Midland Railway-Butterley

I myself consider this marvellous, most nostalgic derbyshire heritage railway, as one of the greatest, well-preserved railways in the united kingdom, home to some of the largest collections & motive power fleets of steam & heritage diesel locos large & small, The midland railway-butterley/MR-B, is also a fellow one-of-a-kind heritage railway, with a restored length of over three-&-a-half miles of train-track... roaming the surrounding amber valley countryide, from hammersmith station (from across butterley reservoir) through butterley, down the line to swanwick junction, from where the line continues onto ironville (near pye bridge) and back up to swanwick of whom an incredibly large complex of various buildings housing modes of transportation, a restored stretch of a former colliery branch line close-by... even a narrow-gauge railway (named, golden valley light railway) is located within the spectacular swanwick junction complex, The line then returns back to where train rides trundle through butterley station along the causeway above the waters of the reservoir into hammersmith station, then reverse back along said causeway and into butterley station, My very first visit to the MR-B/midland railway-butterley, was back in 2009 when I had just turned 18, my second visit followed (at my request) was in 2014, and my third visit was back in 2023, I still enjoy the marvellous nostalgia, for whom this delightful derbyshire heritage railway is as characterful & full of joyful pleasure to behold, no matter whatever the weather, My most favourite part of the MR-B, is at the superbly spectacular swanwick junction, where restoration groups and other societies also house their collections upon display for future generations, for whom the princess royal class locomotive trust is located out there, along with various sidings for space to place rolling stock in-between, I also like thus idolise the stetch of the line across butterley reservoir, a picture-perfect destination in it's simplicity, Dating back to the mid-1870s, 1875 to be exact, the midland railway (at butterley) has certainly msot definitely stood the test of time, forever soldiering on, in the name of preservation, giving the amber valley of derbyshire it's very own railway heritage, with so much more than a story to tell, In it's pre-preservation heyday, this terrific 3 (and-a-half) mile-long heritage railway was once part of the old ambergate-to-pye bridge line, but has since then (following closure under BR i nthe past) gone on to become one of the most well-preserved, well-kept heritage railways in the united kingdom. I do hope to revisit thus return to fondly experience the midland railway-butterley 'in-person' someday, I'd look forward to it... this is forever one of my most favourite heritage railways & fellow transportation destinations of all time. Tip-TOP.... 60 out of 60.

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Spent a fun day recently on a sunny Saturday. Great to see so much available on the large site from model railways set ups to stationery steam engines. Being able to take several rides on both steam and diesel trains was great fun. Lovely, friendly staff/volunteers added to the experience.

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Visited for the 2025 Santa Specials taking the last train of the season which left at 3:30pm on Christmas Eve. As a volunteer at another nearby heritage railway I fully appreciated what everyone at the Midland Railway had done to deliver this experience to local & visiting families. Lovely turned out diesel loco 45108 top-n-tailed with steam 3F Jinty 16440 (recently overhauled). Coaches all well presented & decorated. Staffed by lovely volunteers who provided great service. Santa visited every child at their family's table for a chat then giving each child a present. Parents & other adults get a choice of chocolate or shortbread snacks plus a choice of an alcoholic minature. On top of your 1½hr round trip there was a puppet show on a heated marquee in front of the station. Finally the local model railway society have an 00 gauge well done layout. On this the members were running a wide selection of Thomas the Tank Engine locos etc. Overall I felt this Santa Special experience was really well delivered by clearly dedicated volunteers. The value for money was very good and well within the pocket of most folk. Well done to everybody at the Midland Railway at Butterley for a job really well done. 👍🏻🎄🎅

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Really interesting day out. If you catch the first train and ride to the end of the line and back to Swanwick Jnc. You'll need most of the day to see everything

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