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Steam and Diesel stop alongside Ongar Station signal box.

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About

Epping Ongar Heritage Railway winds its way through some of Essex's finest countryside, tackling steep gradients as it goes. Each of our stations and stops is unique, and serve great rural locations. What's more, you can enjoy it all from your seat aboard your train, experiencing what it would have been like for passengers to travel on the line all those years ago...

It may be the end of our line, but could be the start of your journey. For those coming in via London Underground, we operate vintage buses from right outside Epping Station, which whisk you away to pick up the train at one of our beautifully restored stations.

Meanwhile, with just 100 metres between the end of our running line and the end of the Central Line, our trains terminate in nearby rich woodland, which boasts a diverse selection of wildlife. An extension project is realistic and achievable, and the EOR is keen to work with other stakeholders to enable a new platform to be built to the immediate north-east of the existing station, and to be a viable and attractive interchange both for visitors and local people to use our services.

The return train journey travels through the woodland, and passes wide open fields and the village of Coopersale. It also runs beneath the M11 Motorway; when built in 1973, it only allowed clearance for the Tube trains which operated the branch. When heritage operations wanted to commence, the track needed to be lowered by three feet to accommodate the change in rolling stock.

This 'shuttle' journey is usually operated by one of our heritage Multiple Units, but during the summer months you can enjoy a steam-hauled trip into the forest. See our timetables for more information.

North Weald is the main operating hub of our railway and where our workshops and motive power depot are based. Once in a state of disrepair, our volunteers have worked hard to restore the station to 1940s LNER condition, complete with period lamps, footbridge and signage. The original 1888 signal box and lever frame, located on Platform 1, has also been attended to and restored.

Break your journey here and enjoy a light bite in the “Anglia Buffet” coach, or browse the well-stocked gift shop and find that perfect souvenir of your visit.

Alternately, jump aboard one of our many vintage buses and travel out to Epping, Ongar or Shenfield in vintage style and comfort.

Join the public footpath and take a stroll through the beautiful Essex countryside

Nearby North Weald Bassett is small village, with local amenities and pubs serving a wide range of fine food and drink. The Airfield Museum is located a short walk away, and also hosts a weekly Saturday car boot market - one of the largest in the country.

At the opposite end of the line is our award-winning and Grade II listed Great Eastern Railway station, believed to be the only original operating station to retain GER colours. During restoration, the colours were painstakingly researched and scientifically measured to ensure an exact match was produced. LU features have been removed, exposing the original architectural features, and modern fittings have been suitably designed and sourced so as to blend in to the 1880s atmosphere as seamlessly as possible.

Inside the building is situated the “Buffer Stop” buffet, which offers a selection of hot and cold drinks and confectionaries to enjoy between trains. There is also a small gift shop you can peruse, which offers a selection of books, toys, model railways and more!

At the other end of the platform is an original GER signal box, which was previously sited at Spellbrook. This houses the original Ongar lever frame, which is back doing it's intend work of controlling train movements into, out of and around the station.

Meanwhile, Chipping Ongar itself is a historic market town, with good selection of shops, pubs, restaurants and historic buildings; the high street still contains many small independent shops.

Also nearby is the ‘Essex Way’ footpath, which covers 82 miles between Harwich and Epping. Along its route, it passes through vast woodland, fields and picturesque historic villages.

Did you know - all distances on the Central Line are still measured from Ongar? There's a LU distance marker mounted by the buffer stops showing the starting distance of 0.0km.

We also run frequent vintage buses on all operating days. These connect Epping Underground and Shenfield Main Line Stations to our own Ongar and North Weald.

Route 339 is the primary route, operating majoritarily between Epping and North Weald via the B181 (Epping Road), with some services running on to Ongar via Blake Hall Gardens and Zinc Arts Centre, before terminating outside 'The Two Brewers' pub.

In addition to this, we have also started running services on to Shenfield Station, making getting to our railway even easier for visitors travelling long distances. This route passes Brentwood High Street, and passengers can board and alight from all bus stops along the way.

During the summer months we run route 381, which also connects North Weald and Epping, travelling out via Blake Hall and Toot Hill. Check our timetables and leaflet for information on when this service is operating.

The buses can also be used by non-railway visitors for a single fare; check with the conductor for the cost of this, which is dependant on your destination.

 

Guide Prices

Ticket TypeTicket Tariff
Adult All Day Rover Ticket£13.00 per ticket
Child All Day Rover Ticket£7.00 per ticket
Concession All Day Rover Ticket£12.00 per ticket
Family All Day Rover Ticket£34.00 per ticket

See website for special events and combined tickets.

Facilities

Accessibility

  • Facility for service dogs
  • Guide Dogs Permitted
  • Parking Areas for Disabled Visitors
  • Ramp/Level Access - Not on heritage buses
  • Wheelchair user accessible - Not on heritage buses.

