Churnet Valley Railway (1992) PLC

31/08/2026

Rain, rain, go away… our passengers came anyway! 🌧️🍽️

As the rain pours down at Cheddleton and WD 701 rests at the MPD, another Bank Holiday weekend draws to a close — and what a weekend it has been!
We’re delighted to report that this has been our most successful August Bank Holiday weekend to date! 🎉

With back-to-back Murder Mystery evening services, our new-for-2026 Greek Evenings, and today’s good old-fashioned roast, there’s been plenty to enjoy.
Since Friday evening, we’ve welcomed 619 dining passengers across our services, and we’ve absolutely loved hosting every single one of you. ❤️
We’d also like to say a huge thank you to the 800 passengers who joined us for a train ride over the weekend. 🚂

None of this would be possible without the continued support of our customers. Your support allows us to keep operating this little piece of Staffordshire’s industrial heritage.
But, more importantly, without our fantastic volunteers, we simply couldn’t operate a single train.

So, a massive THANK YOU to each and every volunteer who gave up their time and supported us over what has been an incredibly busy weekend. From stations and operations to the Motive Power Department and everything in between — we couldn’t do it without you. 👏

Fancy becoming part of the team? We’re always looking for more volunteers! Whether you’re interested in station staff, the operations team, the Motive Power Department or something completely different, there’s a place for you.

[email protected]

Thank you once again to everyone who supported us this Bank Holiday weekend. ❤️🚂

01/08/2026

Whilst we always try to keep our posts positive, celebrating the incredible work of our volunteers and staff, and sharing the wonderful experiences our visitors have, occasionally something happens that simply leaves us shaking our heads.

Over recent days we have discovered that the fence we erected at the site of the future Leek station has been deliberately dismantled. Rather than being damaged accidentally, the fence has been carefully unscrewed, paling by paling, with the screws removed as well.

Sadly, that wasn't the end of it.

Our small JCB mini digger, generously funded by one of our volunteers some years ago, had been left on our land for just 24 hours awaiting collection back to our maintenance depot. During that short time, someone decided to vandalise it. Controls have been ripped off, electrical components torn out, the dipstick removed and, unbelievably, dirt and grit poured into the engine sump.

This wasn't an abandoned machine. It wasn't causing anyone any harm. It was simply waiting to be collected after helping our volunteers maintain the railway.

The real victims are our volunteers. They give up their own time, freely and willingly, to preserve and improve this railway for everyone to enjoy. They now find themselves without a vital piece of equipment that makes so many maintenance tasks quicker, safer and easier. We must now either find a replacement or hope that someone with the necessary expertise can repair what has been damaged.

We simply cannot understand why anyone would choose to do this. It serves no purpose, benefits nobody and only diverts money and volunteer effort away from improving the railway.

If anyone has seen anything suspicious around the Leek extension or has any information that may assist us, however small it may seem, we would be grateful if you could contact us privately.

Let's hope that the vast majority of people, who support and care about the railway, continue to outweigh the actions of the very few who do not.

18/07/2026

15/07/2026

🍴✨ FOOD, GLORIOUS FOOD! ✨🍴

No festival is complete without fantastic food, and we've got plenty on offer across the weekend at our wonderful Beer Festival! 🍺🚂

🍰 Friday – Warm Up for the Big Weekend

Join us at Froghall where our tearoom will be serving its usual delicious selection of food and refreshments throughout the day. With all bars across the site open as we launch the festival weekend, it's the perfect opportunity to ease yourself into the celebrations before the big day on Saturday!

🥧 Saturday – A Feast Across the Valley

At Froghall, tuck into freshly prepared pies, peas and mash as well as the usual offering of tea, coffee, cake and sandwiches – the perfect festival comfort food.

Jump aboard the train and head to Consall, where our popular in-house BBQ team as well as the fantastic Cheddleton Oatcakes will be firing up their grills alongside 35 ales and a fantastic programme of live music. 🍔🎶🍺

Over at Cheddleton, we are excited to introduce La Piccola Pizzeria, joining Dizzies Fish & Chips – a familiar face to many of you from our magical Polar Express™ Train Ride. 🍕🐟🍟

Both vendors will be serving from 10:30am until 10:00pm, keeping festivalgoers fuelled all day long.

🥞 Sunday – One Last Treat

The popular Cheddleton Oatcake van and our BBQ will be serving at Consall, while at Froghall the tearoom will once again be offering its usual delicious selection of homemade favourites.

Wherever you choose to spend your weekend, make sure you arrive hungry! 😋🍴

14/07/2026

🍺🎶 **The Rail Ale Trail Beer Festival is here this weekend!** 🎶🍺

Join us for a fantastic weekend of real ales, great music, and good times across our two venues at Consall and Cheddleton. You heard correct, this year for the first time since 2019 we have live music at Cheddleton. Located in the lower car pake you will find 20 ales, Fish and Chip Van and a Pizza van all open all day Saturday.

