Coming in 2026: Ellie's 20th Birthday Weekend

Lappa Valley is preparing a very special celebration in 2026: the 20th birthday of our much-loved steam locomotive, Ellie.

This landmark weekend will honour two decades since Ellie first steamed to life, with plenty of opportunities for visitors to see her hard at work on our Main Railway. Families, railway enthusiasts and young train fans alike will be able to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of steam as Ellie takes centre stage for her birthday.

Ellie was built in 2006 by the Exmoor Steam Railway for a private 12¼-inch gauge garden railway, where she was only ever steamed a handful of times. A few years later she returned to her builders at Exmoor and, during the winter of 2016–17, was rebuilt and re-gauged to 15 inches specifically for service at Lappa Valley.

She arrived here in August 2017 as our No. 4 locomotive and has since become a firm favourite, known for her power, reliability and smart appearance as she hauls trains through the Cornish countryside.

To mark Ellie’s 20th birthday, the celebration weekend will feature special services on our Main Railway, giving guests even more chances to ride behind her and capture those all-important photos and memories.

More details about the event will be released closer to the event in July, but visitors can expect a warm, nostalgic atmosphere and a fitting tribute to Ellie’s two decades since she first left the Exmoor works.

Read more, and book your tickets here now: https://www.lappavalley.co.uk/events/...