Leighton Buzzard's famous narrow gauge trains on track for next season

It’s all systems go as Leighton Buzzard’s famous narrow gauge railways get ready to open for the 2024 season.

Tickets for the season, which starts on March 10, are now on sale. Special events this year include the return of the Beer Festival, a total of three character days – Paw Patrol, Bluey and Paddington – and not forgetting the annual favourites such as the motorbike and classic car shows and much more.

Click here to head straight to the clickable list of dates (up until July).

The Leighton Buzzard Railway is one of the last survivors of the hundreds of 2 foot (610mm) gauge light railways built in Britain for industrial use. It is believed to be the only remaining line which owed its existence to the ready availability of surplus materials and equipment from the First World War battlefield supply lines.

Opened by Leighton Buzzard Light Railway Ltd in 1919 to transport sand, and uniquely operated since then without a break, it has carried a steam-hauled passenger train service since 1968. It also now houses one of the largest and most important collections of narrow-gauge stock in England. Both the collection and the railway itself are covered by the Accredited Museum designation, awarded by Arts Council England.

Today's Leighton Buzzard Railway offers an 85-minute round trip from Page's Park to Stonehenge Works, which is in the Bedfordshire countryside to the north of the town. The current track is just under 3 miles (4.8km) long.

The railway is managed and operated by the volunteer members of the Leighton Buzzard Narrow Gauge Railway Society.