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- Last updated: Thu 07 May 2026
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Independence Day Saturday 4th July 2026 Save 10% by booking early with our Early Bird Discount - see below for details! Today's tour celebrates the influence that the prodigious US manufacturer General Motors has had on the UK rail industry since the Class 59 locomotives were introduced 40 years ago. And for those more interested in 'scoring' rare freight locomotives, we offer a good old fashioned 'Spin and Win' tour around Nottinghamshire and Yorkshire, utilising a variety of GM powered locomotives from DB Cargo, Heavy Haul and GB Railfreight. The Declaration of Independence, the founding document of the United States, was signed in Philadelphia on 4th July 1776 and 250 years on we are going to celebrate! Whether that is to mark the enduring special relationship with our American friends, or just to acknowledge the fact that we are now independent countries, we will leave that to you to decide. Onboard we will have a mobile beer festival featuring up to ten different beers and ciders, a buffet car serving some American favourites, and a few USA themed fun activities to add to the day's entertainment. This will be our only tour planned to feature freight locomotives (and mobile beer festivals!) this summer, so join us for a pint, hotdog and very rare engines on hopefully a beautiful summer's day out with your friends! Our day starts in London, where for those so inclined, the empty coaching stock move into London King's Cross is operated 'in service' from Finsbury Park for those wanting to enjoy some bonus GM traction in the form of a GBRf Class 57/3 locomotive. For most the interest will really begin on departure from London King's Cross. Our Class 69 locomotive was re-engined in 2021 and now boasts the same General Motors power unit as the ubiquitous class 66 locomotive. But our routing today is anything but common, as we take the the former Great Northern and Great Eastern 'Joint Line' from Peterborough to Sleaford and then head west, through the sleepy Lincolnshire villages of Rauceby and Ancaster. We dive under the East Coast Main Line and continue west towards Nottingham, our final pick up opportunity today. We then travel the few sho+D169rt miles to DB Cargo's base at Toton, where we are booked to exchange locomotives in the Toton Up and Down Independent which may give rise to a rare track 'bobbins' opportunity for some. From here we enjoy traction from our first Class 66 locomotive of the day. DB Cargo (then known as EWS) were the first freight company to operate Class 66 locomotives with the first arriving from the US in 1998. All have now worked at least one passenger train, and whilst some have been exported, then returned, and more recently exported again, DB Cargo still operate an expansive fleet and we will be seeking one of the rarer locomotives to operate our train today. Leaving Toton, we head north towards Chesterfield and the 'Old Road' bypassing Sheffield and heading for Moorthorpe Junction, where we join the London to Leeds main line which we follow through Wakefield Westgate. We avoid Leeds station for very good reason. By diverting at Whitehall Junction we can access Hunslet Down Reception, where our next locomotive will be waiting for us. From the loop, passengers will be able to view Heavy Haul's Midland Road depot from where our locomotive will have been stabled. Again, we are targeting a GM powered Class 66 locomotive, and several examples from the former Freightliner pool have yet to work passenger trains. We will be working closely with the team at Heavy Haul to secure such an example. Our fourth GM powered locomotive will lead us to Doncaster and we travel via Castleford and Gascoigne Wood before once again crossing the East Coast Main Line as we head towards Selby. Here we traverse the Canal Goods Curve before our final sprint towards Doncaster, where we enjoy an afternoon break of approximately two hours. Our train returns to collect its passengers with yet another GM powered locomotive. This time our train operator, GB Railfreight provides the Class 66 traction and the next leg back to Toton has been timed at 65mph so as to give the planners the maximum opportunity to provide us with a rare example from their fleet. Our route back into Nottingham is suitably circuitous. We begin by once again joining the 'Joint Line', this time in a southerly direction through Gainsborough as far as Pyewipe Junction where we take the freight curve onto the Lincoln-Newark line. Few stretches of railway have quite so many public crossings as that between Swinderby and Newark but most on board will undoubtedly be enjoying the American themed refreshments being offered from the buffet car to notice the distinctive Class 66 horn that will be in frequent use. After passing our first set down opportunity at Nottingham, we run forward to East Midlands Parkway where we reverse to regain access to Toton yard. It is here we bid farewell to our GBRf Class 66 and re-couple our Class 69 locomotive for the journey home. Our route back to London sees us follow the Midland main line as far as Syston Junction where we veer left, passing through Melton Mowbray and Stamford before reaching Peterborough and the East Coast Main Line back to London King's Cross. On behalf of our industry partners involved in the operation of todays tour, UK Railtours will be making a valuable donation to the Martin House Children's Hospice - a very special good cause which we know means a great deal to many people who have played a part in bringing you our tour today. This tour utilises Mk2 carriages provided with thanks to Eastern Rail Services. Book early to take advantage of our Early Bird Discount which saves 10% if