Railway enthusiasts and local residents have joined forces to bring a historic Gloucestershire railway line back to life. The Vale of Berkeley Railway project, based near Sharpness Docks, began a decade ago in modest surroundings described by chair Howard Parker as “a very limited environment.” Since then, the volunteer-led team has transformed the site, and this week saw the first passenger train run along the restored track. Although full operations are not expected until next year, the group has already submitted a planning application for new storage and maintenance facilities to support the line’s continued development.

Mr Parker explained that the long-term goal is to create a “hands-on experience” for the community, allowing visitors to take part in activities such as driving diesel locomotives, riding in brake vans, and operating traditional railway signals. The railway’s origins are deeply tied to local industry — Sharpness New Dock opened in 1875 and was once a hub for goods arriving from Africa, including chocolate crumb transported by rail to Cadbury’s and Fry’s factories. The Vale of Berkeley Railway now occupies land once used for the dock’s sidings, leased from Network Rail just before the pandemic.

The restoration effort has attracted volunteers from all walks of life, including those more interested in preserving local heritage than trains themselves. Among them is Carolyn Jones, who began volunteering three years ago alongside her son, an avid train enthusiast. “I made the mistake of putting my head up above the parapet and being dragged into being a trustee — but it’s been fabulous, I love it,” she said. “I get down, I change sleepers, I move bolts and nuts and fishplates; I know what a chair is now and it’s not what you sit on.”

The project’s centrepiece — a train rescued from the Dean Forest Railway — has now been fully restored after years of work. Mr Parker, reflecting on the community spirit behind the project, added: “My joke has always been we’re a mental health charity for railway enthusiasts. All the evidence shows that getting out and about, being with groups of people, is one of the core things that’s really good for people’s mental health.”

Image: Vale of Berkeley Railway