Middleton Railway

Middleton Railway holds a remarkable place in history as the world's oldest continuously working railway, established in 1758 and the site of the world's first commercially successful steam locomotives in 1812. Run entirely by volunteers, it operates from its Moor Road base in Hunslet, Leeds, on weekends, bank holidays, and school holiday Wednesdays from April through October, with Santa Specials in December.

On a visit, you can take a return train ride behind a restored steam or diesel locomotive from Moor Road to Park Halt, a trip of around ten minutes each way. Some of the coaches are open-sided, so you get a proper open-air experience. At Park Halt, you can disembark and walk through to Middleton Park, which covers 630 acres of ancient woodland and walking trails. Back at Moor Road, the free museum lets you walk between rows of historic steam and diesel engines, and visitors are welcome to step up into some of the engine cabs to see how they work.

The site is all on one level with ramps onto the trains, and there is a wheelchair-accessible entrance, car parking, and toilets. There is also a café, a souvenir shop, and second-hand books at the ticket office. Dogs are welcome too.

It suits a wide range of ages well, from young children who will be captivated by the engines and any toy train exhibits in the museum, to older kids and adults with an interest in industrial heritage. The volunteer team is genuinely knowledgeable and happy to chat, which adds a lot to the visit.