M Shed relaunches steam train and crane “Have a Go” weekends June 10
Starting this weekend on June 10th, M Shed is kickin’ off a fresh season of “Have a Go” weekends.
Come and try your hand at drivin’ an old-school railway engine or get behind the controls of the Fairbairn crane. You’ll be workin’ with real-deal steam-powered machinery! Get one-on-one guidance from our pros and live out your dreams as a train or crane operator. Can you lift and move cargo like a boss? Prove yourself by doin’ it safely without gettin’ anything wet. And when you’re finished showin’ off your skills in both machines, we’ll hook you up with a sweet certificate of achievement and some refreshments to celebrate.
Councillor Craig Cheney, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Finance, Governance Property and Culture, said: “It’s great to see these crane and train driving experiences back on our Harbourside. We’re very lucky to have these ‘living exhibits’ that move, sound and smell as they did when they were once part of our busy industrial Harbour.”
Michael Dunn, Head of Commercial and Operations at M Shed, said: “We’re delighted to restart our services this season: the railway is an important part of the city’s history and has become a staple attraction on the Harbourside for locals and visitors alike.
“The staff at M Shed, along with a vital team of dedicated volunteers, work tirelessly to keep the railway and cranes running, and we look forward to welcoming visitors so they can experience history in action.”
The historic Bristol Harbour Railway celebrates its 151st birthday this year, built by the Great Western Railway in the 1870s with the line originally running from Temple Meads, on through a tunnel under St Mary Redcliffe churchyard, over a steam-powered lifting bridge and on to Prince’s Wharf. In the 1900s the railway was extended on towards Wapping Dockyard where the SS Great Britain is now docked.
Originally the steam train took supplies like coal, wood, meat and alcohol into the city centre, and became an essential transport link during the First World War and the Second World War. After a century as a goods railway, it was handed over to M Shed, and has been running as a heritage railway ever since.
To find out more and to book your ticket for this driving experience visit Steam engine and crane driving experiences | M Shed Bristol (bristolmuseums.org.uk)
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