About us
Come for a ride on the North of England’s double gold award winning narrow gauge railway winding from Alston into the South Tyne Valley in the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Our trains are hauled by steam, diesel or battery electric locos and all have a fascinating history. Both of our restored stations at Alston and Slaggyford house a café, ticket office and gift shop. At Alston you can explore our Discovery Centre and visit the viewing gallery above our engineering workshop. Most areas of the site are accessible and there are large car parks at Alston and Slaggyford.
We are OPEN!
The Crossing Cafe is currently open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10a.m until 4p.m.
Our main season will begin on 30th March when we wil be operating our new timetable with trains departing for Slaggyford at 10:30, 13:00 and 15:00. Have a look at our Timetable 2019 for details of our operating days.
Tickets & Fares
Our standard operating days in season are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays from Easter to the end of October. This season we will be also running trains on Wednesdays in June and September. During the main school holiday periods we will be running 7 days a week.
We operate two simple pricing structures to help you choose the best value ticket for your time with us.
Please note that all tickets are DONATION TICKETS which allow us to claim Gift Aid. Please say if you would prefer an alternative ticket.
Trains run from 30th March 2019 to 31st October 2019. Our standard operating days are Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays and between Saturday 20th July and Sunday 1st September we run trains 7 days a week.
Latest News
Afternoon teas booking now!
To celebrate #EnglishTourismWeek19 and the opening of 'Number 12' our new afternoon tea carriage, every…
Shortlist announced for North East Tourism Awards….and we’re on it!
Businesses from across the region are celebrating after being shortlisted for the North East England…
Reviews
I've eaten at the Crossing Cafe many times and it's always excellent quality and very tasty. I decided to try the new vegan burger today (I'm vegetarian but not vegan) and it was delicious! Served with chips, salad and topped with tomato, mushroom and vegan...More
zoulipops1/25/2019
Disclaimer: I live about four miles away from here and, from my vantage view atop the high Pennines, I see the train chug along the other side of the valley. It is quite charming. Of course, I had to visit. The last railway I visited...More
HisLordshipZion1/15/2019