Two End of Summer Holiday Events at Leighton Buzzard Railway

The Leighton Buzzard Railway is delighted to announce not one, but two upcoming end of summer holiday events – the perfect way to treat the kids before they return to school.

On the Bank Holiday weekend of Sunday and Monday 27 and 28 August, the railway’s Pirates Weekend returns.

Any children who dress up as a pirate will receive a small treasure and travel token for a future trip on a standard non-special-event running day.

There will be pirates to meet you at Page’s Park station and provide information about the event taking place at the Stonehenge terminus. Watch out for pirate ship attacks near the end of the line and join in the treasure hunt in the cave at Stonehenge. You can slide down the pirate ship slide and even walk the plank above crocodile infested waters. There will be volunteers to help supervise activities.

Then on Sunday 3 September, the dinosaurs will be back for one day only at Stonehenge Works.

Non-stop trains will be running – not stopping at level crossings as usual – which will be double the normal length at seven coaches. This is a rare event and offers a great opportunity for photographers, as well as families.

There will be five departures during the day – at 10am, 11.40am, 1.20pm, 3pm and 4.40pm. Tickets are selling fast, with some trains already more than two-thirds full.

The return trip will take 80 minutes, including 40 minutes at Stonehenge Works where, as well as the meeting the dinsoaurs, customers can visit the Stonehenge Trail offering the chance to view static engines and wagons, including a sand train as it would have run on the railway from the 1920s to 1970s. There will be a steam loco called ‘Penlee’ where children can climb in the cab and pretend to be the engine driver. There is also a bomb train from an RAF ammunition depot, and a logging train, as well as displays about sand quarrying and military railways.

The popular craft shop will be open, selling locally made items, as well as hot and cold drinks and confectionery. There will also be a guided Engine Shed Show tour at Page’s Park which will include most of the railway’s steam locomotives as well as the photographic display of the line and its construction. The newly-opened The Really Awesome Railway Café will be open with a full menu from 10am.

Fee-free online booking is available at www.buzzrail.co.uk, and booking in advance is advised to reserve your place, as it is expected there will be very limited ticket availability on the days.