Santa Specials — Middleton Railway

The Middleton Railway Trust runs Santa Specials from its station on Moor Road in Hunslet, Leeds. The operator says the Christmas magic begins in the festively decorated Engine House, where passengers follow signs upstairs and through a lit walkway to a waiting area to collect their tickets and present vouchers.

The Santa Special then takes passengers on a journey to Middleton Park and back. On the way, the operator says, Santa gives a specially chosen present to each child aged up to ten, for whom a fare has been paid.

When the train returns to Moor Road, passengers walk through the decorated Display Hall, where Santa waits in his grotto for a photograph. The operator says adults have a tea or coffee and a traditional mince pie, children juice and biscuits, and that the storyteller Grumble Bear and handler Penny share stories, including tales about the railway's engines such as Idun, its Danish locomotive.

A train ride to Middleton Park and back with Santa visiting each carriage and giving each child up to the age of ten a present, then a photo opportunity with Santa in his grotto in the Display Hall. Tea or coffee and a mince pie for adults, juice and biscuits for children, and stories from Grumble Bear and Penny. Children aged 11 and above are treated as adults and do not receive a present.

The Station, Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds LS10 2JQ. Pre-booking is recommended for all Santa Special services, as walk-up tickets are not guaranteed, and is mandatory on the last running day before Christmas. Online booking goes through a separate booking site at no extra charge and closes on the Thursday before the train runs; online bookings are limited to ten tickets. A sold-out service may be bookable by phone through the operator's Santa hotline. Members' free tickets and passes are not valid, except for a carer accompanying a fare-paying passenger. Babies aged 0 to 12 months who need neither seat nor present travel free. The lowest-priced ticket, the Young Person ticket for ages 11 to 15, carries no present from Santa; the tickets for children aged up to ten include one. Hotline: 07376 744 799.