What are the opening hours?

Saturday 11am - 4:30pm Sunday 11am - 4:30pm

https://www.gunpowderrailway.com/

Gunpowder Railway, Beaulieu Drive, Waltham Abbey (2026)

12/09/2026

Today: running trains, wagon stock rearranging and restorations continue.

It started off cool today, but it became surprisingly warm and a little humid as the day progressed. A select group of five volunteers was on site for the day.

As it was an open day at the Gunpowder Mills, the first task was to get the toys out and check the train ready for passenger service. After that, some shunting was carried out to swap the new flat wagon with the one in 83E, as the new wagon was loaded with timber and wheels it really needed to be kept under cover. Attention then turned to one of the open wagons, where the tarpaulin was adjusted to stop it resembling a small swimming pool.

Work also continued around the site. The pathway damaged by the truck earlier in the week was repaired using the wacker, and a replacement "No Entry" sign was found to replace the broken one. New feet were fitted to the original broken sign before it was returned to its place in the yard.

Passenger services ran smoothly throughout the day, with the middle two trains operating and carrying lots of happy customers. The usual guided tour of the Railway Works also took place.

Further restoration work on the “new” Hunslet locomotive No. 15 proved productive. The broken parking brake switch was finally removed from the console and, fortunately, it carries both a manufacturer’s name and part number, which should make sourcing a replacement straightforward. The source of the gearbox oil leak also appears to have been identified as a damaged pipe, which should be a relatively simple repair.

Elsewhere, the silencer on the wacker was repaired after working loose repairing the pathways earlier. Painting work continued outside ARS2, with the seats being completed before attention turned to applying undercoat to the other end of the Wickham trolley and one of the sideboards.

Overall, it was a productive and enjoyable day, with a good mix of maintenance, repair work, and passenger operations, all helped by a successful open day and plenty of satisfied visitors.

09/09/2026

Today: The Beast Lives! Hunslet 9080 starts up! Sleepers arrive and much more.

Another long but worthwhile day on site, cooler than recent ones and mostly overcast, but at least it stayed dry. With a small team in, we made steady progress across several jobs and kept things moving from first light through to locking up.

The morning began with a reshuffle in the workshop: Gilbert, Chris H (Hunslet no. 4)and Tinkabell were moved out, followed by locomotive Hunslet no. 15, giving it the space needed for the next round of work. Using Chris H, the Moes locomotive was then relocated from the turntable road to the display siding in front of Hunslet no.5, ready to benefit from temporary shelter once it arrives.

Painting continued outside ARS2, and gloss top-coating carried on inside the museum building. The Wickham trolley took a big step forward as both end panels were drilled, fixed into place, and the timber panelling received more undercoat so it finally looks like a complete vehicle is taking shape.

Mid‑afternoon brought the arrival of a very large lorry carrying three pallets of new sleepers from the Richmond Light Railway. Unloading was straightforward thanks to the JCB, but finding enough space for a fifty‑foot lorry to turn proved more challenging. After some careful manoeuvring, it was achieved ..... Just.

The highlight of the day came with work on Hunslet diesel no.15. The sand reservoir was cleaned out, and the engine oil, water and fuel filters checked. With a battery and boost pack connected, the engine astonishingly fired on the very first turn of the key. A bit smoky, but running and sounding good. Even the air compressor came to life immediately. Cab controls were then stripped down for inspection, and most of the gauges proved functional. Loose paint on the bonnet and cab was also stripped back to prepare for future repainting work.

A productive day throughout, with real progress made and a satisfying milestone reached with no.15.

05/09/2026

Today: Full size shunting puzzles, Work on the Wickham and Tinkabell continue and a unique photo opportunity...

It was bright and sunny first thing, a little cool to start with, but the warmth built steadily and by the afternoon it had turned into a really pleasant day. With a good team on site, progress was made across several projects while trains ran for the Mills Open Day. Two services were operated, carrying lots of appreciative passengers.

Work on the Wickham trolley moved forward with a first green topcoat applied to the inner faces of both end panels. Suitable timber was sourced and shaping began on the new buffer beam for the Dough wagon. Tinkabell saw major attention as the bonnet cover and entire front fairing were removed, followed by some impressive panel‑beating to straighten out the dents.

A group turned their attention to shed 83D, exploring better ways to install the roof panels. The tower wagon was moved to assist — reluctantly, as its brakes needed persuasion from a sledgehammer before it agreed to roll. Adjustments were then made to the scaffold tower to make it more useful for the job ahead.

