Famous Trains Model Railway
ENTRY
from £1.50
SETTING
Indoors
WHERE
Derby
What it’s like
Watch model trains loop the layout in Markeaton Park, with kids in for £1.50 and a family ticket at £7.
This is a watch-and-learn sort of visit rather than a hands-on one. The trains run round a layout and there's railway history and how the whole thing operates on show too, so if you've got a child who wants to know why the signals change or how the points work, someone here can probably tell them. It's not the sort of place with buttons to press or a play area to escape to, so it suits a kid who'll actually stand and watch rather than one who needs to be doing something every five minutes.
Money-wise it's about as gentle as these things get. £1.50 for a child, £3.50 for an adult, or £7 for a family ticket covering two adults and the kids under 16. That's cheap enough that a rained-off afternoon in Markeaton Park doesn't feel like a wasted trip.
It's not open every day though. Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays only, 11am to 4pm, and around 150 days a year rather than the full calendar, so this isn't a spontaneous Tuesday plan. You can just turn up on an open day rather than book ahead.
Parking is in the main car park off the Markeaton Island roundabout on the A52/A38, and it's pay parking, so factor that into the £1.50 ticket in your head. If you're coming by bus, it stops at the park gates and it's a five minute walk in from there.
Facilities
Need to know
- Parking
- Pay parking in main car park, accessible from A52/A38 Markeaton Island Roundabout
- Getting there by bus or train
- Bus from Derby bus station stops at Markeaton Park gates, five minutes walk away
- It's watching and learning rather than hands-on, so it suits a kid happy to stand and look
- Only open Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, and not every week of the year
- The bus from Derby bus station stops at the park gates, five minutes from the door
Plan your visit
How much does it cost?
£1.50 for a child, £3.50 for an adult, or £7 for a family ticket covering up to two adults and the kids under 16.
What days is it open?
Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays, 11am to 4pm. It runs on about 150 days a year rather than every one of those days, so it's not a permanent fixture.
Do we need to book ahead?
No, you can walk up on an open day.
Is there parking?
Yes, in the main car park reached from the A52/A38 Markeaton Island roundabout, but it's pay parking rather than free.
Experiences
Chinley Station Layout
indoorsA 40-foot (now extended to almost 60 feet) 00-scale model railway layout based on Chinley station in Derbyshire in the 1950s, with four main line tracks and storage loops for 16 full length trains.
Shelf Railway
indoorsA shelf railway layout, viewable via a downloadable video on the website.
See all Model Villages & Miniature Railways in Derby · Things to do in Derby
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