We were so excited (and relieved!) to see the sun was shining this morning as we entered the classroom! With children eagerly clutching their packed lunches, we headed off by coach to Wansford to the Nene Valley Railway.

Our first stop was the study centre where we heard about Fireman Fred who was a very forgetful fireman. He couldn't remember how to get the steam engine ready to go! The children listened very carefully to the many different tasks from shovelling coal into the firebox, to checking the pistons and connecting rods.

After this we headed outdoors to see the different parts of a real steam engine. We were very excited to be able to climb aboard and discover what all of the various levers and handles do!

It wasn't long before our train was ready to go, so we climbed aboard and took our seats. We listened out for the whistle and then we were off! On route to Yarwell we went through a very long tunnel - the squeals of delight from the children and the anticipation of when we would come out of the tunnel was a delight to see and hear. Many of us had never been on a steam train, so this was truly a magical experience. Once at Yarwell we got off to watch the engine move around to the other end of the train. We were a little concerned to see it chuffing off down the tracks, but were relieved to see it reappear and then gently ease itself into position, ready to haul the train to Ferry Meadows. Once back on the train we listended to the sound of the wheels on the tracks; clickety-clack, clickety-clack. We went back through the long tunnel and this time decided to count to see how far we could count before coming out the other side. Would you believe it, but we managed to count all the way to 53!?!

Once at Ferry Meadows, we left the train to continue its journey to Peterborough while we walked into the park for our much needed picnic lunch. The children sat so beautifully chatting to each other as they ate their lunch. We had just enough time left to explore the new Badger play area. The children were amazed at the size of the play area and were straight in there working out the quickest, and easiest route to the top! Lots of collaboration as they helped each other to the top, or pushed their friends and Mrs Redhead on the swings!

We walked back to the station and had a drink while we sat waiting for our train. It was a short ride back to Wansford where our coach was waiting to take us back. We arrived back full of stories to tell our family, but also feeling very tired from all of the fresh air and walking!

Click here to see photos from our adventure. We can't wait to share our train learning with you!

Why not visit Nene Valley Railway again? Thomas will be returning very soon from his stay in hospital and we're sure he'd love to see you!   http://www.nvr.org.uk/