There’s plenty to see and do on your visit to our railway. It’s not just a ten-minute train trip – you can happily spend an afternoon exploring everything around our stations and museum.
You can download a PDF of our current visitor map here.
Take the train to Inch Abbey
Climb aboard our vintage train, hauled by a steam locomotive or a heritage diesel, for the trip to Inch Abbey and back. There’s plenty to see and do before, during and after your journey.
Visit the museum
The museum upstairs in the station building at Downpatrick houses a fascinating collection of relics telling the story of Irish Railways in general, and also a unique collection of Belfast & County Down Railway artefacts.
Find out more about the museum >
Explore the carriage gallery
We have a unique collection of old carriages and locomotives in the Carriage Gallery building. We have everything from beautifully restored carriages to unrestored examples that need a LOT of work to get them running again. You can also play games, watch films, and the kids can dress up in period costume or railway uniform.
Visit Inch Abbey
The ruins of the ancient Cistercian Abbey can be reached with an easy five minute stroll from our Inch Abbey station. You can explore the ruins, take in the views, and in the summer it’s a lovely spot for a picnic. It was also used as a location for the TV Series Game of Thrones.
Enjoy a footplate ride with the driver
Have you ever wanted to experience life on the footplate of a steam locomotive? Or fancy a trip in the cab of a diesel locomotive? This is all part of the experience at our railway.
Find out more about footplate rides >
Drive a train on the model railway
Located off the main platform in Downpatrick, kids are very welcome to visit Dessie’s model railway, where they can try their hand at driving everything from Thomas and Percy to the latest Irish Rail locomotives.
Visit our buffet carriage
On any running day you can visit our buffet carriages for tea, drinks and some light snacks. It is parked at Inch Abbey for Easter and summer running days, or the Loop Platform at Halloween or Christmas.
Buy a souvenir in the gift shop
Located just inside the front door of our station in Downpatrick, you can buy everything from toys for the kids to serious books and gifts for the grown-ups. Keep an eye out for the vintage cash register and clock.