Step into Christmas and relive the golden age of rail travel with our fantastic Golden Arrow Christmas luncheon and evening dining services this December on the Bluebell Railway!

With luxurious Pullman Cars Christine, Fingall, and 1st Class Dining carriage Sapphire, the train recreates a bygone age of rail travel, relieving the famous “Golden Arrow” Pullman service, which once linked London Victoria and Paris Gare Du Nord with the style and elegance  which made it one of the most glamorous and famous trains in the world. On board you will transported back in time as you enjoy fine food and wine served to the standards of yesteryear.

‘Christine’ and ‘Fingall’ bring back the halcyon days of the 1920/30s with their unique wooden wall panel Marquetry and plush seating. ‘Sapphire’ hails from the 1950s and provides equally comfortable and plush surroundings, being built to convey 1st Class passengers from Waterloo to meet with luxurious Ocean Transatlantic liners at Southampton Docks in the glory days of ocean travel across the globe.

This premier luncheon service offers a wonderful Christmas menu and board on a steam-hauled train through the beautiful winter Sussex countryside to East Grinstead and return.  Your journey will last approximately 3 hours. for the Luncheon trains and 3 1/2 hours for the evening dining trains.

A cup of tea or coffee at the end of your meal is included in the cost, and all other drinks may be purchased and paid for on the train.

All Golden Arrow Christmas Luncheon & Evening services begin and end at Sheffield Park Station. The Golden Arrow Luncheon Dining will depart at 12:00pm on each service day. The Golden Arrow Evening Dining will depart at 7:00pm on each service day.

All customers are advised to be at Sheffield Park 45 mins prior to departure.

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GOLDEN ARROW CHRISTMAS DINING DATES

Luncheon Trains

November 19th & 29th

December 6th, 7th & 13th

Evening Trains

December 1st, 2nd, 9th, 15th, 16th, 22nd & 23rd 

Please note: Departure times are fixed and we are unable to offer refunds if customers arrive after departure.

Price:

Table for 1 – £125  |  Table for 2 – £250.00   |   Table for 3 – £375.00   |    Table for 4 – £500.00     

Table for 2 on a 4 – £340  |  Table for 3 on a 4 – £420.00  

Supplement fee is £45 per spare seat.

Tables for 2, 3 or 4 are available in ‘Christine’ and ‘Sapphire’ and tables for 1, 2, or 3 in ‘Fingall’. In addtion a private compartment for 4 (known as a ‘coupé’) is available in ‘Fingall’.

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This service is a premier service and the dress code aboard the train is ‘smart dress’. Adherence to this code is appreciated, and guests wearing jeans and/or trainers may not be allowed to board

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CAROLS SINGERS: They will be available on the evening dining services only. They will be performing at Horsted Keynes between 9:50pm and 10:15pm. This does not apply to the luncheon services.

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Menus 

We are pleased to offer both traditional and a vegetarian/vegan menus on all of our Golden Arrow services and these menus can be adapted to cater for gluten free and dairy free requirements – please select the menu type required during the booking process.

Golden Arrow Christmas Menu 2023 – This Menu Applies To Both Luncheon & Evening Services

Due to the restrictions and constraints within our heritage vehicles, we are not able to offer any other variances of these published menus.

• • • Owing to ongoing supply problems within the food industry, substitutions may be necessary at short notice

Golden Arrow Allergy Sheet– Please View Here To Check Out For Any Allergies On Our Menu

CUSTOMER NOTICE

Please note:

• All trains depart from and return to Sheffield Park Station
• This service is a premier service and the dress code aboard the train is ‘smart dress’. Guests adherence to this code is appreciated. Guests wearing jeans and/or trainers may not be allowed to board
• Tickets will be dispatched 48 hours prior to event date
• For any reasons for changing any Bluebell booking, you will be required to pay a £10.00 surcharge if you wish to change/amend your booking.

Discounts:

• We’re sorry but we’re unable to offer any discounts for this service

Tickets:

• Tickets are valid for the date and time specified on the ticket only

Children:

• We welcome children 12yrs and over on this service. We regret that it isn’t suitable for babies and children under the age of 12. All children must be fully supervised and remain in their seats throughout the journey

Facilties:

• There are toilets at Sheffield Park Station and on the train for this service

Parking:

• There is free parking at Sheffield Park Station

Accessibility:

• Because of the age and design of the carriages used for this service, we regret we are currently unable to accommodate wheelchair-bound passengers. We will be introducing a wheelchair accessible carriage later in the year
• If you or a member of your party have mobility issues and would like to travel during this event, please call our Customer Service Team on 01825 720800 who will be happy to discuss your requirements with you.
• Accessible toilets are available at each station, but we regret we have no “Changing Places” toilets, or accessible toilets on our trains

Seating:

• Seating is at tables and these are automatically allocated by our booking system.
• We do not allocate tables for use by more than one party.
• If you are booking for a large group, the automatic seating process may not seat you all in the same carriage. If you would like to book for a large group and be seated in the same carriage, please email our Customer Service Team at bookings@bluebell-railway.com or call on 01825 720800 (10am-3pm)

Dogs:

• We’re sorry but no dogs, other than registered assistance dogs, are allowed on this service

Photos kindly supplied by J. Cornish and James Cummins