Steam Into Christmas - Didcot Railway Centre

Didcot Railway Centre
Available until 23 December 2024

Extra discount with promo code DAYSOUT! 

Buying as a gift? Lovetovisit Gift Card available here!

Grab your tickets, make tracks to Didcot Railway Centre and Steam Into Christmas this December!

Hey kids, we have an emergency! Santa’s reindeer have all run off and are lost. He needs them to deliver presents on Christmas Eve, and the Didcot Railway team need your help to find them!

Get tickets to Didcot's Steam Into Christmas and explore their 21-acre museum, featuring a unique collection of Great Western Railway steam locomotives, carriages, wagons, buildings, and small artifacts, all set around the original 1932 engine shed.

Highlights of your Didcot Christmas experience:

  • As you explore, you’ll locate the reindeer stations
  • Upon entry, you’ll receive a special passport and a stocking
  • At each reindeer station, you’ll get a small gift as a reward!
  • Your adventure will end with a visit to Santa in the giant toy workshop, where you can tell him what you want for Christmas and choose your own gift from a selection!

Steam Into Christmas details:

  • Dates: 30th November, 1st, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, December plus 21st, 22nd and 23rd December.
  • Your entry ticket also includes unlimited train rides on the main demonstration line.
  • The café will be open for refreshments, and you’ll have time to explore the original 1932 GWR Engine Shed, where you can see more restored locomotives and even climb onto the footplate of some!

Don't miss out on this epic festive family day out, get tickets now and have them delivered to you instantly via email and SMS!

Location

Didcot Railway Centre

Station Road,
Didcot,
Oxfordshire,
OX11 7NJ
Show on Google Maps

How To Find Us

On arrival, the entrance to the Railway Centre is through the ticket hall of the Didcot Parkway mainline railway station.

Didcot is 53 miles west of London, 10 miles south of Oxford and almost halfway between London and Bristol on Brunel's original Great Western Railway.

By train:

Great Western Railway trains serve Didcot Parkway with direct services from London Paddington, Reading and Thames Valley, Oxford, the Midlands, Swindon, Bath, Bristol and South Wales.

Visitors arriving by train should follow the signs to the Railway Centre in the subway as you leave the platforms at Didcot Parkway. Turn right at the bottom of the steps from the platforms and you will see the double doors to the entrance.

By bus:

Thames Travel run daily services from Oxford & Abingdon and Wallingford.

Buses stop at the front of Didcot Parkway railway station.

By car:

The Railway Centre is signposted from the M4 (junction 13) and the A34, follow the brown signs to Didcot Railway Centre. It can also be accessed from the M40 and A34. Take the turning for the Milton Interchange.

If you are using a SAT-NAV to find the site, please do not use the address for Didcot Railway Centre as this will take you into the middle of a housing estate. 

There are no car parks operated at Didcot Railway Centre, however, there are three options available for use nearby. The main railway station multi-storey car park (Foxhall Rd) is the only one that takes cash or card payments. This car park is your destination if you follow the brown signs to Didcot Railway Centre.

The car park does not have a postcode. Use the What3Words: caves.wades.slanting to find the car park

From the car park, leave on foot, via the covered walkway from Level 2 which leads to the front of Didcot Parkway station.

Facilities
  • Refreshment rooms
  • Picnic area
  • Shop
  • Toilets
  • Baby-changing facilities
More Info
What are the Didcot Railway Centre locomotives in traffic?

The locomotives currently in traffic at Didcot Railway Centre include: 

  • 1340 - Trojan - GWR (Avonside) 0-4-0 Saddle Tank Locomotive
  • 2999 - Lady of Legend - GWR 4-6-0 Tender Locomotive
  • 4079 - Pendennis Castle - GWR 4-6-0 Tender Locomotive
  • 4144 - GWR 2-6-2 Prairie Tank
  • 2409 - King George - Hunslet 0-6-0 Tank Locomotive
  • 31 270 - Athena - Brush Type 2 Diesel Electric
  • D9516 - Class 14 0-6-0 Teddy Bear Ex BR(WR) Diesel Hydraulic
  • 08604 - Phantom - Class 08 0-6-0 BR Diesel-electric shunter
Are dogs allowed at Didcot Railway Centre?

Well-behaved dogs are welcome to the centre but should be kept on a lead at all times. Please make sure to pick up after your dog. Only assistance dogs are allowed at the refreshment rooms. 

Is Didcot Railway Museum wheelchair accessible?

A new entrance ramp is in the process of being installed at Didcot Railway Centre, with a ceremonial opening set to take place in February 2024. 

There is currently an unavoidable 18-step entrance to the site. 

From the main entrance, there is level access to: 

  • Engine Shed
  • Transfer Shed
  • The Signalling Centre
  • GWT Museum
  • Accessible Toilet
  • Refreshment room
  • Shop
  • Picnic area
How long should I spend at Didcot Railway Centre?

You should allow at least two hours to explore everything that the Didcot Railway Centre has to offer. 

How long is the track at Didcot Railway Centre?

There are two demonstration lines which provide unlimited train rides all day (breaking only for lunch). Each demonstration line is about half a mile long.

More things to do nearby

Things to do

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