Spring has certainly sprung at the Didcot Railway Centre, and we have plenty to see and do over the coming weeks.
We kick off the month by hopping back in time over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend by running four super Steam Days from the 7-10 April. Celebrate the arrival of a guest Engine, Furness Number 20, the oldest working standard gauge locomotive in the UK and our vintage coaches. Trains will be providing unlimited train rides over the four-day weekend.
Why not ask our Victorian actors about their wonderful costumes and what life would have been like in Victorian times? Children can make their own sun catcher to take away as a memento of the day and hunt for the Easter bunny who will be dishing out treats.
You’ll also have a chance to be one of the first to sample our new beer, Off the Rails, which will be on sale in our gift shop for the first time. This was brewed locally at Hook Norton brewery in Oxfordshire, one of the oldest steam powered breweries in the world. We hope you will love this as much as do.
We will be welcoming the countries favourite bear, Paddington™, on 1 May. He will be making appearances at intervals throughout the day to say hello and to take pictures with. You will also have the chance to see Furness No 20 before she leaves to back on her travels home.
June marks the time where we open our doors for five days a week – three of these being Steam Days. Steam trains will be operating on at least one of the Centre's two demonstration lines, allowing you to take unlimited rides. On many days, the second line will be running, too, and may feature a pioneering diesel railcar, a heritage diesel locomotive or a small branch line steam engine.
On each of our open days over this Spring period, Children can also make tracks to the outdoor play area or dress up as a station master. Relax over lunch or enjoy a snack in the refreshment rooms and don't forget to pick up a souvenir in the gift shop. The modern trains running past the centre complete the picture and mean you can experience over 180 years of railway progress in just one day.
