Have you ever wanted to drive a steam locomotive? Do steam trains still evoke a magical feeling for you?
If you can answer yes to either of these questions, Kew Bridge Steam Museum has a steam locomotive footplate experience day to suit you; come and join our friendly volunteer crew on Greater London's only live steam railway line.

2012 dates now available. Please state which date(s) you would like when booking.

Option 2 - Lighting Up & Driving - £75
(9am - 12pm) - For the more technically minded, join our friendly crew for the morning stint of one of our special Saturday experiences, which entails: Cleaning the smoke box and sweeping the tubes Oiling & general safety checks Health & safety briefing Lighting up the locomotive Brass polishing / paint cleaning Coaling up Taking on water Technical briefing, (tailored to suit you) - learn how the whole process works, from coal to the wheels. Locomotive familiarisation and driver training Driving under supervision 

Option 3 - Driving & Disposal - £85
(1pm - 4pm) - For those who are not so interested in the technical aspects of the locomotive and just want to enjoy themselves, join our friendly crew for the afternoon stint of one of our special Saturday experiences, which entails: Health & safety briefing Coaling up Taking on water Locomotive familiarisation and driver training Driving under supervision Locomotive end-of-day disposal 

Option 4 - Extra Hand (morning) - £55
(9am - 12pm on Sundays only) - For those who want a more real life experience, spend the morning on the footplate with our friendly crew  while they give rides to visitors on a busy museum railway operating Sunday, which entails: Cleaning the smoke box and sweeping the tubes Oiling & general safety checks Health & safety briefing Lighting up the locomotive Brass polishing / paint cleaning Coaling up Taking on water Technical briefing, (tailored to suit you) - learn how the whole process works, from coal to the wheels.Locomotive familiarisation Please note: Option 4 entails no hands on driving as the railway will be open to the public 

Option 5 - Extra Hand (afternoon) - £55
(1pm - 4pm on Sundays only) - For those who want a more real life experience, spend the afternoon on the footplate with our friendly crew  while they give rides to visitors on a busy museum railway operating Sunday, which entails: Oiling & general safety checks Health & safety briefing Coaling up Taking on water Technical briefing, (tailored to suit you) - learn how the whole process works, from coal to the wheels. Locomotive familiarisation Locomotive end-of-day disposal Please note: Option 5 entails no hands on driving as the railway will be open to the public.

At the end of each option, there will be a chance for photographs and rides in the carriage for any friends and family.  A special footplate experience certificate will also be awarded to the guest driver, signed by the instructor that day.

Terms & Conditions:
1) Railway experience days are only available between the months of March to October on the publicised dates.

2) The above experiences are only available to fit persons aged between 18 and 69 on the day of their experience - we regret that these Footplate Experiences are not suitable for disabled persons.

3) Options 1, 2 & 3 by their nature are offered on Saturdays only when the railway is closed to the public. These dates can be found on our website.

4) Options 4 and 5 are only available on a Sunday and involve NO engine driving as the railway will be open to the public. Some dates may be excluded due to other commitments.

5) Should a client wish to cancel a footplate experience less than 5 working days before the experience is due to take place, no refund will be given.

6) It is crucial that participants wear suitable footwear and clothing. A boiler suit and steel toecap shoes are preferable, though old clothing and trainers are accepted at the clients' own risk. * Kew Bridge Steam Museum is not able to guarantee the provision of protective footwear or clothing. *

7) Vouchers with an allocated date are valid for that date only.

8) We will permit you to transfer the footplate experience to someone other than yourself, under the same booking conditions, but you must advise us of the details immediately they are known. Transfers can only occur up to 14 days prior to the booked date.

9) Open vouchers are valid for a Footplate Experience to be taken within one year from the date of purchase, subject to a suitable date being available.

10) We will permit you to take your Footplate Experience on a date after the expiry date on the voucher provided we receive an additional payment to cover any increase in costs applicable when the Footplate Experience is taken. We will notify you as soon as possible of any such charge.

11) We reserve the right to cancel Footplate Experience days at short notice when technical or other circumstances beyond our control deem it necessary. Should this happen a full refund or re-scheduled date will be offered.

12) If a Footplate Experience date is completed and the attending driver then goes onto become a passed out volunteer railway driver at Kew Bridge Steam Museum within two years of the issue date on the completion certificate, then a full refund of the experience day will be offered on presentation of the valid completion certificate.

13) KBSM reserves the right to refuse access to, prematurely terminate, or cancel a footplate experience at any time should the instructor or another member of KBSM staff deem safety to have been compromised.

14) Footplate experiences are available to ONE person only and may not be shared. The museum will allow free entry to ONE guest plus the Footplate experience participant, but the guests may take no part in the Footplate Experience and must abide by the general museum visitor rules.