How to become a steam train driver for a day in County Durham

Tanfield Railway, known as the world’s oldest railway, has launched its new Steam Driver Experiences, offering a rare opportunity to operate one of its historic industrial locomotives.

Under the guidance of a qualified crew, participants will spend 40 minutes on the footplate learning how to drive the powerful engines, including models like Sir Cecil A Cochrane and Keighley Corporation Gas Dept No.2.

Tanfield Railway in County Durham, the world’s oldest railway, has launched new Steam Driver Experiences, allowing visitors to operate historic industrial locomotives and enjoy a unique hands-on heritage attraction. (Image: Tanfield Railway)

Euan Sharp, visitor experience lead at Tanfield Railway, said: “Our experience packages have been incredibly popular over the past few years, and the response from the public has been nothing short of fantastic.

“However, the Steam Driver Experience is the one we’ve been working so hard to offer, and I’m thrilled it’s finally here.

“It provides a true, hands-on experience of our industrial railway heritage, and you never know, we might even get a few more volunteers out of it too.”

These rugged locomotives, built for industrial work rather than speed, were manufactured by historic Tyneside firms Robert Stephenson and Hawthorn Leslie, capturing a piece of the North East’s industrial legacy.

Participants will wear traditional footplate attire, including a flat cap and boiler suit, and will be taught how to master the regulator and tackle the steep 1-in-40 gradients that have tested engine crews for generations.

Tanfield Railway in County Durham, the world’s oldest railway, has launched new Steam Driver Experiences, allowing visitors to operate historic industrial locomotives and enjoy a unique hands-on heritage attraction. (Image: Tanfield Railway)

The experience also includes a complimentary day of unlimited train travel for the participant and a guest, plus a Tanfield Railway goody bag.

Sessions are currently scheduled for May 25, July 5, August 1, and August 31.

Participants must be aged 21 or over and meet basic fitness requirements to safely enter and operate the locomotive cab.

Booking is available now at www.tanfield-railway.co.uk, and spaces are expected to sell out quickly.

Tanfield Railway operates on the route of a historic waggonway first laid in 1725 to transport coal from the Tanfield area to the River Tyne.

Today, it serves as a living museum, preserving the atmosphere and machinery of the industrial era from 1920 to 1950.

Visitors can explore the Marley Hill Engine Shed, the oldest working engine shed in the world, in use since 1854.

They can also visit the iconic Causey Arch, the world’s oldest surviving single-span railway bridge.

The railway is maintained and operated almost entirely by a dedicated team of volunteers.