Helston launches appeal to raise £350,000 for extension

A £350,000 appeal has been launched to help the Helston Railway expand on three fronts.

In the first instance, the money will be used to help extend the railway from its current terminus at Truthall Halt towards Helston itself, as far as Tuckingmill Farm crossing. HR general manager Colin Savage said: “Laying track onward from Truthall is the most visible and public facing project as it enables our visitors to immediately see that we are progressing on towards Helston.”

The money will also be used at the other end of the line, at Prospidnick, where the railway plans to extend “northwards in the direction of Nancegollan to the edge of our current land holding where we have planning permission to build a new Prospidnick station,” said Savage. This will involve the “major excavation” of a filled-in cutting. The new station would enable Helston to do away with its current temporary platform. Savage added: “At this moment in time, it is not in the plan to extend further to Nancegollan itself; that is a future wish, but who knows if or when.”

The appeal also aims to raise funds for a new access road to the railway’s current site at Prospidnick, which will “enable us to get large lorries, rolling stock and long rail in, something we have struggled with after our original access was blocked,” said Savage. “With the arrival of our new Class 10 locomotive, Colonel Tomline, plus a Mk 1 coach, ballast wagon, two Mink vans, and the other half of the Class 127 DMU to come in, it’s clear to see that we need the access sorted and more rail to put down, so we have storage room.”

He added: “We don’t have access to large grant funding opportunities as the criteria for most of them are aimed at schemes not applicable to us and so we rely on train ride income, shop sales or donations from ourselves and members or from the general public. Therefore, we are launching this appeal and other initiatives to hopefully ask people to support us and help us in our ambitions.

● To support the appeal, visit www.helstonrailway.co.uk/ shop/donations/donation/