Dry weather has put every Leighton Buzzard Railway train on diesel until further notice. Steam is booked back from 6 September, and the gala is 24 and 25 October.
Anyone heading to the Leighton Buzzard Railway over the bank holiday weekend will not see a steam engine.
The railway has suspended steam haulage because of the weather. “Due to the dry weather we are currently experiencing all services will be hauled by diesels until further notice,” it says on its own timetable page (Leighton Buzzard Railway).
That covers both days of Pirates Weekend, on Sunday 30 and Monday 31 August, and every operating day before it. The railway’s published haulage column shows diesel on 23, 26, 27, 30 and 31 August.
Steam is booked to return on Sunday 6 September, for the Bluey visiting-character train. Every operating day after that, through to the Halloween trains on 31 October and 1 November, is currently listed as steam.
What is running, and when
| Date | Timetable | Haulage | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 26 August | Red | Diesel | |
| Thursday 27 August | Red | Diesel | |
| Sunday 30 August | Blue | Diesel | Pirates Weekend |
| Monday 31 August | Blue | Diesel | Pirates Weekend |
| Sunday 6 September | Special | Steam | Bluey |
| Sunday 27 September | Blue | Steam | Juniors Day |
| Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October | Special | Steam | Steam Gala |
| Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 October | Red | Steam | Half term |
| Saturday 31 October and Sunday 1 November | Red and blue | Steam | Halloween |
The railway runs two ordinary timetables from Page’s Park, and the difference matters if you are timing a visit around a nap or a lunch:
- Red is a single-train service, departing every two hours at 10.30, 12.30 and 14.30.
- Blue is a two-train service, departing every 70 minutes at 10.30, 11.40, 12.50, 14.00 and 15.10, with trains passing at Leedon Loop on most journeys.
Both give an overall experience of 90 minutes, which includes 25 minutes at Stonehenge Works to visit the craft shop and walk the Stonehenge Trail. Pirates Weekend uses the blue timetable, so there are five departures on each of the two days.
What it means for you
If the steam engine is the point of the trip, the bank holiday is the wrong weekend and Sunday 6 September is the first one currently listed with steam. The railway attaches no end date to the diesel substitution, so check the operating table on the day you plan to travel rather than the week before.
Fares from Page’s Park are the same either way. They run from March to November, and the railway asks whether you want to add a Gift Aid donation:
- Adult, 18 to 59: £12.70, or £14.00 with Gift Aid.
- Senior, 60 and over: £11.30, or £12.50 with Gift Aid.
- Child, 2 to 17: £9.00, or £10.00 with Gift Aid.
- Under 2, and dogs: free.
Two discounts are easy to miss. Groups of four or more paying passengers get 10 per cent off on timetabled trains. A second return on the same day is half price if you produce the original ticket at the booking office. Money-off vouchers and complimentary tickets are not accepted on gala days, character visits or Santa Specials.
The railway also warns that everything is subject to availability, because it is run by volunteers using working museum pieces.
The gala lands on the half-term weekend
The 2026 steam gala is on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October. Central Bedfordshire’s autumn half term runs from Monday 26 to Friday 30 October, so the gala falls on the weekend that opens it (council term dates). The railway is running again on the Wednesday and Thursday of the holiday itself.
The railway says the gala will run an intensive four-train timetable, with 12 departures on the Saturday and 11 on the Sunday. It has also promised some dusk running, “a first for many years at one of our gala events”.
The weekend doubles as a 25th anniversary. The Leighton Buzzard line is twinned with the P’tit Train de la Haute Somme in France, the Froissy-Cappy-Dompierre railway, and the gala will mark 25 years of that connection.
Day rover tickets will be sold on the day. Single-trip tickets are to go on the website, and the railway says guest engines may be added to its home fleet, with announcements to follow.
One thing about Pages Park
Leighton-Linslade Town Council has drainage works running at Pages Park from 24 to 29 August, carried out on behalf of the railway (town council). The works are scheduled to finish the day before Pirates Weekend starts. Neither the council nor the railway has said the works affect train services.
Page’s Park station is on Billington Road, LU7 4TG. If you are driving in, the town centre car parks and the current road closures are on our roadworks and travel page. There is more to do nearby on our things to do guide.
Sources
- Leighton Buzzard Railway: times and fares for the diesel haulage notice, the operating dates and haulage table, the red and blue timetables, every fare, the group and second-return discounts and the availability warning.
- Leighton Buzzard Railway: steam gala for the 24 and 25 October dates, the four-train timetable, the 12 and 11 departures, the dusk running, the P’tit Train de la Haute Somme anniversary and the ticketing.
- Leighton Buzzard Railway: special events for Pirates Weekend and the Bluey visit.
- Central Bedfordshire Council: school term and holiday dates for the 26 to 30 October half term.
- Leighton-Linslade Town Council: parks and open spaces for the Pages Park drainage works.
Checked on 23 August 2026. The railway gives no end date for the diesel substitution, so confirm on its own operating table before you travel.
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