Groudle Glen Railway line revamp given £16k lottery cash boost

Lhen Coan is Groudle Glen Railway's main station

A miniature railway in the east of the Isle of Man has been awarded more than £16,000 to make track improvements.

Groudle Glen Railway is marking its 125th anniversary with redevelopments around its main station, Lhen Coan.

The Manx Lottery Trust grant is for maintenance and safety works to help future-proof the service.

The work is part of wider refurbishment plans for the volunteer-run attraction, which also include improved paving and a new ticket office and shop.

Although much of the refurbishment had originally been planned to take place earlier this year, Covid-19 lockdown restrictions delayed some of the works.

The charity is celebrating its 125th anniversary this year

The 0.6 miles (1km) railway officially opened in 1896, but fell into decline and stopped running completely in the 1960s, before being reopened by volunteers in 1986.

The grant, which will fund track work at the station, was awarded from the lottery trust's Community Awards Programme.

Volunteer Alex Brindley said the refurbishment work was being carried out to mark "a truly special milestone" for the railway.

The funding had paid for new sleepers made from recycled plastic, which would have a "significantly" longer lifespan than the previous sleepers, he added.