Take to the controls of the mighty Class 47 47580 ‘County of Essex’!
Visiting us from the Mid Norfolk Railway this August is Class 47 47580 ‘County of Essex’ and we have the opportunity for you to take to the controls of the mighty 2,700Hp ‘Brush Type 4 locomotive between Tunbridge Wells West and Birchden Junction!
Priced at just £375, you can drive the Class 47 with carriages from Tunbridge Wells West to Groombridge before uncoupling and heading ‘light engine’ to Birchden Junction. There, you will change the ends of 47580 before returning to Groombridge, collecting the carriages, and powering uphill back to Tunbridge Wells West.
Each experience allows you to bring two guests who can travel on the train whilst you drive, and you will get to drive for a solid 8 miles along the Spa Valley Railway.
A certificate and goody bag of your experience will be presented to you upon return to Tunbridge Wells West.
Book now for a go at the controls of Class 47 47580 ‘County of Essex’!
Please note the following/terms and conditions applicable to ALL Driver Experiences for the participants and any guests riding on the footplate:
- They must be aged 18 or over and in good health.
- All locomotives and units are subject to availability.
- No guests are permitted, only the participant.
- You must be able to climb a 6-foot vertical ladder to gain access to the locomotive’s footplate.
- You must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- 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.
- We reserve the right to alter the contents of a driver experience (including locomotives/units) without prior warning. This may be due to a failure, but we’ll always do our best to ensure your experience proceeds without issue.
- Please ensure you are positioned next to the locomotive you are scheduled to drive at the correct location, 5 minutes prior to your timed slot. Failure to do so may result in no driving experience taking place, and no refund will be given.
- Locomotives or units are subject to availability and may occasionally suffer failures. We therefore reserve the right to alter the locomotive used on any driver experience, whether steam or diesel.
There are no upcoming events for this just yet - or it may have recently passed. Check back later in the year for updates!
