Spa Valley Railway - 25th Anniversary Gala

Over the 4-day special event celebrating 25yrs of trains on the Spa Valley Railway a range of locomotives will be in operation through the High Weald operating to an intensive timetable, and we are delighted to annouce the visit of two former Southern Region locomotives, West Country Bulleid Pacific No. 34092 'City of Wells' visiting courtesy of the East Lancashire Railway and British Railways Standard 4MT No. 75069 which is visiting courtesy of The 75069 Fund and the Severn Valley Railway.

25 years ago, in August 1997, the Spa Valley Railway opened the line to Groombridge. This was following a period from late December 1996 and also from March to August 1997 where we operated a shuttle train over 3/4 mile of track from Tunbridge Wells West to Cold Bath Bridge. On Saturday 23rd August 1997 the line re-opened the 3 1/2 miles to Groombridge Station. Over the past 20yrs the Spa Valley Railway has grown into Tunbridge Wells' biggest tourist attraction and is often described as the South East's friendliest railway! In the years that followed from our opening to Groombridge we have achieved many things - our line was extended to Birchden Junction in 2004 and then on to Eridge in March 2011.