The afternoon became a full‑scale shunting puzzle, with seemingly every vehicle across the Railway Works moved at least twice. This caused much amusement and confusion on the Public Tours as everything wasn't necessarily where the Guides expected it to be! However, by the end of the session, the Dough wagon was back on the track and positioned inside Museum 83C ready for buffer beam work. Wagon B10 was moved out of Workshop 83B and into shed 83A, taking the space freed by the Dough wagon.

That opened up a gap in the main workshop, promptly filled with the newly arrived locomotive Hunslet Works No. 9080 - Bishopton number 15. It rolled smoothly behind Chris H (Hunslet number 4), and the chance was taken to photograph all three Hunslet Bishopton locomotives currently at the Railway - including visitor Number 4 - nose‑to‑tail the first time such a lineup has been possible since the mid‑1990s.

To round off the day, sanding continued on Tinkabell’s bonnet cover and a coat of red primer was applied, the lighting in ARS2 was finally sorted and essential workshop tasks carried on in the background. Solid progress across a wide range of jobs, thanks to steady effort throughout the day.

- Much more to tell as Number 15 is restored over the coming weeks!

02/09/2026

Today: 3(!!) New locomotive arrivals, Wickham continues and a bit of a tidy up

It stayed overcast throughout, with a light breeze and frequent drizzly showers drifting across the site. Only a small team was in, but even so we kept several jobs moving while waiting for the day’s deliveries which turned out to be rather special ones.

Work began with preliminary fabrication of the new coupling pins for the now restored Dough wagon, while shaping and sanding continued on the second end panel for the Wickham trolley. Stripping the old paint from Tinkabell carried on steadily, and the Wickham dashboard and end framing received their first green gloss topcoat. One face of the second Wickham end panel was undercoated, and a first green topcoat went onto the other. A tidy‑up session in the main workshop cleared one of the benches, making space for the next round of tasks.

But the real excitement came in on a large truck!

Just before 11am, the first lorry rolled in carrying two new arrivals: a 1984 Bishopton‑built Hunslet, number 15 one of only two of its type; and a compact Belgian Moes diesel locomotive from an old brick works and built just after the Second World War. Both were unloaded carefully, admired thoroughly, and covered up for safekeeping.

Then, at 3.30pm, the lorry returned with another pair of treasures: Bishopton Hunslet number 5, a twin to the existing Chris H called Betsy and now stored on behalf of a fellow collector, plus a Robert Hudson‑built RNAD Dean Hill wagon. With that wagon, the full set of RNAD manufacturers is now represented on site. A collection milestone. The delivery also included spare Bishopton wheelsets and axleboxes — always welcome additions.

By the time everything was unloaded, positioned, covered, and the yard secured, it was edging towards five o’clock. A day of steady workshop progress transformed into one filled with rare locomotives, new projects, and plenty of excitement.

Big thanks and shout out to ELP Transport who were excellent today

29/08/2026

Today: Tinkabell's refurbishment starts, Wickham continues and Hanging Pegs!

Cloud and rain set the tone for the day, with several heavy showers rolling through, yet it still managed to stay warm on site. Being a Mills Public Day, two trains were run, carrying just 13 passengers not a huge number, but with only twenty visitors in total it was a respectable showing given the horrible and in challenging rail conditions.

The morning began with topping up the Baguley’s diesel, followed by the start of the next stage in the refurbishment of Tinkabell the Ruston LBU - stripping all of the old paint from the bonnet panels. Also, oddly, a large pump / water feature was unloaded from the Mills site trailer with the JCB and moved into storage on the PW Yard slab.

Work on the Wickham trolley continued at a good pace. Fresh undercoats — both grey and white — went onto the completed end panel, and a wire‑mesh grille was fitted neatly across the low‑level ventilation opening. The final underseat panel was cut and installed, and four new upright timber corner battens were shaped, sanded, and fixed into position. With all this done, the first end panel is now ready to be fitted on Wednesday, after which topcoating can finally begin.

Elsewhere, the spanner rack in Workshop 83B received renewed hanging pegs, restoring order and making it possible to hang every spanner in its proper place again. A small job, but one that makes a big difference to workshop efficiency.

Despite the wet weather, it turned into a productive undercover day, with steady progress across several projects and momentum maintained where it mattered.

26/08/2026

Today: Tracklaying for the Greenbat, water refills and further painting.

Despite some rain early this morning it was dry by the time we arrived on site, and the day soon turned warm and humid. With the regular Wednesday team in, we were able to keep several projects moving while also running trains. It was the final Kids Activity Day, with four trains operated and many many passengers carried, a worthwhile effort, and good to have support from those providing the crew.

