Footplate experience course recommendations

I'm looking at doing a steam footplate course around May of this year.
What are your recommendations, bearing in mind we would be flying from Belfast, so the railway would need to be reasonably close to an airport.
A quick search has shown a big difference in cost/time on the footplate/added extras, so has anyone completed a course that they would recommend?
Thanks in advance

 

I’ve done a few, and the best one for me was the Welshpool and Llanfair. I got the whole train, was very well looked after, and had great fun. Of course if Narrow Gauge is not your thing, I can recommend the SVR. Again good fun, but you have to share the toys! Both easy enough to get to from Birmingham international.

 

The Great Central experiences were always highly rated - big engine on a double track mainline helps!

I have done the SVR steam one (a long time ago now mind) & my dad drove a Western diesel more recently there. Both well organised and great fun.

 

I did the silver level on the GC last year - 9F with 7 coaches on the back, 2 return trips, brilliant.

quite fancy the South Devon and the Talyllyn in the future.

 

The East Somerset is only 22 miles from Bristol Airport but they can get booked up quite quickly.

 

Bala Lake Railway was absolutely amazing, not sure if they have relaunched their experiences yet.

Full day, from lighting up and oiling round to disposing at the end of the day with a couple of round trips in between.


Edit: bit more detail.

One person of the footplate all day.

 

2nd June brings you the 92 Squadron Freight Course at the Nene Valley Railway - not sure which would be the nearest airport for you though.

 

Stansted is 66 miles as is Luton.
Birmingham is 72 miles.
East Midlands is 51 miles.

 

Stansted and Birmingham do allow easy travel by rail to Peterborough though.

 

perhaps an alternative is the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch. The experience of speed is exactly that of mainline steam (having tried both).

 

Indeed. The service between the two passes through Peterborough.

 

Did the mid-scale SVR one and had a blast. Full-length train, a decent distance covered, a 28XX so perfectly built to jog along at 25mph.

 

I’ve done three,one steam ,two diesel.
3)SVR got a round trip -one way in cab ,drove half way .Average at best .
2)ELR tour of Bury sheds etc .Got to drive 8 miles of 16 miles in cab .Refreshments provided.
1)KWVR .By far the best .4 participants and guests get line to themselves for the day .Four round trips -cushions,guard,fire and drive .Refreshments on arrival and lunchtime and made to feel welcome and special .

 

Bluebell Railway if they still offer said experiences?

Gatwick is 40 mins away by car (approx 20 miles) or you can take a train to Haywards Heath from Gatwick & get a taxi from there.

(PS, did a driver experience day at the Kent & East Sussex Railway a few years back, and that was a very enjoyable day/well organised)

Cheers

Ben

 

The WSR offers a good experience with some nice hill climbing and a breath of sea air. Currently a GW loco is guaranteed!.
Bristol or Exeter airports are not too far away.

 

Bluebell ones are advertised here: https://www.bluebell-railway.com/steam-footplate-taster-experience/ They don't seem to be releasing dates too far in the future, so worth checking with the office. You get a quality bit of Victoriana ...

The format seems to be a bit different to some other courses. Rather than a trip along the line, you do a lot of to and fro around a station. Lots of starting and stopping, normally culminating with some kind of partial line trip to go a bit faster / further. So you do more "controlling" of the engine, reading signals etc. than you might do on a full line trip, but maybe less sense of being in charge of a train on a journey, if that makes sense.

Tom

 

The GCR ones are pretty boring especially if you have a big loco, I had the 8f on 5 coaches and pootled around with not a lot of chuffing. It must be down hill both ways!