you book this tour by Friday 15th May. Just enter code EB10 in the Promotional Code box when booking online, or mention it when booking by phone. There will be no part or pay on day fares on this tour and early booking is advised to avoid disappointment. All timings are provisional and intended only as a guide. Station Depart Arrive Finsbury Park 06.40 n/a London Kings Cross 07.20 22.10 Potters Bar 07.40 21.40 Stevenage 08.00 21.20 Peterborough 09.20 20.20 East Midlands Parkway n/a 18.50 Nottingham 10.40 18.00 This train will feature a well stocked buffet car serving a range of meals, snacks and drinks provided by The Railway Diners, and a separate beer festival buffet car run by Tom Said Micropub. This train does not include a First Class Dining option. Class Fare Availability Standard Class £159 Good Standard Class Junior £139 Good First Class Non Dining £259 Good
The White Rose Saturday 11 July 2026 Join us for an exhilarating main line steam run from London's King's Cross to the historic city of York. York is world famous for its variety of visitor attractions and home to the National Railway Museum. Our train will be steam hauled throughout from London. We leave London King's Cross in the morning steam hauled by the iconic No. 34028 Eddystone and follow the East Coast Main Line route of famous express trains like the Flying Scotsman. We storm up the gradient through Gasworks Tunnel and Finsbury Park, and northwards, calling at Stevenage, Huntingdon and Peterborough to pick up more passengers. As we head north we leave the ECML at Werrington Junction and travel north easterly to Spalding. Following the Great Northern line to Spalding North Junction where we take the Sleaford line to Sleaford. From here we head in a westbound direction to continue our journey to Lincoln. We steam through Doncaster and continue northwards for our early afternoon arrival in York. There will be plenty of time for passengers to enjoy the city and all it has to offer. York has some major tourist attractions including the National Railway Museum, the largest museum of its type in Britain; the Shambles; the splendid Gothic York Minster, one of the largest of its kind in northern Europe; and the city walls. There are a number of other interesting museums, quaint alleyways, and a good variety of shops. Our train leaves York late afternoon, and we will return via the same route, running through Lincoln and Spalding. We will be stopping to set down passengers at the same stations as on the northbound journey, arriving at King's Cross in the evening. **UPDATED 31/3/26** Available Classes Premier Dining Premier Dining includes a full English breakfast and four course dinner freshly prepared on board and silver served at your seat. First Class First Class includes morning tea or coffee with a breakfast roll and a muffin and an afternoon service of tea or coffee with a savoury of the day followed by scone with butter and jam. Standard Class Standard Class includes a reserved seat usually at a table for four. Fares Fares Adult Junior Family Premier £335 £240 £1025 First £225 £160 £690 Standard £120 £90 £375 Tables for two can be guaranteed in Premier Dining and First Class for a supplement of £50 per person (subject to availability). A buffet car is available and serves tea, coffee, snacks and light refreshments. catering icon link to catering page On Board Catering Destinations Route Map of England showing a blue route from London to York. Book Now Approximate timings shown Station Outward Return London King's Cross 07:20 21:35 Stevenage 08:20 20:55 Huntingdon 09:10 20:15 Peterborough 10:00 19:05 York 13:05 16:10
DPS Model Railway Show 2026 Saturday 11 July and Sunday 12 July 2026 At Barrow Hill Roundhouse Museum
DPS Model Railway Show 2026 Saturday 11 July and Sunday 12 July 2026 At Barrow Hill Roundhouse Museum
The Scarborough Spa Express Travel coast to coast across spectacular Lancashire and Yorkshire landscapes from Carnforth or Lancaster, to York or Scarborough - Steam Hauled all the way! Two Routes to choose from: North Route To York or Scarborough Via Skipton and Leeds: Running Wednesdays on 17th June, 29th July and 19th August 2026. Departing from Carnforth, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford (Leeds), Church Fenton and York. View Journey South Route To York or Scarborough Via Preston and Wakefield: Running Wednesday 15th July and 2nd September 2026. Departing from Lancaster, Preston, Blackburn, Brighouse, Wakefield (Kirkgate), Castleford and York. View Journey
Summer Gala Saturday 18 July and Sunday 19 July 2026 We're celebrating the smallest locomotives in our home-fleet and extra special (and very little) visiting locomotives this summer! What to expect at the Summer Gala? Our weekend rail-fest will feature both guest and home-fleet locomotives operating a busy timetable between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. If you love steam, diesel and something a little bit different, this is the place to be! Ride behind every locomotive, visit The Engine House at Highley to break your day, or sample the finest real-ales in our pubs! In addition to the 'big trains', Kidderminster Station will host 'little trains' with a live-steam Gauge 1 model railway, running throughout the weekend. Our first guest locomotive has been announced as Kerr Stuart 'Witch' class locomotive No 4388. Built in 1926 by Kerr, Stuart & Company, this distinctive locomotive features an unusual design with outside cylinders, no front footplate and a notably small saddle tank. Our thanks to Jack Dibnah and the Foxfield Railway, for the loco's appearance. Stars of the show: Kerr Stuart 4388 - rare 'Witch' class locomotive GWR 813 GWR 1450 GWR 7714 Class 14 D9551 Class 17 D8568 Class 20 20048 Plus, up to three additional visiting steam locomotives.
