A visit to Rocks by Rail starts in The Sundew Cafe where you will receive a friendly welcome.There is a selection of snacks and drinks and you may well notice the smell of bacon cooking for our tasty bacon cobs.
All served by our volunteer crew.
Our wall information display explains the geology of the East Midlands ironstone field and the history of modern extraction. You can learn about the various techniques, mechanical methods and the important contributions made by people who worked in the quarrying industry. Read about the Victorian narrow-gauge Cottesmore Mines, the privateer overland Market Overton system, the Edwardian Dorman Long system at Burley and the final developments at Exton Park. These are the four local systems all linked to our Museum site and the local community. There is also a working scale model of a local iconic landmark – the giant electric dragline excavator W1400 SUNDEW, set in a quarry diorama with its railway.
Our Cafe volunteer crew ready to serve those tasty snacks and drinks.
Finally there is a small shop area selling mostly pre-owned books, railway DVDs and model train items.
New this year are branded gift items – pens, pencils, notebooks and keyring ponchos.
The sales table – maybe there’s a bargain hiding somewhere for you?
