On New Year’s Day, the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway (the ‘Middy’), Suffolk’s only standard gauge preserved railway, is holding its annual Steam & Light Festival when once again it will be hosting an exhibition by the Historical Lighting Society of vintage oil lamps.

Many of the lamps date from mid-Victorian times and are works of art in their own right. Before the days of electric light, they could be seen in all sorts of settings, from lowly workplaces to grand houses.

During the day, visitors can also take as many trips on the railway as often as they like, and to match the display of vintage oil lamps, their journeys will be in genuine Great Eastern Railway Victorian four-wheel carriages.

As an added attraction, the Eastern Counties Bus Preservation Group will be providing a free shuttle service in a vintage bus from Stowmarket Station to the Mid-Suffolk Light Railway’s Brockford Station in Wetheringsett near Stowmarket starting at 10.00 with the last scheduled return at 16.55.

All the railway’s usual attractions will be open for the day, including the Tea Room, which will be serving tasty New Year treats and beverages, the museum that tells the history of the old ‘Middy’, and the Middy Bar which will be serving a selection of real ales and selected wines and spirits.

There is no need to book tickets in advance, as they can be booked at the Middy Shop on arrival; adult tickets cost £12 and tickets for children under 16 cost £6.

The railway is located at Brockford Station in Wetheringsett near Stowmarket in Suffolk, IP14 5PW, which is just off the A140 road between Ipswich and Norwich, and further information about the New Year’s Day events can be found online at www.mslr.org.uk.