Downpatrick and County Down Railway

12/06/2026

Only a few weekends left until The Jurassic Express visits Downpatrick on 4th and 5th July.

Places continue to fill up so advise booking now to avoid disappointment, we're unlikely to have tickets available on the day.

Travel back in time on our heritage train for an action-packed adventure with the dinosaurs on the Jurassic Express.

11/06/2026

Psst...we've added some new badge designs we think you might like.

Proceeds from the sale of these badges will go towards heritage carriage projects at our railway.

www.downrail.co.uk/shop

10/06/2026

Ribbit… ribbit…trespasser alert!

There was a very small and friendly trespasser happily living in a drain in the Maghera Shed until one of our volunteers decided it was time to try to clean the drain out… we won’t name them*, as they jumped higher in the air than the frog did.

Our Compliance director Chris, clad in his grubby overalls and steel toecap wellies as heritage railway directors must all be, stepped in and showed his skills as the frog whisperer, calming the visitor and transferring them to a bucket of water to be released into a safe, damp location away from the shed and telling him to hop off.

You really do need to be multi-skilled to be a volunteer with us. Sheep, eels and frogs, whatever next?

(*Morgan. It definitely wasn’t Morgan.)

08/06/2026

Summer is here and our station is well and truly blooming up. The lovely planters on the front railings are once again provided by our friends at Downpatrick Community Allotments - they are way more green fingered than us train people!

See the flowers for yourself during a visit for any of our summer trains: https://www.downrail.co.uk/visit/

06/06/2026

It's , and what better week to officially receive our King's Award for Voluntary Service crystal and certificate?

On Wednesday evening, a group of DCDR volunteers had the honour of attending Killyleagh Castle, where the award was formally presented by His Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant for County Down, Gawn Rowan Hamilton.

Joining the Lord-Lieutenant were Sandra Adair MBE, a member of the King's Award for Voluntary Service National Assessment Committee, Judith Harper, who nominated the DCDR for the award, and Councillor Callum Bowsie, representing the new Chair of Newry, Mourne and Down District Council, Councillor Glyn Hanna.

The King's Award for Voluntary Service is the highest award that can be given to a volunteer group in the UK, and recognises the dedication, commitment and impact of our volunteers over the past four decades.

Following the presentation, our volunteers were treated to a fascinating tour of Killyleagh Castle. Many had driven past it for years but never imagined they would have the opportunity to step inside. The castle is steeped in history, with connections to the American and French Revolutions and the 1798 Rebellion, all on our doorstep here in County Down.

We would like to extend our sincere thanks to Gawn Rowan Hamilton for his hospitality in hosting the DCDR team and making the evening such a memorable occasion.

Most importantly, thank you to every volunteer, past and present, whose hard work, dedication and passion made this award possible.

03/06/2026

Our 80 class restoration project continues to inch towards the finishing line, with bodywork repairs and paint prep underway last weekend.

Chris, John and Mike were working on the awkward metal at the bottom of the cab front, cutting out some rotten areas and cleaning them up ahead of welding work in the coming week. That may sound easy, but access around the buffers and the rubbing plate was very awkward for power tools, and it turned into a day’s work.

Niall meanwhile spent a very dusty afternoon rubbing down the paintwork all over the power car bodysides, to provide a key for upcoming repainting of the lovely maroon and blue colour scheme.

Finally, Harrison with help (or hindrance?) from Chris carried out more expert welding work on the roof panel from the corridor end, getting it ready for shotblasting and refitting.

It’s a real feeling of ‘getting there’, but what a long and fraught journey it has been!

27/05/2026

Bang! There's been a lot of door slamming in the workshop recently. Don't worry, nobody's throwing a temper tantrum. In fact, Robert and Niall are smiling, because the pesky vestibule doors on 80 class power car 69 is finally closing following its refit. Tricky things, carriage doors, they might all look the same but can be very particular when it comes to aligning properly - despite using the original hinge screw holes, they still need fettling!

This really is a major milestone for 69's refit - the large curved vestibule doors were one of the very first parts of the railcar to be removed for essential bodywork - and now (almost) the last thing to go back on. Time, of course, had not been kind to them and they needed whole sections of steel replaced internally, with the fibreglass recently repaired allowing them to finally stop getting in the way of the midweek carriage team.

A few last bits of prep prior to painting are also being undertaken, resulting in Niall gaining a new blue livery...

As we inch closer to giving 69 a new coat of paint and FINALLY entering service - again we're asking if any vehicle refinishers want to give us a hand to please drop us a DM.

26/05/2026

This summer, make it your mission to experience the County Down countryside off the beaten track.

Travel on our heritage trains and you'll see sights you'll never so much as glimpse from the road.

Bookings now open at https://www.downrail.co.uk/event/summer-trains/

25/05/2026

Work may be continuing to get our steam locos back in action, but aul 124 was certainly making a good impression of one this Bank Holiday weekend, as we welcomed a group of German tourists over in the basking sun.

For the train nerds we'd 124 and 146 working in multiple hauling our vintage set, and also our little German deutz G-Class and the 450 railcar.

Vielen Dank für Ihren Besuch!

16/05/2026

This summer, join us on board The Jurassic Express. But hurry, places are already being snapped up fast.

The event takes place Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th July.

Travel back in time on our heritage train for an action-packed adventure with the dinosaurs on the Jurassic Express.