The Midland Railway Trust at Butterley in Derbyshire has opened an appeal to raise £40,000 towards urgent repairs needed to the roof of its main exhibition hall.

The main exhibition hall, known as the Matthew Kirtley Building, requires urgent repairs to its roof and guttering repairs.

Water has been pouring into the building during periods of heavy rain, and has caused enormous damage to the building’s main structure and the vehicles it houses.

The building and unique collection of railway items and vehicles it houses are deteriorating rapidly, and the building is currently closed to visitors.

If action is not taken, repairs will be required to restore the building and the collections.

In recent times, there have been great improvements and innovations in the techniques used to repair roofs, so it is now possible to repair the roof and gutters cost-effectively.

Once these have been completed, the historically valuable collection will again be protected from the elements and the building can be reopened.

To raise £40,000 needed to repair the roof, the Midland Railway Trust has opened a GoFundMe page where donations large or small can be made. The aim is to reopen the Matthew Kirtley Building by spring 2025.

The collection of items at in the Exhibition Hall Butterley includes:

• Unique restored Victorian-era carriages.
• Carriages from the Royal Train, one from 1912 and the other from 1956.
• The first Midland Railway Pullman Car body, and restored goods vehicles.
• Railway signs, station items including a restored ticket window, platform trolleys and waiting room benches

The Matthew Kirtley Building is named after the Midland Railway Company’s first Locomotive Superintendent and housed in the former wagon works of William Rigley & Sons Ltd. at Bulwell in Nottingham. The building was acquired by the Trust and moved to its current site at Butterley in 1981.

Once the building has been reopened, it will help tell the story of the Midland Railway, including:

• How innovations introduced by the Midland Railway became the national standard.
• How the Midland Railway came to have a national influence that is still reflected in modern operations.
• How passenger travel comfort and style improved between the 1860s and 1920s.
• The impact the Midland Railway had on the local area.

Earlier this month, the Midland Railway Trust suffered a setback with a spate of vandalism at Swanwick Junction, and previous bouts of vandalism when windows were smashed in a carriage at Butterley.