Trains & Railways in Yorkshire

Yorkshire's railway days split three ways: one big free museum, heritage lines that fill a whole day, and park miniature railways that suit a toddler for an hour. National Railway Museum York is the museum. Yorkshire-List names it the best free attraction in York and says you can stand beside the Flying Scotsman and a Japanese Bullet Train; Wonderlab costs extra and sells out, so book it ahead, and allow three to four hours.

For steam through countryside, North Yorkshire Moors Railway at Pickering is the one a travel writer calls the best heritage railway in the country. The Day Rover lets you hop off at any of seven stops, Goathland being the Heartbeat and early Harry Potter location; one family guide suggests riding only as far as Goathland with small children. Keighley & Worth Valley Railway - Haworth and Keighley & Worth Valley Railway - Oxenhope are stations on the same line: Haworth for the Brontë village, Oxenhope for free parking and, a family blog notes, a new playground. Alight at Ingrow for Vintage Carriages Trust Carriage Works Museum, where children can sit inside the carriages. Book a day ahead, as same-day online booking is not offered.

Closer to Leeds, The Middleton Railway and Middleton Railway pair a steam ride with a Middleton Park woodland walk, and trains run weekends. In Huddersfield, Whistlestop Valley bundles railway, golf, karts and indoor play under one price, while Kirklees Light Railway has play areas at every station and, a family blog says, a 25-minute single journey.

For a single lap, Thornes Park Miniature Railway and Pugneys Light Railway in Wakefield, Shibden Park Miniature Railway in Halifax and Greenhead Park Railway in Huddersfield are cheap park rides. Pugneys volunteers are praised for welcoming children with additional needs; Greenhead is best for under-fives, but check it is running before making it the reason to go.