First locomotive crosses bridge since 1966 closure

The 1959 Hudswell Clarke diesel is the first locomotive to cross the bridge since 1966

Volunteers rebuilding a section of railway ripped up in the 1960s are celebrating after witnessing a locomotive cross the station bridge for the first time in nearly 60 years.

Shillingstone station in Dorset closed in 1966 but, in 2005, a group of locals took on the lease and began restoration work, initially opening a museum and cafe.

In July, North Dorset Railway completed a four-year project to double the length of the track to half a mile (0.8km), with the aim of one day offering brake van rides to museum visitors.

On Saturday, volunteers braved the rain to see the Hudswell Clarke diesel cross the newly renovated bridge over Bere Marsh.

The locomotive is the only one of its kind in preservation

The loco, built in 1959 for the Manchester Ship Canal Railway, is the only one of its kind in preservation, and was bought by North Dorset Railway in September 2020.

Part of the line extension project involved stripping Lamb House Bridge back to its brickwork, which had not been seen since it was built in the 19th Century.

The group's Facebook post described the milestone as "a great day" for the permanent-way team, when the "nearly 60-year wait for a locomotive to cross Lamb House Bridge was finally rewarded".

"For four years the P-way guys - all volunteers - have gone from breaking through scrub to seeing a train cross the bridge, out in all weathers."