observe speed restrictions and sound the horns at the many ‘whistle’ boards protecting crossings.
Everyone I met there was so accommodating and the activity completely relaxed and at a pace to suit me; they knew it was my ‘experience’ morning and they absolutely ensured that it was a great one for me.
And it wasn’t ridiculously expensive either which was a big plus.
Do give them call and book.

We have done this trip twice before but it's a good way to get to Groombridge Place/Village for the gardens and forest which we have also been too before. As with many heritage lines, it's ran by volunteers, so all the engines, stations and tracks have been restored and maintained for the love of running this line. We had a bit more time on this trip to look around the Tunbridge Wells station and to chat to one of the engineers who was working on a diesel engine. He even took a photo for us of the new Polish steam engine they acquired, as the public can't go into the workshop area. It's an enjoyable trip, and you can plan your day to see most of the line and the nearby stations' attractions . It's a short trip from London also which means it's easy to get to.