Lines closed for the summer Newevents facility opens atHavenstreet
THREEmoreheritage lineshave decided to remain closed for the summer– and another will not open for the rest of the year.
TheMid- Norfolk Railway has cancelled all of its special summer events, including the 1940s weekend, the August beer festival and the Railcar Association event.
The Lincolnshire Coast Light Railway has postponed its 60th anniversary celebrations until next year.
The Aln Valley Railway said it will not reopen until the end of September at the earliest.
TheTelford Steam Railway said it will not open for the rest of 2020.
THE Isle ofWight SteamRailway has opened itsnewEvents Barn in the Havenstreet station showfield.
Giving extra capacity and flexibility, the 360 squaremetre facilitywill accommodate themultitude of special events held throughout the year, ranging from the annual Island Steam Showand 1940s experience, the cider and cheese festival, Santa specials and Fright Night.
The building will also provide additional undercover seating on wet days, plus much needed extra toilets.
The project was supported by a £ 116,000 grant from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, supplemented by legacies and donations.
Construction began in January 2020 and continued throughout lockdown. Thework was undertaken by Stoneham Construction based in Havenstreet, supported by a team from Evans Buildings from Carmarthen, which built the steel frame. The project was managed by Phillip Pike of Island- based
Contracting Solutions. Work was completed just before the railway reopened to the public on July 12.
General manager Steve Backhouse said: “The construction team has done a great job in unusual circumstances, and produced a top- quality building.”
Meanwhile, the line has cancelled this year’s Island Steam Show, which for nearly half a century has been held over the August bank holiday weekend, attracting around 10,000 visitors.
A spokesman said:“We felt that we couldn’t operate the event in a socially- distant way, that would keep our visitors and volunteers safe.”
The event will return in 2021, when the line celebrates its
50th anniversary.