Midland Railway Butterley

Butterley Station, Ripley, Derbyshire DE5 3QZ
Tel: 01773 570140

The Midland Railway – Butterley is one of the most unusual Heritage Railways in the country in that it so much more than just a railway.

The railway is a very pleasant three and a half mile ride through this surprisingly rural part of East Derbyshire with notable attractions being the causeway crossing over the middle of Butterfly Reservoir and the chance to view more modern trains passing at its Eastern Terminus.

However no trip to the Midland Railway, Butterley is complete without a visit to its museum site. This impressive development includes a large number of fascinating attractions including a large Railway Museum, a 35 acre Country Park, Demonstration Signal Box and Victorian Railwayman’s Church, all of which are open every day that trains run.

Associated with the railway is the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust with its impressive collection of main line locomotives and the Midland Diesel Group with over 25 main line diesel locomotives in its collection. Both these groups have permanent displays at the Railway. The Narrow Gauge Golden Valley Light Railway and the Butterley Park Miniature Railway both operate most weekends during the summer to allow visitors to experience other forms of rail travel.

Several hours can easily be spent at the museum site and there is a well equipped buffet open that serves a wide range of refreshments and on most days that trains operate there is a large souvenir shop that also contains a number of additional displays.

The Railway also operates a number of Wine and Dine train services including evening Wine and Dine Charters, birthday parties, Sunday lunches and many other special activities. The Railway is also licensed for weddings. The Railway’s Footplate Experience Courses give participants the ideal opportunity to fulfil a childhood dream of driving a full sized steam locomotive.