Events
Santa Terms and Conditions
- Any booking is made subject to the Conditions of Carriage of the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. Click here to view these, which will open in a new browser tab or window.
- Concessionary fares, members’ free tickets, complimentary tickets, HRA and other passes cannot be used on Santa Express train services.
- Those purchasing tickets must check their booking, as it may not be possible to exchange or refund tickets after purchase, and if it is an administration charge may be payable. The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd and Wilson Digital Media Ltd cannot be held responsible for any tickets which are lost or stolen.
- If this booking is re-sold or transferred for profit or commercial gain by anyone other than the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd or Wilson Digital Media Ltd, it may be voided and the ticket holder may be refused travel. The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd and Wilson Digital Media Ltd reserve the right to cancel bookings for tickets which they reasonably suspect to have been made fraudulently.
- Whilst every effort will be made to provide the advertised Santa Express train services, The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. reserves the right to amend or cancel any service without prior notice and accepts no liability whatsoever for any inconvenience, loss or disappointment caused, including travel expenses.
- It is the responsibility of the ticket holders to ascertain whether a train service has been cancelled and the date and time of any rearranged service. If a train service is cancelled or rescheduled, Wilson Digital Media Ltd will use reasonable endeavours to notify intending passengers who have booked through them of the cancellation, once they have received the relevant authorisation from the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd, but neither Wilson Digital Media Ltd nor the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd can guarantee that ticket holders will be informed of such cancellation before the date of travel.
- If a train service is rescheduled, ticket holders will be offered tickets to the rescheduled service, equivalent to the face value of the ticket. If a train service is cancelled, ticket holders will be offered travel on an alternative service (subject to availability) up to the value on the ticket. If no alternative service is available the fares will be refunded.
- Passengers for Santa Express trains must arrive at least 20 minutes before the train on which they will be travelling is due to depart.
- Passengers must comply with all relevant statutes, safety announcements and other instructions from staff of the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd whilst travelling.
- The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd reserves the right to refuse admission to any persons who may breach any of these conditions, or any of the Conditions of Carriage of the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. Unacceptable behaviour likely to cause damage, nuisance or injury will entitle the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd to refuse ticket holders admission, or refuse to carry them as a passenger.
- The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd may on occasions have to conduct security searches to ensure the safety of persons coming onto its site or travelling on its trains.
- Tickets for Santa Express trains are each valid only for one return journey to Park Halt and back on the same train. They are not valid for getting off at Park Halt in order to return on a later train.
- The only animals permitted on the Santa Trains are assistance dogs.
- Passengers consent to filming and sound recording by other passengers and visitors, but since the Santa Express trains are operated primarily for children travelling with their families and friends, passengers must be sensitive with regard to photography on or near the trains.
- The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd operates a strict policy of No Smoking and no use of e-Cigarettes on its trains.
- Hot drinks may not be taken onto the Santa Express trains.
- The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd. and Wilson Digital Media Ltd accept no responsibility for any personal property.
- In accordance with the Privacy Policy of the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd, the customer details of passengers will only be used for the marketing purposes of the Middleton Railway Trust Ltd if the customers have given explicit permission for this. These details will not be passed to any other organisation.
- All of these terms and conditions are governed by English Law.
More Information
Other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Santa Express 2022
We are pleased to announce that we will be running Santa Express trains in December 2022.
Advice for Passengers
Our station is in Moor Road in Hunslet, which is in South Leeds. To find it, set your Satnav for the postcode LS10 2JQ. Be aware that there is another Moor Road in Leeds, but this is in Headingley, and several miles away.
Please make every effort to arrive at least 20 minutes before your train is due to depart. The trains must run to time, and so they can not wait for you. If you miss your train we will do our best to make alternative arrangements for you, but we can not guarantee that this will be possible.
Please make allowances for possible delays from traffic congestion on the roads, and especially if you are having to travel across Leeds, or use any of the motorways: it only needs one minor incident to clog the roads up badly.
