Easter Steam Up

21 Apr 2019 - 22 Apr 2019

Steam into Spring at The Mid Suffolk Light Railway

This is the first big weekend of the 2019 season at The Middy, Suffolk’s only standard gauge preserved railway.

All the railway and museum facilities including the museum, shop, café and Restoration Shed and the Middy’s real ale bar coach, The Kitchener Arms will be open for business together with steam train rides in genuine Victorian 4-wheeled coaches.

And there will be Easter Bunny hunts for younger visitors.

With its unique atmosphere, the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway, 2015’s Suffolk Museum of the year, offers a fascinating picture of what life was like on and around a rural railway during the early part of the last century. A great way to celebrate the Easter weekend for families and rail fans alike.

Bar Open

‘Sirapite’ will be guest loco for 2019 season.

21 Apr 2019 - 8 Sep 2019

The Middy has confirmed their guest locomotive for 2019 will be ‘Sirapite’, the near legendary 1906 Aveling & Porter 0-4-0-WT, which was the works shunter at Garretts of Leiston for over 30 years.

Before its long working life at Garretts, the locomotive had previously worked at the Gypsum Mine Works in Sussex where that company made Plaster of Paris. It was originally intended to call the both the product and the engine ‘Parisite’, until the somewhat unfortunate connotations were pointed out and a more acceptable marketing strategy was adopted.

It is believed that since then, ‘Sirapite’ has never made a working visit to another railway and the Middy is very pleased to welcome this example of East Anglian Railway history to join us this year.

“Sirapite’ is basically a traction engine on rails and weighs only 8 tons 10 cwt, too light to pull passenger vehicles, so during the Middy steaming season it will be in action on selected days on shunting and goods vehicle demonstrations.

Details will be published here once dates are confirmed.

Middy in the War Years 5th and 6th May

5 May 2019 - 6 May 2019

Bank Holiday weekend 5th and 6th May will see two days recreating the atmosphere and scenes of World War II at The Mid Suffolk Light Railway.

Featuring wartime displays, reenactment demonstrations and military vehicles, this year’s event will see an expanded range of displays for visitors to enjoy such as military encampments, battle scenes as well as a number of displays dedicated to how people lived their lives on the home front. There will also be music and dancing from the Brown Penny Club swing dancers.

 This year we will also welcome back the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (TBC.)

As well as unlimited rides on trains with two locos in steam, all the Middy facilities will be open including our well stocked tea room, real ale bar and souvenir shop.

Railways played an important role in wartime Britain, and the ‘Middy’ was no exception as it not only served local communities but two local American air bases with supplies and munitions. WWII was one of the few periods in its history when the Middy actually paid its way.

Event Timetable and Programme Details will be published soon – watch this space.

Prices: Adults £12.00, Children £6.00, Concessions £10.00, Families £30.00

Opening times: 11.00 to 17.00 both days. Last trains approx 16.00.

Bar Open