After a record-breaking Christmas in which it carried a total of 6,316 passengers, the Leighton Buzzard Railway reopened for 2023 on Sunday 12 March.
Leighton Linslade's Deputy Mayor Cllr Sheona Hemmings ceremonially flagged away the first train of the year – the 10:30 departure from Page's Park – giving customers the chance to see the new station sign at Munday's Hill.
The season continues on Sunday 19 March with a Mother's Day event. The Railway is offering visitors a choice of five departures, as well as additional activities and treats, promising a fun trip for the whole family. Visitors may have a family photo, gathered on the platform, taken by a resident photographer and printed ready to collect after the train ride.
The experience lasts ninety minutes, including a 65-minute steam train ride and 25-minute stop at Stonehenge Works where there is lots to see and do, including a Mothers' Day card decorating activity for the kids.
On returning to Page's Park, mums will be presented a potted plant gift, and The Train Shed Café is offering mums a free hot or cold drink.
This will be followed by an Easter Egg Hunt over Easter weekend, the return of the Gin and Whisky Festival on Sunday 7 May, the visit of Bluey on Sunday 28 May, and many more special events throughout the year.
Full details of the railway's operating days, the timetable, and special events can be found over on the Leighton Buzzard Railway website
The Leighton Buzzard Railway is an accredited museum with a history linked with the sand quarrying industry around the town. In addition to equipment from that era, the Railway has built up a significant collection of Great War vintage narrow gauge equipment.
The National Railway Museum previously placed its ‘protected' type Simplex No. 3098 (MR1377/1918) on loan to the railway, and LBR is the base for the Greensand Railway Museum Trust's Baldwin 4-6-0T WDLR No. 778.
The Leighton Buzzard Railway is based at Page's Park, Leighton Buzzard, and the line runs to Stonehenge Works adjacent to the sand quarries which the original industrial railway was built to serve.