We've got an incredible line-up of live entertainment running all weekend to keep the festival atmosphere going from first pint to last orders! 🍻

Friday
📍 **Consall**
• Amy Sue – 5:00pm
• 3s A Crowd – 7:00pm

📍 **Cheddleton**
• Andy Johnson – 5:00pm & 7:00pm

Saturday
📍 **Consall**
• The Ronnies – 12:30pm
• Louise Millar – 2:30pm
• Chasing Twisters – 4:30pm
• Out Foxed – 6:30pm

📍 **Cheddleton**
• DJ Set – from 10:00am
• Wayne Ryles – 3:30pm
• Mileage – 5:30pm
• Crosshair – 7:30pm

Sunday
📍 **Consall**
• Johnny Lowe – 11:00am
• Ocean Drive Duo – 1:00pm

📍 **Cheddleton**
• DJ Set all day with requests welcome! 🎧

Bring your friends, enjoy some fantastic beers, support local musicians, and make a weekend of it! We can't wait to see you there. 🍺🚂🎶

01/07/2026

**Better late than never!**

As a team, we find ourselves in a bit of a lull period at the moment due to the fantastic weather, which isn't necessarily a bad thing as it gives us the opportunity to crack on with some of the more tedious and long-winded jobs.

Starting with **RK 80030**, we've now fitted an underfloor vent to improve the flow of cold air into the fridge room. With the increased number of services we're currently running, we've found the batteries are really taking a hammering in this hot weather. We're currently operating **eight dining services a week** 😳

Progress on **4354** continues, with work pressing on with all the new panelling. There are now well over 100 brand-new panels, all cut and fitted out, which are currently receiving their second coat of varnish — just one more coat to go!

**35473** continues to progress in the background. Melvin returned from holiday this week and has made a start on running all the new wiring from the roof down underneath the vehicle. Everything is now terminated in the roof, and materials have been ordered to complete the remaining underfloor work.

We're also making new battery box doors and improving a number of existing components, as we do across all of our stock. The footboards have now been removed and will be replaced with completely new ones. On the wheelsets, we've completed the bearing work and have started painting them ready to be refitted beneath the bogies. Unpictured is the considerable amount of bogie components that have been cleaned and prepared ready for painting and reassembly.

28/06/2026

Sunday Lunch... on a Monday (31st August)! 🍽️🚂**

Looking for a special way to round off the August Bank Holiday weekend?

We're pleased to say that we still have a small amount of availability remaining on our **Monday dining service**, where you can enjoy a traditional **Sunday Lunch on a Monday** aboard the Churnet Valley Railway.

Join us on what will be the final Bank Holiday of the year for a delicious meal, beautiful Staffordshire Moorlands scenery, and a relaxing steam-hauled journey through the valley.

Spaces are limited, so book now to avoid disappointment!

https://www.churnetvalleyrailway.co.uk/events/calendar?date=31/08/2026

19/06/2026

A little history lesson on our guest

Celebrating 70 vibrant years, Wimblebury, built in 1956 for the NCB (works number 3839), proudly carries the name of the colliery she served—Wimblebury—and bore the number 7 (distinct from Littleton No. 7). Part of the Cannock Chase system, she likely crossed paths with other our own diesel shunter Roger. Preserved since 1973 by Alan Williamson, an Endon farmer, she was a powerhouse at Foxfield throughout the ’70s and ’80s. After a brief rest in the ’90s, she steamed back to life in 2004, and her latest overhaul in 2017

14/06/2026

Wimblebury Steaming into Summer

Following discussions with our friends at Foxfield Railway, we are delighted to announce that Wimblebury will be joining the Churnet Valley team for a few months this summer to provide some of our steam services. Here is a selection of photos of Wimblebury while working at its home in Cannock Chase system, and in preservation at the Foxfield Railway. We’d like to extend our thanks to Foxfield Railway and Wimblebury’s owner for letting us hire the engine at such short notice.

Keep your eye peeled for Wimblebury at Cheddleton MPD over the next few days.

10/06/2026

Carriage and Wagon Wednesdays: 🚃🚃

Starting with 35473, the BSK has made its way into the shed for the first time since the early 2010s. The coach has been our stand by brake coach since 2020 when it was decided to repaint the current BSK 35343 during 2020/21. The bogies under 35473 have been stripped and the wheels removed so we could check the horn guide liners. The good news is that the wheels slid straight out, so we know the liners are in good condition. After a clean-up and inspection of the brake components, these will be painted and made ready to go back underneath.
The less welcome news is that the chassis wiring has been found to be in a rather poor state, so we’ll now be replacing the lot and carrying out a complete underframe rewire, along with the other jobs already discussed. We are always looking for more electrically skilled volunteers, if you think you can help even if it is once every two months then please get in touch.

Mk1 TSO 4354 has now had its roof repairs completed, along with a couple of coats of paint. It has been pulled back outside awaiting some contractor work. Although work has slowed down while the contractors work, it hasn’t stopped new panels and trimmings being made, painted, stained and varnished ready for fitting.
Out in the yard, alongside 35473’s bogies, we’ve also made a great start on stripping the pair of Mk2 B4 bogies. This will now form part of a rolling programme to bring our Mk2s bogies in for mechanical work (bogies are examined year but this year we have started a bogie overall process rather than spot repairs while we have shed capacity).

Thank you to the volunteers and staff which make all this possible. If you think you may be interested then feel free to get in touch so we can get you involved with the railway (no experience needed).