WHAT IS A RAILWAY FUNERAL?

If you, or someone you love, enjoy the magic of a preserved steam railway line, a Railway Funeral may feel totally appropriate.

Railway Funerals take place at the Midland Railway Centre’s line near Ripley, in Derbyshire, but are available to anyone in the UK. And each one involves the coffin, accompanied by the mourners, having its last journey on a steam-hauled train.

WHAT HAPPENS ON THE DAY?

Railway Funerals start at Butterley Station, on the outskirts of Ripley town centre, where the coffin and funeral party board a specially commissioned steam train. This then runs up the line before returning to Swanwick Junction, where a preserved railwaymen’s chapel has been re-located.	..Butterley Station

Swanwick Junction	Here a religious, non-religious, or even semi-religious funeral ceremony can be held before the funeral party emerge to board a narrow gauge train that leaves from just outside the chapel. This then makes a delightful run through the wooded belt of the Golden Valley County Park before arriving at its terminus, the Newlands Inn station.

From here the coffin is carried a short distance into the Golden Valley Woodland Burial Ground, a special cemetery where each burial plot is marked by a tree rather than by a headstone. After the interment, the funeral party re-trace their steps via the narrow gauge and steam trains, and they can even have a buffet or full dinner when re-boarding the main train.	..Railwaymen's Chapel

WHAT IF I DON'T WANT ALL ELEMENTS OF THE PACKAGE?

Railway Funerals are designed to be flexible and we try to accommodate your needs whatever they may be. So, if you just want one or more elements of a Railway Funeral to be included in the arrangements, we can usually work out a way in which this can be done.

ARE RAILWAY FUNERALS EXPENSIVE?

The cost of your Railway Funeral will depend upon the options that you choose but they are a lot less expensive than many people expect. The list below gives an idea of the extra costs that you would incur by choosing this type of funeral:

	CAN I PLAN A RAILWAY FUNERAL FOR MYSELF? Yes. We can design a Funeral Plan to address your personal needs and wishes. Click here to go to our Funeral Planning pages.