The East Somerset Railway is a 2.5-mile heritage railway which runs between Cranmore and Mendip Vale and thanks to lottery grants has seen the rebuild of the down platform and waiting room, which was demolished by British Rail in the 1960s

The funding has also allowed the old station building on the up platform to undergo refurbishment and is now home to a new museum which features a period waiting room and ticket office.

These improvements plus a number of others have provided visitors to the railway with more to see and do at Cranmore which has seen an increase in visitor numbers.

Further development plans are also underway, which may bring further growth in visitor numbers alongside the railway investigating how it can increase its services in order to deal with extra demand.

Ahead of trains being able to depart from the new platform, further improvements need to be made to both track and signalling to guarantee safe operation.

Due to this need, the East Somerset Railway is on the lookout for extra volunteers to join its Permanent Way gang, who will undertake this project alongside other improvements to the track.

The railway’s track was put down many years ago and has a substantial backlog of maintenance jobs and renewals which need to be completed.

Over the last few years, East Somerset Railway has invested large sums of money in the track but it is vital that more people support the railway in its upkeep.

East Somerset Railway would be thrilled to hear from anyone who may be interested in helping with this work or any other tasks on the railway. To get in touch please email: [email protected]