Book Now: THE POLAR EXPRESS™ Train Ride 2024
What's On
Online Prices Only
Adult Ticket Price
Aged 17+
On The Day Price £16.00
£8.00
Child Ticket Price
Aged 4 - 16
On The Day Price £8.00
£4.00
Child Under 4 Ticket Price free
Evening Ticket Price
From 16:00 onwards for evening travel ONLY included in day travel ticket
£5.00
Family Ticket Price
2 Adults + 2 Children or 2 Adults + 1 Senior

On The Day Price £40.00
£20.00
Dog Ticket Price £10.00
We are no longer taking online bookings for this event, but please turn up at the railway and purchase a ticket at our booking office

Rail Ale Trail Staffordshire 2024

Staffordshire Beer Train 19th - 21st July

There’s nothing like the first sip of an ice-cold beer on a summer’s day. Our festival combines a love of ale with live music and good food, tied together with a ride through the beautiful Churnet Valley aboard an impeccably-restored heritage locomotive. Spanning 5 and a half miles, with events on-board and off, the Rail Ale Trail is the perfect way to spend a July weekend with family and friends.

Run in collaboration with the local Brewerys from Stoke, Stone, Stafford, Burslem and more, our real ale train embarks from Froghall, with opportunities to disembark at Froghall, Consall & Cheddleton.  The line terminates at Leek Brook station – while you won’t be able to disembark here, you will get to see the locomotive move to the other end of the carriages in order to make the return journey. Our trains will be running frequently throughout the weekend, and the Saturday train will run until later in the evening with ticket discounts after 4pm.

Before you even set out on the beer train, you can begin at the delightful Signals Tearoom at Froghall Station for freshly-brewed tea and coffee, a spot of lunch, and traditional cakes and sweet treats.

Sample 40 Varieties of Ale 

Once on board, relax in the vintage comfort of our 1950s-style carriages and peruse our extensive ale list while the stunning Churnet Valley landscape rolls by outside. With over 30 varieties from all over, you can sample your way up and down the country. 

Cheddleton station is a throwback to the Victorian era, with an original Grade II-listed building. Hop off here to explore the locomotive sheds, which are, and stroll around the country village. Take a little wander down by the canal to see St Edwards Church and the Cheddleton Flint Mill, before returning to the station and our smaller bar for your next round of beers..

The Ale List... Coming Soon

The Main Event

Our main festival location will be at Consall. The tiny village is only accessible by train, giving it an exclusive, secret-garden feel. Join us here for live music and soak up the buzzing atmosphere. There will also be a variety of food stalls offering tasty treats to festivalgoers. Eat, drink, and dance until late on both days of the festival. Don’t forget to check out the delightful Black Lion pub too!

Walk in any direction out of the village to experience beautiful and peaceful countryside walks in the Staffordshire Moorland. Because of the frequency of our trains throughout the weekend, you can be as leisurely as you like when you explore the stops en-route. This makes for a laid-back day for you to simply enjoy.

Whether you’re a beer lover, virtuoso, or a keen foodie, the Rail Ale Trail festival has something for everyone. Children and dogs are also welcome to come along for the ride, and passengers can enjoy a 50% discount if you pre-book your tickets! What’s not to love?

Yes but it is advised to book ahead to get the best discounts.


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Train travel all day/ night or night if only buying an evening ticket.


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Yes but you must purchase a dog ticket. These are currently £10.00


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Yes this is a safe event and great for families with kids looking for a different weekend experience.


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Yes you are more than welcome.

We can handle bookings of any size, to get the best saving we advise you book ahead.


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There will be snacks available on the train and at Cheddleton. Froghall tearoom will offer hot and cold food and refreshments.

Consall will have a BBQ and selection of refreshments.


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We will be selling some Gluten free beer (subject to availability) , we have vegetarian sandwiches but unfortunately we cannot offer vegan options at this moment in time.


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There are multiple departures from all three stations over the weekend. The first departure is from Cheddleton at 10:10


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Rail Ale Trail 2024

Friday

Timetable 

Departure 1 Departure 2 Departure 3  Departure 4 Departure 5
Motive Power   Diesel Diesel Diesel Diesel
Froghall Departs   1640 1840 2040 2220
Consall Departs   1715 1915 2115 2230
Cheddleton Departs Starts 1605 1750 1950 2150 Arrive 2300
Consall Depart 1615 1815 2015 2200  
Froghall Arrive 1622 1822 2022 2208  

 

Saturday

Timetable 

Departure 1  Departure 2  Departure 3  Departure 4  Departure 5  Departure 6  Departure 7  Departure 8
Motive Power   Diesel Diesel Diesel Steam Steam Steam  Steam
Froghall Departs   1100 1240 1440 1640 1840 2040 2220
Consall Departs   1115 1315 1515 1715 1915 2115 2230
Cheddleton Departs Starts 1025 1150 1350 1550 1750 1950 2150 Arrive 2300
Consall Depart 1035 1215 1415 1615 1815 2015 2200  
Froghall Arrive 1042 1222 1422 1622 1822 2022 2208  

 

 

Sunday

Timetable 

Departure 1 Departure 2 Departure 3  Departure 4 Departure 5
Motive Power   Steam Steam Steam Steam
Froghall Departs   1100 1240 1440 1640
Consall Departs   1115 1315 1515 1715
Cheddleton Departs Starts 1025 1150 1350 1550 Arrive 1745
Consall Depart 1035 1215 1415 1615  
Froghall Arrive 1042 1222 1422 1622  

This is the timetable for 2024 Rail Ale Trail and maybe ammend in the coming weeks. We advise that you keep up to date on social media.