Telford Steam Railway celebrates reopening of station platform after major rebuild project
A heritage railway has celebrated the re-opening of one of its stations after a major project to rebuild the platform.
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Telford Steam Railway welcomed visitors and supporters to the reopening of its Lawley Village station on Sunday.
Volunteers have worked for six years to rebuild the station's platform and install steel foundations after the earth began to "move" in 2019 - leaving trains unable to pass or stop.
It's unknown what caused the platform to move, but Richard Owen from the steam railway said it was built on clay soil.
Telford Steam Railway celebrated the milestone amongst others with their open day event. Music producer and lifelong railway enthusiast, Pete Waterman OBE was also a special guest where the heritage railway celebrated the 100th birthday of its flagship locomotive.
The open day also marked 10 years since the Lawley Village station was built.
Richard said: "We had the station built in 2015. But, in 2019 the earth has moved and we don't know why.
"It is built on clay and the platform had actually moved forward and meant that we couldn't move trains into the platform anymore, there wasn't enough space.
"Since then we have been completely rebuilding the platform, resurfaced it and re-done the station buildings, and the open day was the reopening of the platform.
"We now have another station where people living or closer to Lawley can join our train or get off. There is a huge housing estate around the Lawley Station so it gives those residents access and somewhere to go."
The steam railway is grateful for support from the Bournville Village Trust and Lawley and Overdale Parish Council who have helped fund the project and open day celebrations.
The open day was Telford Steam Railway's third big event of the new season that Richard said has gone "excellent" so far.
Visitors enjoyed a ride behind their centenarian steam locomotive No. 5619 that was built in 1925 by the Great Western Railway.
"We're very proud of what we have achieved," Richard continued. "Not only was the event the opening of the platform but our flagship engine steam locomotive was 100 years old so we had a celebration of that.
"We were extremely busy all day. It is all people from the local community and it was great to show them the railway.
"A lot of them haven't been to us before so that is fantastic."
