Great Central Railway - Nottingham
Great Central Railway - Nottingham
Great Central Railway - Nottingham
4.5
About
Formerly known as Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, The Great Central Railway - Nottingham offers almost 10 miles of heritage railway running through the beautiful scenery of South Nottinghamshire and North-West Leicestershire, Miniature Railways, Model Railways, Heritage Road Transport, Cafe, Gift Shop & more. Services are pulled by heritage Steam and Diesel locomotives, re-creating the experience of train travel from a time when it was more than just a means to travel from one place to another. Entirely staffed by volunteers, all income is used to preserve railway & transport heritage for future generations. The GCRN is a great experience for all the family. Come and enjoy a day with us! Entrance to the site is completely FREE (Other than special event days) although there are charges for the trains and miniature railway. Open most Saturdays, all Sundays and Bank Holidays from April to October. See website for more details and opening days.
Duration: More than 3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
4.5
146 reviews
Excellent
83
Very good
41
Average
15
Poor
3
Terrible
4
Gillian S
Southampton, UK132 contributions
Jul 2021 • Friends
Had a great time at this steam railway and enjoyed our ride through the lovely countryside. The sun shone for most of the day and we sampled delicious refreshments at Rothley Station. The trip fulfilled an ambition for our steam train mad daughter!!
Written 4 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
gillian s
Sheffield, UK2 contributions
Jul 2021
I was thinking of taking my granddaughters and I am so glad me and my partner went to check it out before hand. The toilets were atrocious unhygienic absolutely filthy and this was early on a Saturday.
Written 1 August 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Peter S
West Bridgford, UK217 contributions
Dec 2019
As a family we went on the Santa Special train from Ruddingto north of Leicester and back. Although we were taking out the Ruddington spur by a diesel engine, for most of the journey of about an hour and half we were pulled by a steam locomotive in good old compartments with a corridor alongside. The seating was comfortable with cleverly designed arm rests - these could be pulled down, but still left somewhere to rest your head either side.
Santa waved to us a couple of times, and then we set off on our journey. We were given wine and mince pies whilst our granddaughter had chocolate buttons and a fruit shoot. Santa visited in person and gave her a construction set - which has proven since, to be different and quite interesting.
The journey was in the daytime and we had good views of flood covered areas and cars failing to navigate down some of the lanes. Fortunately it was a dry day.
We enjoyed the change of routine, and our grandaughter found it quite enjoyable. As an attraction it was on the expensive side, until you think that you are also contributing to maintaining a heritage railway line - the volunteers are so dedicated and work very hard on what is a very long term project. They were great on the day as they have always been in the past.
Santa waved to us a couple of times, and then we set off on our journey. We were given wine and mince pies whilst our granddaughter had chocolate buttons and a fruit shoot. Santa visited in person and gave her a construction set - which has proven since, to be different and quite interesting.
The journey was in the daytime and we had good views of flood covered areas and cars failing to navigate down some of the lanes. Fortunately it was a dry day.
We enjoyed the change of routine, and our grandaughter found it quite enjoyable. As an attraction it was on the expensive side, until you think that you are also contributing to maintaining a heritage railway line - the volunteers are so dedicated and work very hard on what is a very long term project. They were great on the day as they have always been in the past.
Written 23 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emma
2 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
We went on the Santa train with the kids 21st December 2019. As a family of 6 it cost us £120 and I can absolutely say its without a doubt NOT worth the money. The adults received a small bottle of wine and a mince pie. The kids got a fruit shoot and a small pack of chocolate buttons. The train ride lasted for about 1hr 15mins. Santa came popped in for about 1 minute and I can honestly say it's the worst santa I have ever seen. The outfit was so cheap I couldn't believe it. For the amount of money they must be making they could at least have a decent outfit. The kids ended up being bored. It wasn't even decorated very christmassy a bit of tinsel that's it. Not even any Christmas music. I ended up putting some on through my phone to make it feel like Christmas. Massively disappointed with it I would of given it 0 if I could. Dont waste your money. Massive rip off
Written 23 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mimbaz
Mansfield, UK75 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
We paid £77 for 2 kids and 2 adults! It wasn’t worth the money I’m afraid! My kids are 5 and 6 years old, Santa popped in to see them at the beginning of the train journey and gave them a present each then left. We were on the train for approx 1hr 30mins, we got a small bottle of wine each and a mince pie, the kids got a fruit shoot and some chocolate buttons. The kids were bored and hungry, I would take a picnic! The trip is not worth the money paid, we were disappointed!
