Address: Butterley Station, off, B6179, Ripley DE5 3QZ, United Kingdom
Phone: +441773570140
Rating: 4.3
based on 175 reviews.
Attraction Quality
Pros:
"Good grief - what an underrated attraction this is!"
"The Midland Railway -Butterley, is a place that has variation in abundance."
"They make the most of what they have."
"An amazing collection of railway things, particularly related to the historical Midland Railway."
"Absolutely fantastic day out amazing the collection of stuff they have got from model trains to double decker buses motor cycles and lots of stationary engines can not praise the place enough."
"Very interesting, well displayed. Lego displays were amazing."
"What a wonderful time forgotten site this is, loads of old railway fossils, old wooden signals and signal boxes in artistic shabby chic formats."
Cons:
"It's not quite how it sounds on the website."
"Honestly felt like it was a bit of a letdown. We were told how good the santa experience was so went with high expectations."
"Very disappointing. Place very Neglected only a place to visit if you're a railway enthusiast and want to look at lots of neglected rolling stock."
"Some heritage railways show a glimpse of the past, this one seems to show some sort of dystopian future after some possible future apocalypse."
"Bonfire night 2017 The firework display was garbage."
"After purchasing a voucher to use on the steam and diesel railway experience, we went for the Midlands Railway Butterley after reading the reviews and what it is about online.... Well what a HUGE disappointment and how much it is falsely advertised."
"Overpriced, not really a lot to do at Swanick. The main exhibition hall is closed so there’s not really a lot to look at."
Staff and Volunteers
Pros:
"Friendly and helpful staff."
"The volunteers are so friendly, helpful and knowledgable."
"The staff were very helpful and knowledgeable too."
"Staff attentive and helpful the drinks and snacks in there were reasonably priced."
"Very friendly staff who are more than happy to chat about the railway."
"Exceptional good mannered and helpful staff... Most are volunteers."
"The staff are so friendly and helpful which makes the journey a lot easier."
Cons:
"Train driver was rather grumpy though. He never spoke to the children or waved back, bad day maybe?!"
"Volunteers helpful but seemed amateurish."
"The customer service was found to be hit and miss."
"Exceedingly poor visiting experience. The younger volunteers intimidating and generally childish."
"The 'marshalls' allowed women and children to be trampled to the ground so people can get to the train first....utterly disgusting."
"All I wanted was an apology, and they fobbed me off. The grounds and staff are good, but the management are awful at keeping people happy."
"3 stars because the model railway and lovely enthusiastic club members made up for the incredibly rude 3 men on the platform."
Facilities and Accessibility
Pros:
"Great prices for food and drink."
"Lots of clean toilets."
"This venue has free car parking so that's a big bonus before you even begin exploring."
"A cafe and toilets are available."
"Lovely place for a train ride. Ticket gives all day access."
"Once you have paid your train fare you can go on the train as much as you want."
"Nice cafe and everyone is very friendly."
Cons:
"My wife is now in a wheelchair and when we tried to book this week, we were told that the train coaches they were using this year had no Disabled Access and so couldn't accommodate our party of 11!"
"The only negative I have is the toilet at the station they are not very pleasent at all."
"The museum roof is falling to bits and is a serious health and safety issue."
"Dropped a star because was expecting the tea room to be open, but sadly it was closed so best to check before you go."
"It's a bit boring for young kids... and the baby changing facilities are lacking."
"Disappointed with the toilets at Butterley Station with the flooded roof and no lights 50 yards from the platform."
"No toilet facilities at butterley station platform."