I arranged a private visit for a group of enthusiasts from the Narrow Gauge Railway Society, which took place on Sunday 14th June. Members had travelled from as far away as Cardiff, Kent and Shropshire. On arrival, the party were given a brief history of the railway, from its origins as the “Greywood Central Railway” at Walton-on-Thames, through the involvement of publisher Ian Allan, to the eventual relocation to the current site near to Chertsey. Our visit took place before the railway opened to the public, and we were able to have guided tours of the signal boxes and workshops, prior to our train ride. The signalling is all built to mainline standards. Two special trains were run, to cater for the size of the party, prior to the railway opening to the public. One was hauled by “WHARFEDALE”, an 0-6-0 tank engine; the other was double-headed by 45440 (a 4-6-0 “Black Five”) and 8374 (a 2-8-0 8F loco). Both trains gave participants a full tour around the entire network, a ride of around 1¾ miles. All of our party thoroughly enjoyed the visit. For some of us, it was a first-time visit, while others had been to Great Cockrow previously. Our thanks to Melanie for making the arrangements for our visit, and also to all of the volunteers at Great Cockrow, for making our visit so enjoyable.

This place is really fun for all the family. I came here as a child myself and have continued to take my own children. The people that volunteer here are so helpful and kind. There is also a lovely coffee shop with outside seating selling ice creams, cakes, drinks and snacks which is a lovely way to finish off a great train ride. Going through the tunnel is everyones favourite bit!!

A great place to take trains obsessed kids for the afternoon. Staff are friendly and welcoming.

A lovely little trip out for families especially. One of my children is autistic and has an access card so I also got a free carer ticket which was great. My children really enjoy it here. We have been many times. Free parking, easy to get too. Lovely little cafe with cakes, ice creams tea coffee etc, not too expensive either. The people that work here are so sweet, really friendly and chatty and great with children. The queue can be a little wait for the train if it’s busy but children stay entertained watching the trains

The Great Cockrow Railway is our son's happy place. The volunteer staff of train enthusiasts are universally wonderful and the routes around the woodland are lovely. After two years of visiting almost every weekend during the May–October season, we just did a birthday party here. It was so easy to organise and pay for. You have a whole meadow to yourself and can watch the trains go past, plus a special ride for all the guests. Melanie and Andy went above and beyond for us, organising our little boy's favourite driver and a bonus ride as it was a quiet day. He has already requested the same party next year, just with a bigger bouncy castle! Couldn't recommend it more highly.