Meeting Santa
Christmas magic will start the moment that you enter our festively decorated Engine House. You will be asked to follow the signs upstairs and through the lit walkway to the waiting area, where you will pick up your tickets and present vouchers from our Ticket Manager. Then at the appropriate time the Train Manager will take you out to the Santa Express waiting in the platform. On your journey to the park and back Santa will have a specially selected present for each member of his young audience.
When the train returns to Moor Road, please make your way through the decorated Display Hall where you can see Santa in his grotto, and then enjoy tea or coffee with mince pies for the adults, or juice and biscuits for the children.
Our popular Santa Express Trains start running on Saturday 3rd December 2022. Each child aged up to 12 years inclusive for whom a fare has been paid will be given a present by Santa whilst travelling on the train.
Babies aged 0 to 12 months, who do not require a seat or a present from Santa, travel free. For these trains children aged 13 years and above are treated as adults, and are not eligible for a present from Santa.
Our Santa Trains are very popular and so you are strongly advised to book in advance, and this is also cheaper. For Christmas Eve advance booking is essential, as tickets are not normally sold on the day. Details of how to book in advance are given below.
Please note that our Santa Express trains are not normal service trains, in that each ticket is valid only for one round trip on the specified train. This means that you must return from Park Halt on the same train; the option of getting off at Park Halt and returning on a later train is not available.
Because of limited space, we regret that the only animals we can permit on the Santa Trains are assistance dogs. During our normal operating season, from Easter to the end of October, dogs on leads are very welcome.
Trains will normally be hauled by a steam locomotive, but occasionally operating conditions (such as bad weather) may mean that a diesel locomotive has to be added to the rear of the train.
As these trains are operated primarily for children travelling with their families and friends, we ask all visitors to be sensitive with regard to photography, on or near the trains.
Also, ventilation is an important precaution against the possible spread of colds, flu or corona virus, and so we will be keeping windows open whenever practical. Please do wrap up warmly.
Train Times
Timetable
The dates when trains will run, and the times at which they will run, are shown in this table.
| Service Code | A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | |
| Saturday | December 3rd | 10:00 Quiet | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
| Sunday | December 4th | 10:00 Quiet | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
| Saturday | December 10th | 10:00 Quiet | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
| Sunday | December 11th | 10:00 Quiet | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
| Saturday | December 17th | 10:00 | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
| Sunday | December 18th | 10:00 | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
| Friday | December 23rd | 10:00 | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
| Saturday | December 24th | 10:00 | 10:45 | 11:30 | 12:15 | 13:30 | 14:15 | 15:00 | 15:45 |
Quiet Trains
As shown in the table above, the 10.00 train on each of the following days will be a "quiet train":
- Saturday 3rd December;
- Sunday 4th December;
- Saturday 10th December; and
- Sunday 11th December.
This means that there will be more space on the coaches for people with disabilities, or who wish to be spaced out so as to enjoy a quiet atmosphere.
Fares
Please note that concessionary fare offers, members’ free tickets, complimentary tickets, HRA passes and other passes are not valid for Santa Express services. The only exception to this is free travel for a carer accompanying a fare-paying passenger. Please telephone for further details of this.
Booked in advance
Pre-booking is mandatory for Christmas Eve Trains (24th December)
Adult (includes child aged 13 or more): £11.75 (£12.75 for 24th December)
Child (3 to 12 years inclusive): £14.75 (£15.75 for 24th December)
Child (Under 3 years, with a present from Santa): £10.00 (£11.00 for 24th December)
Babies (0 to 12 months, with no present and no seat): FREE.
Note that there are no additional booking charges for booking in advance.
Booked on day of travel
Please note that these tickets will not be available on Christmas Eve (24th December)
Adult (includes child aged 13 or more): £12.75
Child (3 to 12 years inclusive): £15.75
Child (Under 3 years, with a present from Santa): £11.00
Babies (0 to 12 months, with no present and no seat): FREE.
How to book
Online
We can take online bookings through a separate booking site, provided for us by Wilson Digital Media Ltd. There is no additional charge for online bookings.
Tickets cannot be booked online after 02:00 on the Thursday before the train runs.
Note 1: the booking site will open in a new browser tab or window.
Note 2: if the train for which you wish to book is shown on the booking site as either "SOLD OUT" or "Limited Seats - CALL" then you will not be able to book online, and will need to book either by telephone or in person, as described below.
