A footplate experience can be a truly wonderful thing, a real dream come true and something I would recommend to any rail enthusiast. However, there is a surprisingly wide array of options out there and while most, probably all would be enjoyable, making the right choice can mean the difference between a fairly enjoyable day and true lifelong memorable experience. Below is a guide, written by me, split into sections offering some basic advice based upon my experiences of taking part in these activities. There is a lot to
think about when choosing your experience and much of it is easy to overlook in the excitement of pursuing your dream experience.
1. Steam or Diesel?
For some, the choice will be a clear one. But for those of you who don't have a deep allegiance to one form of traction and hatred of the other, there is a lot to think about here. Having done both I can confirm that both can be very enjoyable.
First of all, which is the one you REALLY want to do? Which do you have your heart set on? Ultimately following your heart will most likely lead you to the most satisfying option for you.
Next - your physical condition. Steam locomotives are wonderful things and my personal favourite to operate. However, they are noisy, dirty, drafty, rough riding beasts that take a lot of physical exertion to operate. Small locos can also be quite cramped, especially considering that there is likely to be at least four of you on the footplate; driver, fireman and two participants. It is hard work with little or no creature comforts.
Driving a diesel is more simple, less physical, quieter and more comfortable. You'll be sat in a chair, operating controls within easy reach. It is much less raw and visceral and perhaps less engaging and awe inspiring than a steam engine but is also less of an assault on the senses. So they can be better for those with poor physical fitness or a dislike noisy environments. Diesel experiences are often cheaper than equivalent steam experiences and in my experience, are more likely to include pulling a train.
2. What specifically do you want?
There is a wide range of experiences catering for a range of tastes so it's important to be clear on what specifically you're after. Do you want to drive a light engine loco or a train? Do you just want to drive (and fire - steam) or do you want a day that includes experiencing all elements of operating the loco - some experiences allow you to help with the loco prep and the line operation as well while others will be purely centered around driving & firing.
You should also consider the type of loco you want to drive. It's rare to be able to choose a specific loco as you will drive whatever is rostered for your day but are you after a tank engine or is your heart set on driving a big loco? if you have a preference, this can help direct you to the right experience for you. Some railways will offer experiences on specific "guest" locos, usually big famous ones visiting the railway for gala events but these will carry a price premium. Nene Valley in particular are good for this. I myself have driven 60163 Tornado & 60009 Union of South Africa at NVR, but more about those in future posts. These premium experiences tend to be very date specific and sell out fast so you have to keep your eyes peeled for them. They are also more at risk of delay & re-schedule as you're paying for that specific engine and in the event that it breaks, your experience will have to be re-scheduled.
3. Location - Travel Time
Footplate experiences have very specific schedules so late arrival puts you at great risk of missing out and losing your money. You should therefore consider whether to go to a railway that is more local to you or if your experience wish dictates that you have to go to line far away, for example a premium guest loco drive like those mentioned above, it is vital that you plan your travel well in advance and build in time for traffic delays to ensure prompt arrival. if you're late, in all likelyhood, you will miss the train.
4. Location - Line Length
If you're paying hundreds of pounds for your dream experience you want to enjoy it and get the most out of it. It is well worth finding out how long the lines are that you'll run on and what distance you'll get. Some heritage lines are miles and miles long, others maybe little more than a yard and a long siding, you'll still get an enjoyable experience on shorter lines but it should be carefully considered. The way to think of it is this. Many of us would love to drive a Ferrari but would you prefer to drive it on a 5-10 mile country run or do 5-10 miles going up and down a small suburban cul-de-sac?
5. Location - Overall Package.
There seems to be quite a range of experiences on offer in the £300-£600 bracket but what they offer as an overall package can vary massively. it is well worth checking precisely what will be included in each package you research as some will be far better value than others. Additional extras included in packages can include meal/food for participant, museum/loco works tour, visit to signal box, a lesson/tutorial in locomotive operation, a run up the line as a passenger in a train, photograph packages, free merchandise and membership to the railway you're driving at.
Included options vary by railway so it is important to do your research. I have completed footplate experiences at the Great Central Railway, Severn Valley Railway and Nene Valley Railway. I have one booked at another location that will be revealed in a later post and various others planned. All the aforementioned locations offer a very good experience and I would recommend them all. Each has specific things they excel at and areas for improvement. Each will be reviewed in its own dedicated review post coming soon so watch this space.
6. Guests.
Opportunities for guests can vary massively from railway to railway so it is particularly important to know what you're guests are getting. Some experiences will give you the chance to have up to 8 guests, possibly more and have them in the train you're pulling, others will allow free entry to the site for guests but little else. Some will heavily limit the number of guests you can take and will charge an additional fee for each guest.
Having guests along really enhances the experience. It provides others for you to embrace the joy and excitement of the day with and significantly improves opportunities to capture those all important photographs so memories of your day are captured for a lifetime of future enjoyment. So please please check what provision and inclusion is made for guests as failing to do this could, in the worst case scenario, cause severe disruption to your day.
7. Clothing.
Clothing is an important consideration for footplate experiences, particularly for steam experiences. Steam engines are beautiful things but they are very dirty places; soot, grease and dirt are commonplace so it is important that you wear something that you don't mind getting dirty or sooty. Some railways will provide overalls to protect your clothes but you will need to wear stout sturdy boots/shoes, preferably safety shoes.
Gloves should also be considered. The cab of a steam loco is a small place with a lot of very hot materials in close proximity. Touch the wrong thing or lose you balance and reach and grab and you could end up with a nasty burn. Some railways will provide gloves, others will mandate that you bring your own while others will recommend that you bring some. You select protective gloves suitable for handling very hotel materials, preferably without plastic/polymer content as this could melt if exposed to high temperatures.
Depending on the time of year, steam experiences can be very very cold, even despite the roaring fire infront of you. Steam locomotive footplates are drafty places, especially older locos and locos with very open cabs like GWR can be very drafty if it's wet and windy. Conversely, in the Summer, the footplate can be a very warm place to be. On a 30 degree Summers days, standing in a metal cab with roaring fire in overalls can be very challenging so this is something to be aware of.
Diesel experiences are less of a challenge clothing-wise as you're in a fully enclosed and hopefully heated vehicle. However, clothing is still an important consideration as you want to to be warm enough, not too hot and comfortable with clothing that allows freedom of movement so that you can move around the cab and climb into the vehicle safely.
8. Gauge.
Most people will immediately jump to standard gauge but there are also narrow gauge opportunities available. These can offer a similar experience from a slightly different perspective and quite possibly a cheaper option as narrow gauge vehicles are much smaller and cost less to operate. I've yet to do a narrow gauge experience but LS001 has and I'm sure future posts will cover this subject.
Summary:
This post covers a selection of the key considerations to think about when you're buying a footplate experience. This post may well be updated and expanded in the future as I take part in more experiences and learn more valuable knowledge that I can pass on to you.