During the Christmas break we found time to visit a few attractions close by. One of them was the Kew Bridge Steam Museum which on January 1st had a big steam up.
I tell you straight away: this was our favourite trip during the holiday. It had something for everybody, trains, big complicated looking machines, trains, art and craft activities, trains, fire engines, good food. Did I mention trains? There were trains, little model ones that ran on steam.
I thought they were really cool, Little Monkey agreed and he took great care to warn everybody not to touch them as they are hot. We spotted Santa taking a ride in one of the carriages! There was even Wallace from Wallace and Gromit having a chat on the Station platform. Needless to say we spent quite a while watching the little trains racing around. Big Monkey spotted that the engines were running backwards, apparently this was as they didn't have turntables so trains would just drive up and down as they were.
The museum is housed in a Victorian Waterwork and many had their own railway. So of course we had to go on the big little train on which they have at the museum. One engine pulled us round the museum and then the second little one came and picked us up and drove us back to the start again. No turntable, you see. This engine is called Thomas Wicksteed, it is a replica of a typical engine that ran at a Victorian Waterworks and is now the newest working steam engine in the United Kingdom.
There were some craft tables that had exciting things from the work shops, screws, wire, nails and pieces of fabric, buttons and ribbon. Big Monkey loved that part best, she made a kite with wooden pieces, tissue paper and masking tape.
Daddy Monkey's favourite part was the work shop.
Looks like a great day!
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