Our train driving and footplate experiences are always really popular. Standard IntotheBlue vouchers are valid for a full year from the date of purchase, but with this activity in particular, you should male sure you book several months in advance with the heritage railway, especially for the most popular months of July and August.

The footplate of the locomotive cab is the where the crew is stationed to drive and operate the steam train. We offer hands-on experiences where you will be shovelling the coal, opening the regulator to get the steam going and getting the train moving on the tracks. We also have 'footplate tasters', where you'll be onboard to watch what's involved in getting a steam train going, without actually getting your hands dirty.

It depends on the railway and how they operate their train driving experience days. In some cases, there will be two of you with one on the coal and the other driving, then you swap round roles. Other times it will just be you and the train operator. Check on each train driver experience page for further details.

That all depends how long the track is! You usually get at least one round trip. All lines differ in length, with everything from a one-mile stretch to a 20-mile voyage. If you need any more info on track lengths and journey times have a read of the 'What can I expect' section on each voucher page.

Some experiences are full day train driving days, so you'll be kept busy the whole day long with your train crew. On shorter experiences you are welcome to stay and enjoy the heritage railway's facilities. There are always tea rooms or restaurants on site and very often a museum and loco shed to look round too. In some cases you get a 'rover' train ticket, so you can spend the day travelling the trains at your leisure.

If you are on a premium experience where the loco you are driving is coupled up to a rake of coaches, passengers may well be onboard the train. That means friends and family can ride on the train you're driving - and indeed many operators give a number of passenger tickets to you for this purpose.

Pretty fit, yes. It's hot and dirty work shovelling coal into the furnace. You'll also need to be able to climb up and into the cab of the locomotive. If you need any further info on access, don't hesitate to call us on 01959 578100, or use the online chat service on our website.

Comfortable casual clothing suitable for the weather is key. If you're driving a steam train you will probably be given overalls to wear and other protective items like gloves will be provided for you. Driving a diesel train isn't so messy, so no overalls required.

As well as driving the train, some experiences will get you to assist with signalling and passing the tokens (used to make sure two trains going in opposite directions on a single track don't meet!), filling the loco with water and other duties carried out to make sure the trains run on time.

Of course! That's one of the essential jobs just before moving off and when going into and coming out of tunnels!

A lot of the bigger heritage railways run with both steam and diesel locomotives. Both are great fun to drive and we have vouchers to drive steam and diesel trains. The sort of train you'll be driving is clearly stated in the description for each voucher, so please make sure you read carefully before you buy.

In some cases you will be driving a loco on its own. On the premium train driving packages you will be driving a train that is hauling a rake of coaches which might actually be a 'scheduled service', complete with paying passengers onboard.

There are lots of heritage railways up and down the whole of the country run mainly by enthusiastic and incredibly skilled volunteers. We've got a selection of the finest where you can be a diesel or steam train driver for the day:

• Leicestershire
• Staffordshire
• Kent
• South Yorkshire
• Nottinghamshire