Note 3: for online orders, the number of tickets for one booking is limited to 10, and so if you are wanting to book for a large party it will probably be better to do this by telephone or in person, as described below.
When you make an online booking you will receive an email message confirming your booking, and giving you a unique booking reference number. Please make a careful record of this, and then bring it with you to the Ticket Desk on your day of travel, and it will be used to issue you with your tickets. If you do not receive such a message within a few minutes of booking, please check your email spam folders!
Telephone
Telephone bookings are now open. Please note that when booking in advance by telephone, tickets must be paid for at the time of booking.
We accept most major credit and debit cards (except American Express & Diners Card), so please look at the booking form in our Santa leaflet here (which will open in another browser tab or window) and either print a copy if you wish, or make a note of your requirements. Then call our Santa Hotline on 07376 744 799 (Monday to Friday, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm only, please) and let us know what you wish to book.
Once your booking has been made you will be given a unique booking reference number, and you need to keep a note of this, bring it to the Ticket Desk on your day of travel and it will be exchanged for your tickets and present vouchers. Also, you will be given your payment card transaction receipt.
Please note that, apart from the online booking facility, we do NOT use any ticketing agencies for booking these trains, and because we are all volunteers there may be times when you get an answering service for a call to our Santa Hotline. If this happens then please state your name and number twice, speaking slowly and clearly, and we will get back to you as soon as possible (usually on the same day, but we can not guarantee this).
In Person
You may book your tickets in advance at our Moor Road Ticket Office. Note, though, that during November we will be closed in order to prepare for these trains, and so you will have to book either online or by telephone. Most major credit and debit cards are accepted (except American Express & Diners Card), as well as cash or cheques.
Terms and Conditions
Please click here to see the terms and conditions that apply to the Santa Express trains. This page will open in a new tab or window in your browser,
More Information
Other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Model Railway Exhibition 2022
Returning after CoViD, our annual Model Railway Exhibition will take place in the Engine House on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd July 2022.
We will be open from 10:00 until 16:30 each day, and steam passenger trains will operate regularly between 10:30 and 15:30 on both days. Light refreshments will be available in our shop/café.
You can admire the models set amongst the real thing in our Engine House and you can travel on a full size steam train. There will also be the opportunity (for those 18 or over) to drive a full size diesel locomotive, as we will be operating 'Driver Experiences' on one of ours - when did you last do that at a Model Railway Exhibition? More details of these opportunities are given below.
With the exception of a 'Driver Experience', all areas of the exhibition and the train rides will be accessible to visitors with disabilities.
Admission
Exhibition/Engine House/Platform without train rides:
Adult: £7.00
Child: £3.00
Exhibition/Engine House plus unlimited train rides:
Adult: £10.00
Child: £3.00
Features
We are expecting up to 9 layouts in a variety of scales: 0, 00, N, T & 009 at least. Layouts will include: Ribblehead (T), Lockden (009), Millfield Yard (N), Queens Road Depot (00), Little Aire (00) and Ethel Halt (0). Reminding us that model railways are fun too we have vintage Tri-ang OO and TT, and UK Train Sim Live will be presenting new technology for model railways. Traders will include Keith’s Model Railways, Helm Models & Hobbies, Leigh Models & Hobbies, Going Loco Models and some second hand tables.
This is an event for all the family - not just the modeller. When the non-modellers have exhausted the facilities we offer at Moor Road we have Middleton Park and Woods at the top of the line, the Tulip Retail Park is opposite and the White Rose Shopping Centre is just a short distance away. We pride ourselves on a welcome for all - come and experience it for yourselves.
Two of the layouts at the 2019 model railway exhibition, with NER 1310 in the background.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2019
If you need any further details of the exhibition, you can contact Ian Dobson (the exhibition organiser) by e-mail
"Driver Experience"
The "driver experience" at this exhibition will give you the chance to drive one of our diesel locomotives for a short distance, up and down one of our sidings. This will be under instruction from one of our senior drivers, who will make sure that nothing can go wrong.
There are a number of special conditions that do have to apply to this, and these are as follows.
