A 20-year dream is on track to come true for a group of Stone and Stafford railway enthusiasts this weekend.
The Amerton Railway had always wanted to own the land which it had been renting near Stone to keep alive the Staffordshire railway heritage. Now the owner of Amerton Farm & Craft Centre, Paul Williams, has agreed to sell the field on which the line runs to the Staffordshire Narrow Gauge Railway.
To celebrate this occasion the charity is holding a special open day on Saturday 5th May for the public to see and ride behind a number of local historic engines, organised by Stone’s Pete Mason.
At 1pm on Saturday 5th May, the Mayor of Stafford, Cllr Stan Highfield, will cut a celebratory ribbon to herald the next 20 years of narrow gauge railway heritage in Staffordshire.
It will be almost 20 years since the then Mayor of Stafford officially opened the railway on the Amerton site on March 27th 1993, by cutting a ribbon and making a speech from Isabel’s footplate before the train gave the mayoral party a special trip along the line.
“It will be a day of celebration and a great chance to thank all those who have helped make this dream happen,” said Derek Luker, chairman of the railway, who added that the money had been given by members and supporters plus a mortgage from the HSBC Bank.
“It is also an opportunity to show the county’s tremendous railway heritage which is becoming a really popular tourist attraction.”
He said the charity was staffed by volunteers whose aim was to restore, maintain and run narrow gauge locomotives.
The 115-year-old Isabel, which used to be on a plinth outside Stafford station, will be one of the engines giving rides on Saturday from noon to 5pm. Built in 1897 by Bagnalls of Stafford the steam engine is now fully restored and will be operating most weekends at Amerton Railway along the mile-long track.
Two other engines will also be in steam on the day; Jennie built in Tamworth in 2008 and a 2007 Paddy vertical boiler while other diesels will be on display in the yard.
Youngsters from Stone’s Trinity Skills for Life visited Amerton Railway earlier this week to see the trains for themselves.
