29/08/2026
Narrow gauge engines like ours are becoming a rare sight. There aren't many places left where a locomotive like Spirit of Adventure or Lydia is still working, still cared for, still doing the job it was built to do — and that's exactly what David Nelson and family who run Perrygrove are passionate about: looking after something worth protecting, and sharing it with anyone who wants to see it.
It's not just the engines that get passed down and looked after. The skills that keep a narrow gauge railway running — building, maintaining, driving — get handed on too, from one generation to the next and from one team member to the next. David and his son are often in the workshop together for exactly that reason.
Perrygrove's part of a small community of heritage railways across the country doing the same thing — sharing knowledge and skills, marking each other's achievements, working through the same challenges, even lending an engine or two when one's needed. A bigger family than just the one running the railway day to day.
This year marks thirty years since Perrygrove first opened. David and family have worked hard to continue the work of the original owners, as the same hands-on approach remains.
Come and see what thirty years of looking after these narrow gauge engines properly looks like — and discover woodland trails, tree top trail, play areas, tunnel mazes that make our little railway a charming family day out.
Learn more: https://www.perrygrove.co.uk/explore/
