01797 362 353 info@rhdr.org
February 17
Tue 17 February 2026 Thu 19 February 2026

Young Enthusiasts Day 2026

Calling all young RH&DR fans! Join us this February half term for exclusive behind-the-scenes railway access and the chance to get up close to some of our famous locomotives.

Starting at Hythe enjoy a return trip to New Romney and throughout the day you’ll find lots of fun activities provided for you.

This is a hands-on and educational experience where you will learn how our staff and volunteers keep trains running and in such amazing condition. You’ll also be able to assist with some of our day-to-day tasks such as:

• Learning about how we turn a locomotive on our turntable

• Learning how we signal trains

• Cleaning and caring for our locomotives

• Dress up as a driver for a photo shoot on the footplate during a behind the scenes shed tour.

• Get up close and personal with our locomotives as we talk through their controls with the tender removed!

And that’s not it! We will also have Christopher Vine, author of Peter’s Railways book series, with us to give an engineering insight into how our engines and other infrastructure work. You will also receive a hardback copy of one of the Peters Railways books as a souvenir of your day.

Also included in the day participants and their adults will be served a lunch in the Heywood Buffet. We cater for most dietary requirements, so please ensure you include this information on your booking.

“This is a must-do experience for anyone with a love of steam engines or the RH&DR”

This event is kindly supported by the RH&DR Supporters Association, for more information and to join click

here - https://www.rhdrsa.org

  • This experience will be run as a group of up to 20 young people on each session. The railway is a working one and we will still be running public trains, so you must have an adult with you as supervision is required at all times. Therefore the ticket includes one adult to accompany the participant. This experience is for children aged 6-12 and all participants must be able to understand and follow instructions as well as being physically able to move around a working railway.
  • All activities are subject to availability and change should operational or safety reasons deem it necessary.
  • A mandatory safety brief will take place during check in.


Tickets & Times

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