Welcome
The Ruislip Lido Railway is a 12-inch narrow gauge railway operated entirely by volunteers. The line runs through the woodlands skirting the lake from Woody Bay Station beside the beach, all the way round to Ruislip Lido (Water's Edge) Station which is close to the car park. Here you can watch the loco being turned on the turntable ready for the return journey. The two and a half mile round trip takes about 35 minutes.
All our trains are wheelchair, pushchair and buggy friendly. The service is normally operated by one of our large diesel locomotives. On summer Sundays and Bank Holidays, our steam locomotive 'Mad Bess', which is a half scale version of the Ffestiniog Railway locomotive 'Blanche', may pull the train.
Our railway shop stocks a wide range of merchandise, whilst our cafe offers a selection of teas, coffees and light refreshments.
Latest News
Bank Holiday Steam 29th & 30th August 2010
Once again our steam locomotive Mad Bess is scheduled to operate trains on the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend. She will be delighting the passengers and passers by on Sunday 29th and Bank Holiday Monday 30th August 2010. Why not come and enjoy a ride behind this lovely engine on either of the days and give your children something to smile about - big kids are allowed too!
Our friendly steam crews will also be happy to answer any questions you may have about the engine in the stand time at either of our stations.
Woody Bay Ticket Office - Update
The finishing touches are being added to our rebuilt ticket office at Woody Bay Station, Whilst it may not look much different form the outside, inside has been completely re-fitted. New windows, cupboards, worktops and electrics are just a few of the things that have been replaced. All that remains now is to have the work signed off and we can then move out of our temporary ticket office in the car park and into the refurbished building.
SUNDAY 15TH AUGUST 2010 - TIMETABLE ALTERATION
Due to reasons beyond our control, on Sunday 15th August 2010 the 12.20 service from Woody Bay Station and 12.40 return from Ruislip Lido Station are both cancelled. All other services running to the yellow timetable will run as normal. The Ruislip Lido Railway Society Ltd wishes to apologise for the cancellation of these trains and for any inconvenience or disappointment it may cause.
TRAIN SERVICE CANCELLATION - MONDAY 2ND & TUESDAY 3RD AUGUST 2010
Train services are unfortunately cancelled at the Ruislip Lido Railway on Monday 2nd & Tuesday 3rd August 2010. This is due to insufficient volunteers to operate the trains. Normal services will resume on Wednesday 4th August 2010. The Ruislip Lido Railway Society Ltd wishes to apologise for the inconvenice and disappoinment this will cause.
If you wish to volunteer and help run our services please visit our membership page or pick up a leaflet next time you visit the railway.
TRAIN SERVICE CANCELLATION - WEDNESDAY 21ST JULY 2010
Train services are unfortunately cancelled on the Ruislip Lido Railway today 21st July 2010. This is due to insufficient volunteers to operate the trains. Normal services will resume tomorrow Thursday 22nd July 2010. The Ruislip Lido Railway Society Ltd wishes to apologies for the inconvenice and disappoinment this will cause.
If you wish to volunteer and help run our services please visit our membership page or pick up a leaflet next time you visit the railway.
Woody Bay transformation complete
In the last week the final touches have been given to our main station at Woody Bay. A lot of hard work has gone into making the area look fabulous and we do hope our passengers will enjoy it for years to come. Gone is the uneven patchy earth opposite the platform, to be replaced by lush green lawn complete with large flower bed and paving for paths around the buildings. There is just a bit more fencing to complete around the party area and this will be done soon. Pictures have been added in the Gallery. In other news, the Station fence that was damaged back in April has been repaired and we have been given the go ahead by our insurers to complete repairs to the ticket office which was also damaged. This is not an easy job as phone lines and various equipment have to be removed first before building can commence. We will update you when we have an estimate of when the work will be completed and we can move out of the temporary ticket office in the car park.
ESCAPE FROM ASYLUM WOOD: HALLOWEEN 2010
Following the massive success of the MAD BESS EXPRESS, Argosy Players & Ruislip Lido Railway are back with a brand new fright ride experience. With a new menacing story to thrill and scare, will you dare to try and escape from Asylum Wood on the train of terror?
To find out more and how to book your tickets click here.
TRAIN SERVICE ALTERATIONS - TUESDAY 1ST JUNE 2010
Due to insufficient volunteers, train services will be subject to alterations on Tuesday 1st June 2010.
Trains will depart Woody Bay as follows: 1220, 1300, 1340, 1420 & 1500.
Trains will depart Ruislip Lido as follows: 1240, 1320, 1400, 1440 & 1520.
Normal services will resume on Wednesday 2nd June 2010. RLRS wish to apologise for any dissappointment or difficulty this will cause.If you wish to volunteer your time to help keep the railway running, click here.
Woody Bay garden takes shape
Work is gathering pace at Woody Bay Station following the installation of our Permanent Way Depot. Attentions have turned to making good the ground adjacent to the platform where much time has been spent in the last few weeks levelling, rotavating and adding topspoil. Over the next 2 weeks turf will be laid and fencing erected to create an area with picnic tables that can be hired for children's birthday parties which will of course include a train ride if so wished. Paving has been started and will be finished to complete the transformation of the whole area and give Woody Bay the makeover it has deserved. Pictures of the work will be posted in the gallery soon.
To hire the train and party area for your child's birthday, take a look at our Group Bookings page or ring 0845 643 0182
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