The staff were pleasant.
The staff were pleasant.
Written 15 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne B
Nottingham, UK26 contributions
Dec 2019 • Family
Looking forward to a first trip on steam train for granddaughters. Quite disappointed, underwhelming. Apart from a sign, on front of train, ‘Santa Special’ and people dressed up as elves and Santa, nothing else was Christmassy. They could have piped some Christmas music through the train but nothing. A slow ride down the track, with a few stops, then back again. Children were bored. They were given a packet of chocolate buttons and a drink. Adults received a small bottle of wine and mince pie. Santa came round with a decent present for them and that was that. Do not feel this was worth the money paid.
Written 9 December 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grace W
119 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
We loved the fireworks event last year and so decided to return this year.
Can I start by saying that the car park attendant was so polite and lovely. He said there might be a few spaces left in the car park and thankfully there was, despite only having an hour til the fireworks were due to start.
What spoiled it for me was it was insanely busy. I know a lot of fireworks in the area have been cancelled for bad weather and a lot of extra people may have come here instead but it was so crowded. The queue for the train was at least an hour long so we didn't bother. I felt a bit annoyed as that's one of the reasons you choose to come here over anywhere else.
The food queue wasn't too bad and it was a reasonable price but by the time we had been served it was out the door and you had to push past people just to exit the building. Surely there must be a better system than that.
We finally found a quiet spot to eat and wait for the fireworks. I don't like crowds so it was ideal for me but we were told we would have to move behind a barrier when the fireworks started. I thought this would be a bit of a squash so we moved and stood near the entrance area.
There was no countdown to the fireworks starting, the fair rides didn't even stop or turn off their lights so it was a bit like "ohh, it's started". The fireworks were beautiful but there was nowhere near as many as last year. Last year we kept thinking we had seen the finale but it just kept going and going. This year it was like "is that it?".
We were keen to leave straight after as I didn't want to get stuck in traffic leaving. People were parked on verges which seemed most unsafe. I think they should have had staff there directing people to car parks and helping people park safely.
I felt a bit ripped off as we spent £20 in total on the event.
Perhaps in future it may be better to have a childrens firework event at say 6pm and then an adults one at say 8.30pm. This would then ease the parking situation a little and mean that you could do silent fireworks for the children so as not to scare the little ones. It would make the area less crowded but still bring in lots of profits. If you fail to do this then I fear the event may become a victim of it's own success. Other people may not leave reviews but I can tell you that I was not the only person disappointed this year.
Can I start by saying that the car park attendant was so polite and lovely. He said there might be a few spaces left in the car park and thankfully there was, despite only having an hour til the fireworks were due to start.
What spoiled it for me was it was insanely busy. I know a lot of fireworks in the area have been cancelled for bad weather and a lot of extra people may have come here instead but it was so crowded. The queue for the train was at least an hour long so we didn't bother. I felt a bit annoyed as that's one of the reasons you choose to come here over anywhere else.
The food queue wasn't too bad and it was a reasonable price but by the time we had been served it was out the door and you had to push past people just to exit the building. Surely there must be a better system than that.
We finally found a quiet spot to eat and wait for the fireworks. I don't like crowds so it was ideal for me but we were told we would have to move behind a barrier when the fireworks started. I thought this would be a bit of a squash so we moved and stood near the entrance area.
There was no countdown to the fireworks starting, the fair rides didn't even stop or turn off their lights so it was a bit like "ohh, it's started". The fireworks were beautiful but there was nowhere near as many as last year. Last year we kept thinking we had seen the finale but it just kept going and going. This year it was like "is that it?".
We were keen to leave straight after as I didn't want to get stuck in traffic leaving. People were parked on verges which seemed most unsafe. I think they should have had staff there directing people to car parks and helping people park safely.
