REASONS TO CHOO CHOOSE WHITEHEAD RAILWAY MUSEUM THIS EASTER

This Easter Whitehead Railway Museum will be open for an extended run including both Easter Monday and Tuesday. Opening times each day are 10am to 4pm with conducted tours at 11am, 1pm and 2.30pm. Self-guided tours are also available.

Whitehead Railway Museum will be playing host to the Easter Eggspress special from Belfast. The RPSI steam train, hauled by recently restored engine No. 131, will be operating Monday April 22, making two round trips from Belfast. The train departs Lanyon Place at 11.30am and again at 2.30pm and will be at Whitehead Railway Museum for 45 minutes from 12.15pm and again from 3.15pm.

An extra attraction for people living in the East Antrim area is the Belfast Shopper – a trip by steam train that gives you a full day in Belfast – where you can shop, visit some of the attractions and have a leisurely lunch. The train leaves Whitehead Railway Museum at 9.55am on April 22 and returns from Lanyon Place at 5pm, and you can sip a cup of coffee as the train skirts the shoreline of Belfast Lough. The train calls to collect passengers at Carrickfergus at 10.10am.

Acting General Manager at Whitehead Railway Museum, Siobhan Dillon, said: “We are thrilled to announce our timetable for the Easter weekend at Whitehead Railway Museum. Any time where we can open our doors to the public for an extended period feels special, and we wanted to mark the occasion with as many activities as possible.

“We had a record number of visitors on April 6 when we held a 100th birthday party for our little blue shunting engine No. 3BG Guinness. Now we’re keen to build on that memorable occasion and have a record Easter. We are offering lots of different attractions which will appeal not just to railway enthusiasts but to the public looking for a day out with a difference.”

The highly acclaimed Edwardian Tea Room will be offering a special Easter menu with a range of new dishes over the weekend. The Tea Room opens from 10.15am serving homemade lunches, snacks and teas and coffees. For more information about the Museum and to book tickets for the Easter Eggspress steam train, visit https://www.steamtrainsireland.com/