Steam Driver Experience!

Drive a steam engine for just £350!
We're delighted to bring you the opportunity of driving a real life steam locomotive during the evenings at the Spa Valley Railway!

At the end of passenger service on some operating days this Summer you can book a slot at 17:00 to drive a steam locomotive light engine on a journey down the Spa Valley Railway taking the controls, operating the regulator, the brakes and the reverser as well as experiencing what its like to see the railway from the footplate. Our driver will give you full instruction throughout the journey and at the end of it you will be presented with a certificate commemorating your experience.

The participant will have the chance to drive a light steam engine (without carriages) from Tunbridge Wells West to Birchden Junction and back, a total of 8 miles driivng. 

Dates for 2024 are now on sale, scroll down! 

Please note the following/terms and conditions applicable to ALL Driver Experiences:

• Participants must be aged 18 or over and in good health.
• All steam locomotives and units are subject to availability.
• Please note this experiences is for one participant only and we cannot accommodate any guests on this experience.
• You or the participant must be able to climb a 6ft vertical ladder to gain access to the locomotives footplate.
• You must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Non-flammable clothing that covers both arms and legs plus strong footwear are required - we recommend steel toe capped boots.
• The Spa Valley reserves the right to cancel or suspend a driver experience if the participant is suspected of being under the influence of alcohol or drugs or is seen to be physically not fit enough to undertake the experience.
• Please do bring a camera if you wish!
• We reserve the right to alter the contents of a driver experience (including locomotives / units) without prior warning, this may be as a result of failure but we'll always do our best to ensure your experience goes ahead without issue.
• Please make sure you arrive 15 minutes prior to your experience commencing.
• Locomotives or units are all subject to availability, they are over 60yrs old and so from time to time suffer failures - we therefore reserve the right to alter the locomotive used on any driver experience be it steam or diesel.

Please note: Guests cannot be accommodated on this experience, however, they are more than welcome to wait at Tunbridge Wells West and take photos with you before and after your experience.