Celebrate 200 years of railway history – behind-the-scenes day at Southeastern Ashford
Visitors will have the chance to get up close to a range of trains, new and old
To celebrate 200 years of the passenger railway in the UK, Southeastern is opening the doors to its train maintenance depot in Ashford for one very special day.
On Sunday 24th August, thousands of people will have the chance to go behind the scenes at one of the largest, busiest and most important railway depots in the south-east.
Visitors will have the chance to get up close to a range of trains, both new and old, throughout the site and can also find out more about the range of careers in the railway by meeting people who work in a variety of roles at Southeastern and across the wider rail industry – from engineers and drivers to safety specialists and infrastructure experts.
Visitors can walk through the maintenance shed and see a variety of Southeastern trains, including the special Railway 200 trains; the Class 395 'Javelin' train – 395015 and the Network SouthEast Networker – 465908.
From there, visitors can continue outside into the operational yard to see a fantastic selection of heritage trains, including:
Clan line steam engine
MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle)
Hastings Diesel ‘Thumper’
Balfour Beatty Tamper
Class 73
Class 66
Bluebell ‘Stepney’ Locomotive
Jim Shead, Ashford Depot Manager, Southeastern, said:
“We are incredibly proud of the hard work which goes on behind the scenes at Ashford every single day and this open day is a fantastic opportunity to show what it takes to keep delivering a reliable service for our customers.
“In addition to the opportunity to see a variety of trains and provide a huge range of fun activities for adults and children, we also want to demonstrate the variety of rewarding careers available in the railway.“But, space is limited and we expect this special event to sell out quickly so buy your tickets today.”
To book your tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/southeastern-train-depot-open-day-tickets-1469564469889