I felt a bit ripped off as we spent £20 in total on the event.
Perhaps in future it may be better to have a childrens firework event at say 6pm and then an adults one at say 8.30pm. This would then ease the parking situation a little and mean that you could do silent fireworks for the children so as not to scare the little ones. It would make the area less crowded but still bring in lots of profits. If you fail to do this then I fear the event may become a victim of it's own success. Other people may not leave reviews but I can tell you that I was not the only person disappointed this year.
Written 2 November 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
tbigbadbaz
Worcestershire, UK71 contributions
Sept 2019
Great day on a unschedulled visit, thanks to my young-ish nephew Peter Harrison. We had an awesome few hours. Being a hobbyist photographer I was in my element and took some great B&W images. Braggers rights here!
Written 29 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jan. C
Ashford, UK9 contributions
Aug 2019
Hidden gem in Mere Way, Nottingham
Lovely minature steam trains run by volunteers, 50p per ride all goes to upkeep of track, well worth it.
Polite and very informative people.
My grand daughter is 6 yrs old and loved this going on several times
Lovely minature steam trains run by volunteers, 50p per ride all goes to upkeep of track, well worth it.
Polite and very informative people.
My grand daughter is 6 yrs old and loved this going on several times
Written 6 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christopher F
Nottingham, UK144 contributions
Dec 2018 • Family
My wife and I took our young grandson to experience steam at first hand and he loved it.
We all loved the miniature trains and only 50 pence per person to ride on them!!! Nice exhibition of buses and vintage cars and a few people dressed in sixties outfits.
Very enjoyable keep up the good work.
We all loved the miniature trains and only 50 pence per person to ride on them!!! Nice exhibition of buses and vintage cars and a few people dressed in sixties outfits.
Very enjoyable keep up the good work.
Written 6 May 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
michaelstubbs1122
Birmingham, UK1 contribution
Are dog allowed on the trains
Jake W
Nottingham, UK
Yes they are
michaelstubbs1122
Birmingham, UK1 contribution
Are dog allowed on the trains
Phil S
Nottingham, UK31 contributions
Hi. Dogs are allowed on all services but there is a small extra charge of £3.00
SAS
Nottingham, UK8 contributions
We're not wanting to go on the trains maybe only the miniature. Is there an admission to look around the museum part?
Phil S
Nottingham, UK31 contributions
No. No charge at all when not riding the train. Please be aware that although not officially closed, there will be very little happening now till the 1st December.
Can you get there by bus, if so which bus. I know there is a bus to Ruddington village is it far to get to from the village thank you.
Philip G
Nottingham, UK4 contributions
Yes on Sunday’s there is the 10c bus from the city centre
di d
Mansfield, UK5 contributions
Is there a web site for the railway
SharpeWords
Isle of Skye, UK144 contributions
Yes, there is a website: search for GCRN. The centre is called the Nottingham Transport Heritage Centre, but it is also the northern branch of the Great Central Railway, based at Loughborough. Hope this helps.
Margaret W
Nottinghamshire, UK1 contribution
Are the trains running on Thursday?
How much is a family ticket?
Barbara P
Nottingham, UK510 contributions
They run every day in school holidays. CHECK their website - Google it. Gives times, fares, extra information.
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Claim your listingGREAT CENTRAL RAILWAY - NOTTINGHAM: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Great Central Railway - Nottingham
- Great Central Railway - Nottingham is open:
- Sat - Sun 10:00 - 16:30
- Hotels near Great Central Railway - Nottingham:
- (1.62 km) The Lodge at Ruddington
- (0.97 km) The Cottage Hotel
- (9.85 km) St Anne's House
- (4.74 km) Restaurant Sat Bains with Rooms
- (2.64 km) Premier Inn Nottingham South
- Restaurants near Great Central Railway - Nottingham:
- (1.00 km) Three Spices
- (0.83 km) The White Horse Inn
- (0.87 km) The Old Bakehouse Tearoom
- (0.87 km) The Frame Breakers
- (1.26 km) The Ruddington Arms