Manx Electric Railway at Laxey
Heritage Railways Teithio

2024 Railway Bucket List

Every year I do a “railway bucket list” and the is my 2024 railway bucket list. It still includes some items from the 2023 bucket list.

Great Little Trains of Wales

Steam train ascending Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
(Thank you Chris Parry for this photo!)

I want to tick off a few more Welsh railways and I thought the best way to do this would be to tick off the ones included in the Great Little Trains of Wales list… namely Snowdon Mountain Railway, Corris Railway, Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway a Vale of Rheidol Railway.

Vale of Rheidol Steam Gala

NG13 Garratt "Drakensberg" hauls passenger train through the Vale of Rheidol
Thank you to the Vale of Rheidol Railway for this image!

Speaking of Vale of Rheidol Railway, they have a steam gala at the end of August and I’m already down to do some filming. The Moving Pictures team have been invited down to film Palmerston who’s attending the gala. Should be a good event and I’ll get the chance to see Fire Queen in her new (temporary) home. It’ll be good to go back as I’ve not been to the Vale of Rheidol since my childhood. Used to take the caravan down to Borth and spend a week every Summer taking in the sights of the area… including the Vale of Rheidol Railway. Oddly I have no pictures of the railway but I have pictures of me and Dad at Devil’s Bridge.

Visit a New (to me) Standard Gauge Heritage Railway

Erlestoke Manor at the Severn Valley Railway

My focus tends to be narrow gauge heritage lines. Yes I’ve done one or two standard gauge lines (Lakeside & Haverthwaite and Llangollen) but I need to visit another one. With so many in the UK which one should I go to?

(By the time this post was published I had been to the Severn Valley Railway – excellent day out!)

Rhyl Miniature Railway

Rhyl Miniature Railway
(Thank you to Rhyl Miniature Railway for the photo!)

I’d also like to tick off Rhyl Miniature Railway off myself list. It’s always been there for as long as I can remember. They have steam gala days on occasions and I really need to check it out. I had intended on visiting the end of season gala back in November but alas couldn’t make it. So it’s on my 2024 to-do list!

Travel the Cambrian Line

TfW train crossing Barmouth Bridge
(Thank you Chris Parry for this photo!)

The Cambrian Line is noted as one of the World’s most scenic railways, and seeing as it’s local to me I really ought to travel it. I have travelled from Pwllheli to Fairbourne but not the whole length to Shrewbury. So I might take a day to do this sometime in the Summer… when the weather is good.

Visit the London Transport Museum

London Transport Museum Exhibition
(Thanks to Tim Dunn for this photo!)

With the news that Secrets of the London Underground has been recommissioned (series 4 – hooray!) it has inspired me to add the London Transport Museum onto my bucket list. It looks like such a fascinating place. Also a visit to the Acton Depot is a must!

Isle of Man Railways

Manx Electric Railway at Laxey
(Thank you Chris Parry for this photo)

I have never been to the Isle of Man but it is tempting to take a trip over to see some trains. I’m wondering if a long weekend would be doable so I could visit both the Manx Electric Railway and the Isle of Man Steam Railway. In addition there’s Groudle Glen Railway, Snaefell Mountain Railway a The Great Laxey Mine Railway. If you want to go all out then you also have the Douglas Bay Horse Tramway. As someone commented to me – it’s railway heaven!

Anything else I should add?

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