28/10/2011

Issued by the National Railway Museum

Members of the public are encouraged to save the dates 2 -10 June 2012 for Britain's biggest rail celebration at the National Railway Museum - Railfest 2012.

The nine day celebration of Britain's railways will see an enormous space the size of 11 football pitches bustling with an awe-inspiring line up of locomotives from the Museum's collection and visiting locomotives from across the UK. A wide variety of railway-related activities, attractions, sights, sounds and smells will add to the exciting atmosphere with the opportunity to get up close to the exhibits.

The festival will bring together over 30 record-breaking locomotives that have made their mark on rail history for being the fastest, largest, strongest, first, last and oldest. Among the confirmed record-breaking attendees is holder of the record for the fastest steam locomotive at 126mph, Mallard, the newest mainline steam locomotive in operation, Tornado, and the most powerful industrial steam locomotive built for use in the UK, Mardy Monster. The first locomotive to reach 100mph, Flying Scotsman, is also set to attend the event following the completion of its restoration.

With key support from the leading rail magazine titles; RAIL, Steam Railway and Model Rail, the festival is expected to draw railway fans from far and wide.

Steve Davies, Director of the National Railway Museum, said:
"Our previous Railfest in 2004 celebrated the bicentenary of Britain's railways and proved to be a huge success by attracting over 60,000 visitors. Next year we hope to top this by providing an even bigger and better event. We're certain that rail fans young and old will be well catered for and we look forward to making 2012 a year to remember at the National Railway Museum"

Joining the impressive locomotive line-up will be a selection of weird and wonderful railway vehicles including a sailing train and demonstrations from unusual railway equipment including snow ploughs and leaf blowers, which passengers rarely see.

The action-packed event will invite visitors to get-up even closer to the exhibits and locomotives by climbing into the driver's cab, taking a ride behind working engines and speaking to inspiring railway characters. In addition to the giant engines, there'll also be a wide variety of miniature locos and magnificent toy train displays from some of the biggest names in model railways. Hundreds of stalls, refreshment areas and live music will also add to the bustling and exciting atmosphere.

Railfest 2012 will be a paid admission event and tickets are expected to go on sale in the New Year with a discount for advance bookings. Railfest will be hosted in an outdoor area at the Museum with entry to the rest of the Museum remaining free to visitors during the 9 day event. For all the latest updates and announcements, visit www.nrm.org.uk/railfest2012  or sign-up to receive the Museum's email newsletter.

ENDS