Hot off the heels of its Polar Express Christmas Experience days, the Wensleydale Railway in North Yorkshire has announced that its Christmas to New Year Mince Pie specials will also return this festive season, featuring both steam and diesel traction.

Nine trains will operate across three days, running from Sunday, 28th December to Tuesday, 30th December 2025, with services scheduled to run between Leeming Bar, Bedale and Leyburn. Passengers are able to join the trains at any of these stations. Finghall station will also be open, but as a request stop only.

The gift shop and tearoom at Leyburn will also be open, offering food, drinks and light refreshments. The railway regrets that the café at Leeming Bar will be closed.

The steam services are scheduled to run on 28th and 29th December and will be operated by Black 5 No. 45407 ‘The Lancashire Fusilier’, a locomotive that regularly runs on the West Highland Line in the summer months.

The diesel service will run on 30th December and will be hauled by Class 47 No. 47714, which was repainted earlier this year.

Trains will depart Leeming Bar at 10:00, 12:20 & 14:40, from Bedale at 10:10, 12:30 & 14:50 and from Leyburn at 11:20, 13:40 & 16:00.

Tickets are on sale now and can be booked through the Wensleydale Railway website. Adult tickets are £25 per person, with children’s tickets (ages 3 – 15) at £5. Each passenger will receive a complimentary mince pie and a choice of hot drinks. Children will be able to choose from a range of soft drinks. Gluten-free options are also available.

So passengers get even more value for money, each of the tickets for the Mince Pie specials also acts as a day rover ticket, so passengers can travel on as many trains as they like during the day of their visit.

Wensleydale’s Mince Pie specials are the perfect way to get out and enjoy the winter scenery from the comfort of a train during the Christmas to New Year holiday season. Customers are urged to book their tickets in advance to avoid disappointment.

“Our Mince Pie Specials are a great way to enjoy a family day out after your Christmas Day celebrations. Sit back and enjoy the stunning Dales scenery with a hot drink and mince pie served on board by our volunteers.

Customers can choose from 2 days of steam-hauled services, or one day behind our class 47 heritage diesel locomotive. The visiting steam locomotive has delighted thousands of customers on this year’s THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Rides. It will leave us at the end of the year, so this is a perfect opportunity for steam enthusiasts to travel behind it and end the year in style!”

Nick Keegan, Marketing and Fundraising Manager at Wensleydale Railway

Those wishing to visit the railway are advised that there is no car parking at Leeming Bar station, but very limited spaces are available at O’Briens Fine Foods factory which has a main car park on Leases Road and an overflow car park on Low Street. Bedale has serval car parking spaces in the town.