Catering

  • On-Site cafe/restaurant - Small buffet - hot and cold sandwiches, pies, pasties

Establishment Features

  • Dogs Accepted - Well behaved and on leads.
  • Open Christmas
  • Open New Year

Payment Methods

  • Groups Accepted
  • MasterCard accepted
  • Solo accepted
  • Visa accepted

Provider Preferences

  • Forest Location - Journey travels through forest.
  • In countryside - Journey travels through beautiful Essex countrtyside.
  • In town/city centre - Ongar Town.
  • Outdoor Attraction
  • Village Location - North Weald Village.

Specialist Features

  • Family Fun
  • Marketed Towards Children
  • Marketed Towards Families
  • Marketed Towards Senior Citizens

Tours and Demonstrations

  • Educational Visits Accepted
  • Guided Tours Available for Groups

Travel & Trade

  • Group discounts available
  • Min group size numeric qualifier - 15

Map & Directions

Road Directions

You can start your journey from either Epping (by catching the 339 heritage bus), North Weald or Ongar. Please consider using one of the many public transport options to help reduce the impact on the environment.   Ongar (For parking please navigate to CM5 9AB) Alternatively there is nearby Zinc Arts Centre and Cafe (CM5 0AD)   The terminus for the Epping Ongar Railway is situated in Station Approach, off Ongar High Street.   Please note there is no public parking at Ongar station; there are limited disabled spaces which can be booked in advance. Local authorities are now enforcing parking restrictions on Station Approach and Victoria Road (which is a private road.) The town centre car parks are FREE at weekends and Bank Holidays.   Directions From M11: Leave the M11 at Junction 7 Take the A414 signposted towards Chelmsford and North Weald. Follow for approximately 5 miles - You will go straight ahead at two roundabouts. At the third roundabout (BP garage on left) take the third exit onto the B184 to Ongar. Public Car parks (CM5 9AB or CM5 9HD) are available in the town centre on both the left and the right as you approach the town on the B184. Please drive and park responsibly, giving consideration to our neighbours. Ongar Railway station is located to the north of the town, a short walk along the high street from the car parks, or you can catch the 339 bus which goes past both car parks. Directions From A12: Leave the A12 at Junction 15 take A414 signposted to Harlow. You will head towards Chelmsford but take first exit at roundabout to remain on the A414 towards Harlow. Follow the A414 for approximately 9 miles. You will go straight ahead at two roundabouts. At the third roundabout (BP garage on right) take the first exit onto B184 towards Ongar. Public Car parks (CM5 9AB or CM5 9HD) are available in the town centre on both the left and the right as you approach the town. Please drive and park responsibly, giving consideration to our neighbours. Ongar Railway station is located to the north of the town, a short walk along the high street from the car parks, or you can catch the 339 bus which goes past both car parks.For further details on parking, please see Visiting Information.Epping (CM16 4HW)   Our frequent 339 heritage bus service runs every day we are operating and Epping Underground station (Central Line, Zone 6) has an extensive car park, with parking rates heavily discounted on weekends and bank holidays. There are also car parks in the town centre, and our heritage bus picks up from all the bus stops along the High Street.   Epping station is located off Station Road, and is signposted off the main High Street through Epping (B1393).   North Weald (CM16 6BT)   Please note that there is no public parking at North Weald station or in adjacent Tempest Mead. There are limited spaces reserved for Blue Badge Holders. Please do not block or hinder access for our neighbours. The best way to start your Epping Ongar journey is to park your car at Epping and join the 339 heritage bus service (bus services included in your great value ticket) running regularly from the Underground station or the High Street. For further details on your visit, please see Visiting Information.

Public Transport Directions

For those visiting from London, places further afield and towns to the east of the railway, the quickest and easiest method is to come via London Underground Central Line to Epping (Zone 6). Journey planners with timetables and fares are available here.

Vintage Bus Connections from Epping Underground Station to North Weald

Our 339 vintage bus operates between London Underground Central Line's Epping station to North Weald, with some journeys going on to Ongar. The professionally restored heritage buses run from the front doors of each station, the bus fare is included within the price of all EOR tickets and the buses are timed to offer easy connections with our train timetable. 339 Heritage Bus timetable available on Timetable page.

Vintage Bus Connections from Shenfield Station to Ongar, North Weald & Epping

Some of our 339 buses run to and from Shenfield Station and will call at all intermediate stops by request. The bus travels from Shenfield via Hutton Road, Shenfield & Ongar Road calling at North Road for Brentwood Town Centre, Pilgrims Hatch and Kelvedon Hatch.

Other Bus Services

There are several public service bus routes from Harlow, Chelmsford, Epping and Romford to Ongar and North Weald. Timetables for all of these are on www.traveline.info. This site also has a useful FREE app for iphone and Android phones. Mobile users can text "traveline" to 84268 for the innovative "NextBus" service direct to your phone.

Alternatively you can call 08712 002 233 for public transport timetable and journey information (calls cost 10p per min).

Epping Ongar Railway

Type:Steam Railway

Station Approach, Ongar, Essex, CM5 9BN

Tel: 01277 365200

Opening Times

Open Christmas
Open New Year

* February half term. Special events Christmas and New Year. Other special event days as advertised

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