A host of special behind the scenes tours, experiences, and unique rides are up for grabs in a charity auction. From driver cab rides, station tours, special days out and chances to get to parts of the network not usually open to the public.
Bidding in the auction helps to raise money to support the RBF – the only UK charity solely dedicated to supporting current, former and retired railway people and their families.
The auction is part of Railway Family Week – a week-long fundraising event bringing together the whole Rail Industry.
Daily Hornby Draw
Every day during Railway Family Week, there will be prizes given away by Hornby in a raffle.
To be in with a chance to win, simply purchase tickets, starting at just £5. Each day a winner will be randomly selected and a Hornby item will be heading your way.
Behind the scenes tours
Visit the BTP Dog School and meet the hardworking (and rather cute) dogs? Receive a behind the scenes tour, see the training in action and make some new 4 legged friends.
A guided tour of this unique control centre which covers the Merseyrail network. The ROC houses control (NR and Merseyrail), signallers and electric control room operators. The visit includes the signalling simulator.
A guided tour of Manchester Rail Operating Centre, near Ashburys station in Manchester.
A day with the Central Route Operations Team for a behind the scenes tour of the West Midlands Signalling Centre.
To include a simulator experience to practice signalling your own trains and a chance to see the first in class Emergency Intervention Unit. See how technology is improving including monitoring the railway through drone capability.
A guided tour of Three Bridges Rail Operating Centre for 4 people. The rail operating centre at Three Bridges in Crawley is one of 12 which will eventually operate the entire rail network across Britain, replacing more than 800 signal boxes and other operational locations currently used to control trains.
A guided tour for 4 people of the Alstom UK, Central Rivers Depot, Barton-Under Needwood, plus 4 x First Class Return Tickets to anywhere in the UK, courtesy of CrossCountry Trains.
Guided tour of Alstom’s Litchurch Lane, Derby site to see the assembly of monorail trains for Cairo in Egypt and Aventra trains for South Western Railway, as well as to ride on a new train on the test track.
A guided tour, for up to 8 people maximum, of the Neville Hill TrainCare Centre on the outskirts of Leeds.
A guided tour for 2 people of Direct Rail Services’ Gresty Bridge Depot near Crewe. See up close the engineering facilities and the stabled locomotives.
A family ticket for (2 x adults & up to 3 children aged 4-15) to visit the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in the 2023 season.
A group of 4 can visit Manchester Piccadilly, see what goes on behind the scenes and make your own station announcement.
A guided tour of Glasgow Central Station for six people, learning about the history and development of the station. Glasgow Central is one of two principal mainline rail terminals in Glasgow, Scotland.
An all access behind the scenes tour at Barrow Hill Roundhouse in Chesterfield. Barrow Hill Roundhouse is the last surviving railway roundhouse in the United Kingdom with an operational turntable.
All the auction details are here
Travel tickets
A family ticket to travel in Standard Class at a table for four, onboard either The Scarborough Spa Express or The Dalesman.
The tickets will be valid to travel to and from any stations on the c2c route between Shoeburyness and London Fenchurch Street.
Join us with your guest for a special day in our heritage Standard class carriages exploring the rare and wonderful parts of our UK rail network.
All the auction details are here
Days out
Walk Over Ribblehead Viaduct and Blea Moor Signal Box
An amazing opportunity to walk over the Ribblehead Viaduct. At over 100 feet above the valley floor at its highest point, this is not an experience for the faint hearted! To include a visit to Blea Moor signal box – probably the most remote in England!
Visit the Forth Bridge for a group of up to 4 people. The world’s first major steel structure, opened in 1890, the Forth Bridge is a Scottish icon that is recognised the world over as the most famous of cantilever designs.
Stockport signal box is absolute block signalling at its busiest. See how the Stockport corridor is signalled on your visit.
Visit to Mersey Pumping Station and learn about the history and development of the station that keeps our railway free from water.
Walk under the river bed from James Street to Hamilton square right under the Liverpool City Centre.
Visit the Ordsall Chord/Manchester viaduct. The world’s first asymmetrical rail bridge that links Manchester’s Victoria, Oxford Road and Piccadilly stations. A new infrastructure with lots of heritage.
Visit to Widnes-Runcorn viaduct. A magnificent structure that spans the River Mersey with spectacular engineering and great views to boot.
All the auction details are here
Special experiences
Two people can visit Pete at his home in Cheshire for a private viewing of his extensive collection of railway models and railwayana. Pete will guide you around his railway layouts, in O scale and larger gauges and the time is yours to play trains with Pete and his crew.
A chance to drive an Abellio London Routemaster bus at one of the Abellio Bus Depots in London. Go behind the wheel and learn what it takes to be a London Bus driver.
An exclusive trip on Network Rail’s New Measurement Train for up to 6 people. The NMT monitors and records track condition information at speeds up to 125mph. It helps locate and identify faults before they become a safety issue or affect performance. Affectionately known as the Flying Banana it’s a unique, high tech machine.
Cab ride for one with GB Railfreight on the Drax Express. Heading from Liverpool to the Drax Power Station – but don’t worry you won’t have to do the whole journey.
An exciting opportunity for you, and a companion, to travel in the cab on the Elizabeth line which only opened in May 2022.
All the auction details are here
Some of those don’t appear to have links
e.g. Three Bridges ROC Visit for Four
Click on the main link under each section — and I’ve already asked you to stop changing your name when you comment on here.
I thought this was a great idea, before I realised it followed the usual “richest person will win” trope. The people who offer these things need to adapt to stop gems like these always going to the 1%.
Its a fund raiser. The real winners are those who benefit from the funds raised.
There are some other great actions for Railway Children here: https://www.32auctions.com/organizations/106533/auctions/139941