The Watford Miniature Railway located in Cassiobury Park at Watford in Hertfordshire reopens this Saturday, and will then be open every day until the following Sunday, just in time for schools’ half term.

The railway is located right in the heart of Cassiobury Park in Watford, Hertfordshire. The station is right next to the park’s paddling pools, playground and Hub building, and trains run at weekends and school holidays through most of the year. The journey is through a wooded area adjacent to the River Gade, and returns you back to the station at the end of your trip.

Each day trains will run from 12.00 until 4 pm with a fare of £2 for adults and children over two. Children under two travel free. However, the railway also offers multi-ride tickets which provide a 25% discount. They are available as 10 ride tickets for £15 or 20 ride tickets for £30.

The multi-ride tickets have no expiry date, can be used on any/multiple days, and can be used for individuals, families, or groups, or any combination that adds up to the number of rides on the ticket. Multi-ride tickets are only available in advance online at on the Watford Miniature Railway website but purchasers should allow a few days for them to reach you via the post.

First opened at Easter 1959, the railway was built by Charles Reed who had operated portable railways in the Watford area from the late 1940s, as well as a railway at Clissold Park in North London during the 1950s. Initially, a short ‘out and back’ line, the railway was gradually extended to a 300-yard long circuit next to the river. There were two locomotives; an 08 Shunter petrol locomotive, and an LMS Compound steam locomotive named Maid Marion.

In 1968 the railway was sold to George Webb (who had previously assisted with the portable railways in the 50s) and Maid Marion moved to Devon, leaving only the 08 Shunter locomotive to run the railway for the next decade.

The railway was sold again in 1979 to Jeff Price, who undertook gradual improvements to the railway. The first was the reintroduction of steam locomotives in the early 1980s with a Great Northern Atlantic locomotive and American Switcher locomotive named Chiltern Shuttle. In 1987 the railway was extended to a new station adjacent to the paddling pools and children’s playground. More locomotives, both steam and diesel, and carriages were introduced through the 1990s to cope with increasing numbers of visitors.

During the 2000s the railway settled into a steady existence with operation by diesel locomotives. On Jeff Price’s retirement in July 2017 the railway was sold to current operators Southern Miniature Railways.