The Christmas White Rose

Join us for an exhilarating main line steam run from London’s King’s Cross to the historic city of York. The Christmas Market will be open, with plenty to see and experience. York is world famous for its variety of visitor attractions and home to the National Railway Museum.

We leave London King’s Cross in the morning hauled by our steam locomotive and follow the East Coast Main Line route of famous express trains like the Flying Scotsman. We storm up the gradient through Gasworks Tunnel and Finsbury Park, and northwards, calling at Stevenage, Huntingdon and Peterborough to pick up more passengers.

Our steam locomotive then tackles the 15-mile climb up the famous Stoke Bank. Here on 3rd July 1938, “Mallard”, an A4 class ‘Pacific’, achieved a world record speed of 126 mph when travelling in the opposite direction. Once over the summit we should have a good, fast run down the 20-mile descent to Trent Valley and on through Grantham, Newark and Retford. We steam through Doncaster and continue northwards to our mid-day stop in York.

There will be plenty of time for passengers to enjoy the city and all it has to offer on the run up to Christmas, with the festive market being the focal point. York has some major tourist attractions including the National Railway Museum, the largest museum of its type in Britain; the Shambles; the splendid Gothic York Minster, one of the largest of its kind in northern Europe; and the city walls. There are a number of other interesting museums, quaint alleyways, and a good variety of shops.

Our train leaves York late in the afternoon, and we will retrace our outward steps along the East Coast Main Line steam hauled. We say goodbye to our steam locomotive at Peterborough and continue diesel hauled, stopping to set down passengers at the same stations as on the northbound journey, arriving at King’s Cross in the evening.

Look out for Father Christmas and his Elves who will be visiting the train during the day and handing out presents to all the children on board. If you have children with you on the trip, please let us know your child’s name and age when booking.

This is the first of our festive season day trips. We are busy planning further trips for you to enjoy on the run up to Christmas. Please check back to find out more as we add further Christmas trips to our website.

On Board Catering