All change at miniature railway after 38 years
GARDEN CENTRE BOSSES SAY RIDE WILL REOPEN BY DECEMBER
THE end of an era has arrived for a popular miniature railway used by generations.
Trains are being shipped out of Brookside Garden Centre in Poynton after the current operators were given notice to quit.
The owners of the garden centre say the railway will reopen, but it is not known exactly when that will be or who will run it. Brookside Miniature Railway’s Facebook page is being regularly updated with photos showing the treasured trains – including Amy Louise, Jane and Jeremy – being sent away to their new homes, including Barnard’s Miniature Railway in Dartford and Pugneys Light Railway in Wakefield.
The operator of the railway is understood to have been given a letter containing the notice to quit and a spokesman said he was too upset to speak about the closure, which has been brought Sunday, September 2.
But their announcement on the railway’s Facebook page sparked hundreds of comments from customers old and new, who say they’ll be devastated to see it go.
Mum Jill Glenister’s three-yearold son, Jasper, has been enjoying railway rides there since he was one.
She told the M.E.N.: “We’re so sad the railway isn’t going to be run by the same guys. We’ve been bringing forward to Jasper since he was about a year old and the gentlemen who run it have always made us feel so welcome.”
The railway has been at the London Road North centre, owned by Klondyke and Strikes, since its first journey in 1980.
A statement on the Brookside garden centre Facebook page said: “The railway will not be permanently closing. It will be undergoing a refurbishment and a change of ownership. The people who run the train at the moment have done an excellent job over many years and I’m sure everybody will be very sad to see them change.
“This decision has been made between the garden centre’s head office and the railway. We all hope the new train continues to be successful for many years to come.”
A spokesman at the garden centre said the railway was closing next month and should reopen in November or December.
Nobody at the company’s head office was available to comment.