First thing, the water bowser was taken down to the far end of the site and refilled which in turn means the water tank in Workshop 83B was able to be refilled, followed by a repair to the milling machine. Meanwhile preparatory work continued on the benches outside ARS2.

Work on the Wickham trolley progressed, with sanding on one end panel and a second undercoat applied to the other. I spent the morning applying the fleet numbers to the ends of the Dough wagon; all lettering is now complete, and only coupling pins and a new timber buffing plate are needed to finish it. Internal decoration of museum shed 83C continued steadily.

After lunch, more coats of paint went onto the benches outside ARS2, and a repair was undertaken on the engine stop assembly of the Ruhrthaler. Undercoating continued on the Wickham trolley end panel, and three of the underseat kick panels were cut and fitted.

Further use of the JCB allowed ten sleepers to be brought from the P Way yard to the new display area at the north end of the upper yard, followed by two full lengths of 35lb rail. A small panel of 18‑inch gauge track was also removed back to the P Way yard. With these materials now in place, we can make the track panel for the GreenBat 6099 (BB307) Mines Research Establishment locomotive and its Cleaning Unit.

Another successful day, with plenty achieved thanks to the hard work of everyone on site.

22/08/2026

Today: The big swap around! Dough Wagon gets its letters plus points get pointed.

It started off quite fresh on site, but the breeze dropped mid‑morning and the heat built up during the remainder of the day.
A good Saturday team on site so we were able to progress multiple projects. It was a Mills Open Day, and we ran two f the four scheduled trains, carrying lots contented passengers - primarily as our principal task in the morning was the Big Swap Around and re‑organization of the main yard area.
The two new Broughton Moor open wagons were put onto the new siding beside shed 83D and were joined by Trecwn chassis TO 448 which was relocated from shed 83E. The "new" metal flat wagon was then moved into shed 83E, whilst the tower wagon was dragged by our Hunslet Gilbert from alongside shed 83C to a position just outside shed 83E.
Finally, the ballast wagon was moved from the turntable siding round to the display siding next to 83C. The result, once everyone had recovered their breath, was a strangely empty main yard — the purpose of this exercise being to give us plenty of room to welcome our new locomotives in a couple of weeks’ time.
Then the final coats of grey paint were applied to the roof of the Dough wagon, and varnish to the seats and floorboards of the Wickham trolley.
The messy job of cleaning and lubricating all the Main Yard points was undertaken, and a necessary repair made to the worn tiebar and point lever bar on pointset seven so it now pulls over smoothly with no play in the joints.
A good clean was given to all the exhibits in museum building 83C, which were getting rather dusty after all the dry weather, and a new belt fitted to the belt sander in the workshop.
The two bench units outside ARS2 were finished with cleaning and undercoating, and a mist top coat applied to one of them this afternoon.
The day concluded with a first undercoat applied to one end panel of the Wickham trolley, and stencilled lettering added to both ends of the Dough wagon, faithfully copied from the original, along with the vehicle fleet numbers ready for painting on Wednesday. Oh so close to completion now!
A big thank you to everyone for working so hard today.

19/08/2026

Today: Wickham continues at speed, seats also move, 4 busy trains and a new driver/guard!

Pleasantly warm on site today, and dry. It was overcast in the morning but the sun came through after lunch. It was a Kid’s Activity Day at the Mills and we ran four trains, carrying loads of happy passengers. Many thanks to those who ran the service, and congratulations to the new Crew Member who passed practical tests for driver and guard today.

First thing, the last fishplates were installed onto the new track behind 83A, so it is now ready to receive designated rolling stock on Saturday. The JCB was then used to lift the two curved bench units behind the mess cabin and move them across to their new location outside ARS2, followed by cleaning down the benches and beginning to apply a grey undercoat.

Work continued across the site: final sanding and smoothing of the two Wickham trolley end panels, undercoating exposed parts of the superstructure metalwork and starting fabrication of the timber protection panels to go under the seats.
The internal painting of museum building 83C also continued to get ever whiter, along with fabrication and fitting of the three main longitudinal roof ribs to wagon B10, and completion of the lighting installation in the container which is a bit lost on a bright sunny day, but it will be a real boon during the winter months.

17/08/2026

Did you know the Gunpowder Railway is just one part of the wider 175 acre Gunpowder Mills experience? Check out the map below to see everything else we have to offer on site for a fantastic history, nature - and obviously train filled day out! With a great cafe too!

(The main railway is numbers 9 and 11 - plus our miniature 7.25" railway is number 8 ).

Gunpowder Railway

12/09/2026

09/09/2026

05/09/2026

02/09/2026

29/08/2026

26/08/2026

22/08/2026

19/08/2026

17/08/2026

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