Step aboard the world famous Tanfield Railway, a great day out for all the family. Join us for an unforgettable journey on a vintage steam train with unique Victorian carriages and lovingly restored locomotives, for a six mile round trip through beautiful rolling countryside and a spectacular wooded valley.

Dating back to 1725, a whole century before the Stockton and Darlington Railway, the Tanfield is the world's oldest railway and has an unrivalled history. The line was built to transport coal from collieries in the Tanfield area to the River Tyne for shipment using the latest technology and ground breaking engineering of the day.

Today the railway, rebuilt by dedicated volunteers, is a showcase for the North East's rich railway heritage. You can experience steam locomotives built by legendary Tyneside concerns such as Robert Stephenson & Co, carriages just like those that carried miners to and from work and waggons that took coal on its journey from the Great Northern Coalfield to the world.

Steam trains operate every Sunday and Bank Holiday throughout the year, plus Thursday and Saturday during the school six week summer holidays. A whole host of exciting events take place during the year from North Pole Express trains to Tanfield Ghost trains, Gala Weekends to 1940s Weekends... there's lots of interesting things to see and do!