Summer Gala Saturday 18 July and Sunday 19 July 2026 We're celebrating the smallest locomotives in our home-fleet and extra special (and very little) visiting locomotives this summer! What to expect at the Summer Gala? Our weekend rail-fest will feature both guest and home-fleet locomotives operating a busy timetable between Kidderminster and Bridgnorth. If you love steam, diesel and something a little bit different, this is the place to be! Ride behind every locomotive, visit The Engine House at Highley to break your day, or sample the finest real-ales in our pubs! In addition to the 'big trains', Kidderminster Station will host 'little trains' with a live-steam Gauge 1 model railway, running throughout the weekend. Our first guest locomotive has been announced as Kerr Stuart 'Witch' class locomotive No 4388. Built in 1926 by Kerr, Stuart & Company, this distinctive locomotive features an unusual design with outside cylinders, no front footplate and a notably small saddle tank. Our thanks to Jack Dibnah and the Foxfield Railway, for the loco's appearance. Stars of the show: Kerr Stuart 4388 - rare 'Witch' class locomotive GWR 813 GWR 1450 GWR 7714 Class 14 D9551 Class 17 D8568 Class 20 20048 Plus, up to three additional visiting steam locomotives.
The Dorset Coast Express Wednesday 22 July 2026 We are offering a number of attractive summer day trips from London to Weymouth by steam train. These trains provide plenty of opportunity to visit the beautiful Dorset coast and relive the 'golden age' of steam. Passengers have the option of spending time at the celebrated seaside resorts of either Bournemouth or Weymouth, where both have fine sandy beaches. Each train will be hauled by a steam locomotive that was built for express passenger train work. Our train leaves London Victoria station steam hauled by the iconic No. 34028 Eddystone and travels westwards, crossing the river Thames at Barnes Bridge, through Kew and Feltham. We stop at Staines and Woking to pick up further passengers. At Winchfield, we pause for our steam locomotive to take on water before continuing to our final pick up point at Basingstoke. From Basingstoke we continue through Andover, bypassing Salisbury and on through Romsey to Southampton. We reverse direction of travel at Southampton and continue towards Weymouth, diesel hauled, with our steam locomotive on the rear. We stop at Bournemouth to set down those passengers wishing to visit this coastal resort, a spa town famous for its parks and pine trees. After leaving Bournemouth, there are spectacular views of Poole Harbour. We continue to Wareham and Dorchester travelling through classic Dorset countryside and delightful scenery. We arrive at Weymouth and have around three hours there to discover much of what this seaside town has to offer. The railway station is close to the beach and shops. We return from Weymouth steam hauled for the entire journey. We stop for our locomotive to take on water at Southampton and then continue through Winchester to Basingstoke, where we stop to set down passengers and for our steam locomotive to again take on water. We then continue to Woking and Weybridge, from where Staines passengers will return by service train and on to our final destination at London Waterloo. *By service train from Weybridge. Available Classes Premier Dining Premier Dining includes a full English breakfast and four course dinner freshly prepared on board and silver served at your seat. First Class First Class includes morning tea or coffee with a breakfast roll and a muffin and an afternoon service of tea or coffee with a savoury of the day followed by scone with butter and jam. Standard Class Standard Class includes a reserved seat usually at a table for four. Fares Fares Adult Junior Family Premier £335 £240 £1025 First £225 £160 £690 Standard £120 £90 £375 Tables for two can be guaranteed in Premier Dining and First Class for a supplement of £50 per person (subject to availability). A buffet car is available and serves tea, coffee, snacks and light refreshments. catering icon link to catering page On Board Catering Destinations Route Map of southern England with labeled cities and train route highlighted in blue. Book Now Approximate timings shown Station Outward Return London Victoria 08:45 ------- London Waterloo ------- 22:40 Staines 09:35 22:30* Weybridge ------- 21:50 Woking 10:05 21:40 Basingstoke 10:50 21:00 Bournemouth 13:15 18:30 Weymouth 14:10 17:35
Diesel Gala Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July 2026 Locomotive Action: - Intensive timetable running across all three days - A chance to clock up mileage behind each locomotive - Our class 20 locomotives will work in multi all weekend Visiting Locomotives: - BR Class 27, No. 27056 courtesy of the Northampton Type 2 Group. - BR Class 25, No. 25262 courtesy of the South Devon Diesel Traction Ltd. - BR Class 35, No. D7018 courtesy of the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group Ltd.