- For a "driver experience" you must be at least 18 years old, and not older than 76 years.
- You also need to be in reasonable health - at least up to the level that is required to drive a motor car - and at the time of the experience you must not be under the influence of either drink or drugs.
- No prior booking is needed: experiences will be available on a first-come-first-served basis.
- In return for the experience, donations are invited towards the ongoing work of the Middleton Railway: a minimum figure of £5 is requested, but if you are willing to donate more than this it will be much appreciated.
- You should wear suitable clothes, and reasonably stout shoes. We can then lend you a dustcoat for the duration of the experience.
More Information
Other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Events 2022
With things returning to something like normality after the corona virus pandemic and the associated lockdowns, we are planning a programme of special events for 2022. Details of each of these events are given below, and we expect to be adding others soon, so please watch out for these.
If you are interested in some of the previous events that we have run, then details of selected ones are available, and a separate page describes these.
Leeds Classic Bus Running Day
Sunday 14th August 2022
A bus at the railway, taking part in the 2018 day
Rides on vintage Leeds buses
This event returns after a break caused by CoViD.
It will see vintage Leeds City Transport buses (and others) running on a route through the city that links up local museums.
Steam trains will run, and the normal timetable and fares will apply. Nearer the time a separate page will give more details of this event.
Autumn Gala
Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th September 2022
Our two 90-year old diesel locomotives
90 Years of the Diesel
This will be a special event to mark the pioneering development of diesel locomotives, which were first used successfully 90 years ago. It coincides with the first weekend of the Heritage Open Days.
Special timetables will operate on both days, and special fares will apply.
Nearer the time a separate page will give more details of this event.
Heritage Open Weekend
Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th September 2022
Heritage Open Days
Find out More about our Industrial Heritage
For the second weekend of the nation-wide "Heritage Open Days" event, we are offering illustrated in-person talks about this historic site, on the railway where the world’s very first successful, load-hauling steam locomotive ran in the year of 1812.
The talks, which will last some 20 to 25 minutes, will run hourly from 10.00 to 3.00 p.m. on each day, and there will be no need to book for them. They will take visitors briefly through our history, from the working of the coal outcrops in Middleton Woods in mediaeval times, via the country’s first wooden (horse-drawn) railway in the eighteenth century and the revolutionary steam loco “Salamanca” - arguably, Leeds’ premier contribution to the Industrial Revolution - to the present situation as the country‘s first standard-gauge preserved railway. After that, visitors will be welcome to buy a ticket and ride on our trains!
The normal timetable will operate on both days, and the normal fares will apply.
Star Rails
Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October 2022
Special Guests from Star Wars
The Return of our Comic-Con style Event!
Following on from the success of our Star Rails days in 2018 and 2019, this return (after a break caused by CoViD) will feature special exhibits, sci-fi characters in costume, and more.
Special fares will apply, and nearer the time a separate page will give more details of this event.
Steam trains will run on both days, and the normal timetable will apply.
Santa Specials
Saturday 3rd, Sunday 4th, Saturday 10th, Sunday 11th, Saturday 17th, Sunday 18th, Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th December 2022
Meet Santa Claus on our trains!
A separate page gives more details of these trains, and of how to book for them, including the facility to book online.
Bookings are now open.
Mince Pie Specials
Sunday 1st January 2023
Mark New Year's Day
The ideal way to celebrate New Year 2023 (and perhaps even to recuperate from New Year’s Eve).
Trains will depart from our Moor Road Station at: 12:00, 12:45, 13:30, 14:15 and 15:00.
Fares: Adult £7.00; Children £3.00; Family £18.00 (2 adults and up to 3 children). (Note: single tickets are not available for this event.)
New Year tickets include unlimited rides (and a mince pie), and you do not need to return from Park Halt on the same train, so that if you wish to get off the train and go for a walk in the Park you are welcome to do so (but please don't miss the last train back!).
More Information
Other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
Santa Specials 2022
We are planning to run our Santa Specials for 2022, but the details have not yet been fixed.
We shall be aiming to have the bookings for them open on 1st August.
Watch this space for more details as they become available!
More Information
Other pages of our web site will provide more information about:
