East Anglian Railway Museum

If you are looking for a great outing don’t go to the east Anglia railway museum. I went there last October it was so lovely and exciting on you-​tube
when we went their in reality it was so run down the staff where rude
the gift shop was terrible all it sold was old Thomas the tank engine and other stuff the food took ages to cook the price was a bit steep the entrance was hard to find then we looked around there was no train rides
it looked like a old abandoned yard most of the locos where cooped up in back of the sidings and restoring shed. on you tube it looked so fun and exciting but boring in reality there wasn’t much to look at. nor the station itself. the Colne valley railway in Hedingham was much better there had trains running everyday if you want to find a railway go to colne valley railway

fun day out for all the family

This is definately one to keep the kids entertained and you can be sure that they will remember it and be talking about it for some time to come!
We went along to one of the ‘Thomas the Tank Engine’ days and as you can imagine, that is a very popular day for many people to bring their children along.
We didnt have any troubles parking, but that may be because we get their early to try and avoid too much of a rush anyway.
It can be a little bit on the expensive side when you look at the entry fees, but it isn’t something that you do everyday anyway. Most definately well worth it to keep the children entertained and see the smile on their faces :-)

If you have small children then this is the place to come. They have special events like Thomas the tank engine where the children can see all the trains and the fat controller. As an adult i thought the train ride was really short and not worth the money but the kids loved every minute

Red alert, a 4 year old is bored and needs some entertainment. A quick Google on ‘Things to do in Essex’ and we discovered the East Anglian Railway Museum at Wakes Colne just outside Colchester, for the Bank Holiday weekend they are hosting a Thomas and Friends extravaganza. Problem solved and an hour later from Southend we were pulling into the car park outside the Chappel Station. The website suggested as parking was limited, to go to Marks Tey Station park there and take the train one stop away. We had planned to do this as the train would travel across the magnificent viaduct that greets you as you arrive by car to the museum. However, the Sat Nav decided to mispinterpret the inputted postcode and took us past the exit to Marks Tey off the A12 and instead the next entrance took us straight to the venue where it turned out there was plenty of parking afterall.
A tad expensive to enter the museum 2 adults and a 4 year old £31; but this did guarantee unlimited rides on the trains.
Chappel Station itself is a step back in time to the glorious age of steam. Although still functioning as a station for the National Express train line, it still manages to maintain it’s natural historic leafy English charm. Stepping onto the platform we could see straight away a handful of trains from the Rev Awdry Thomas the Tank Engine stories including of course Thomas himself, as well as Daisy, Toby and Percy. Each one was positioned with passenger coaches or trucks to take the delighted crowds on short trips up and down the line. All the staff whom I assumed were volunteers were cheerful and engaged with the visitors from the moment we stepped on the site, with friendly waves and chatter to keep all feeling part of the experience.
Considering the remoteness of this rail museum, it was pleasing to hear many accents around us including US and Australian tourists all confirming the international appeal for Thomas.
My 4 year old could have stayed all day and more and was thrilled with the experience, and was still chattering about it on his way to bed, which has more than made up for the cost of entry.
It can be assumed these weekends provide a valuable boost to the funds of the museum for the rest of the year.
If you are in these ere parts with a little’un to cheer up or an old’un wanting to reminisce then this would be a worthy venture.
the museum is pretty much open all year round but the Thomas event is for certain dates only, and there is plenty to see if you like your trains, and I am sure if you wanted to get more involved could volunteer your services too.