Diesel Gala Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July 2026 Locomotive Action: - Intensive timetable running across all three days - A chance to clock up mileage behind each locomotive - Our class 20 locomotives will work in multi all weekend Visiting Locomotives: - BR Class 27, No. 27056 courtesy of the Northampton Type 2 Group. - BR Class 25, No. 25262 courtesy of the South Devon Diesel Traction Ltd. - BR Class 35, No. D7018 courtesy of the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group Ltd.
Model Railway Weekend 25th July 2026 - 26th July 2026, 10:00-16:00 Our annual model railway weekend returns for 2026 with more layouts, traders and miniature live steam! This year's exhibition will see the museum filled with a mixture of O, OO and N gauge layouts and traders. ?? Outside the museum, there'll be miniature steam train rides on the 7 ¼' railway and plenty of action on the 'big' railway too! On Saturday, there'll be the chance to ride on a 'train set'-style consist - a train made up of a mixture of carriages and freight wagons. This year's show is being organised in partnership with the Blyth & Tyne Model Railway Club, who are holding their exhibition, 'RailEx NE', on the same weekend this year. ??? Joint ticketing options will be available to allow entry into both exhibitions and a free shuttle bus will be running between the museum and RailEx NE at The Parks Sports Centre. More information available soon!
Diesel Gala Friday 24 July to Sunday 26 July 2026 Locomotive Action: - Intensive timetable running across all three days - A chance to clock up mileage behind each locomotive - Our class 20 locomotives will work in multi all weekend Visiting Locomotives: - BR Class 27, No. 27056 courtesy of the Northampton Type 2 Group. - BR Class 25, No. 25262 courtesy of the South Devon Diesel Traction Ltd. - BR Class 35, No. D7018 courtesy of the Diesel & Electric Preservation Group Ltd. Event Highlights: Sunday Only: This year we also pay tribute to Pathfinder Railtours, which ceased trading at the end of 2025 following its final tour on 20th December hauled by D1015 Western Champion. The Gloucestershire-based company, founded by Peter Watts, organised railtours across the country from 1973 and became a much-loved name in the enthusiast scene. Fittingly, several of our resident diesel locomotives have themselves hauled Pathfinder excursions over the years. Throughout Sunday we will see all of our trains bearing one of the headboards from their past excursions. This will also be the final time to meet the former Pathfinder team at the railway, including Peter.
Model Railway Weekend 25th July 2026 - 26th July 2026, 10:00-16:00 Our annual model railway weekend returns for 2026 with more layouts, traders and miniature live steam! This year's exhibition will see the museum filled with a mixture of O, OO and N gauge layouts and traders. ?? Outside the museum, there'll be miniature steam train rides on the 7 ¼' railway and plenty of action on the 'big' railway too! On Saturday, there'll be the chance to ride on a 'train set'-style consist - a train made up of a mixture of carriages and freight wagons. This year's show is being organised in partnership with the Blyth & Tyne Model Railway Club, who are holding their exhibition, 'RailEx NE', on the same weekend this year. ??? Joint ticketing options will be available to allow entry into both exhibitions and a free shuttle bus will be running between the museum and RailEx NE at The Parks Sports Centre. More information available soon!
The Scarborough Spa Express Travel coast to coast across spectacular Lancashire and Yorkshire landscapes from Carnforth or Lancaster, to York or Scarborough - Steam Hauled all the way! Two Routes to choose from: North Route To York or Scarborough Via Skipton and Leeds: Running Wednesdays on 17th June, 29th July and 19th August 2026. Departing from Carnforth, Skipton, Keighley, Shipley, Woodlesford (Leeds), Church Fenton and York. View Journey South Route To York or Scarborough Via Preston and Wakefield: Running Wednesday 15th July and 2nd September 2026. Departing from Lancaster, Preston, Blackburn, Brighouse, Wakefield (Kirkgate), Castleford and York. View Journey