Lost Brunel railway finally built 161 years late

Project manager Neil Coultas described the project as 'unique'

A lost section of Brunel's Great Western Railway is being brought to life by volunteers, more than 160 years after work first started.

A team at Yeovil Railway Centre have been busy laying a new track extension as part of Project South Chord, which will also see a brand new station put in place.

The heritage railway, which currently runs steam and diesel-hauled passenger trains along a short section of line, is looking to raise £100,000 to finish the project.

Neil Coultas, project manager for the scheme, said the "unique" project was "very much linking back to the past and very much in line with keeping history alive".

Ken Banks (left) and Dean Knights (right) are part of the team of volunteers managing the project

The railway centre currently has a third of a mile of running line.

"We are a little bit of the Great Western Railway living on, which is fantastic," Mr Coultas said.

Due to a period of economic downturn the original track was never laid. Thanks to the work of heritage rail enthusiasts volunteering on site, that is about to change.

"When I'm working down there, I like to think back to the navvies of 1864, those guys who did all the hard work preparing the track bed," Mr Coultas said.

"We are finally, finally putting some track down there - building on their legacy."

The extension will use a track bed originally laid down in the 19th Century

"We do need money to complete the project, and that is why we have launched our South Chord appeal and we're reaching out to the public and our supporters asking them if they can help us by making donations," Mr Coultas explained.