The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £999,500 to secure the future of the Colne Valley Railway in Castle Hedingham, Essex. The money will enable Colne Valley & Halstead Railway Trust to acquire the Railway and continue to run the site as a visitor attraction for everyone to enjoy.

The Railway receives more than 40,000 visitors per year, and an army of 120 volunteers help to run the site, but its future was uncertain when the current owner announced their intention to retire. This funding will allow the Trust to build on the conservation and education work that has taken place over the last 30 years and ensure that the line continues to be run as a sustainable operation. It will also create a permanent base for the conservation and restoration of locomotives and rolling stock.

The acquisition includes 4 locomotives, 2 Pullman carriages, various wagons and carriages, as well as 7.5 hectares of land that includes two former stations with platforms, two signal boxes, a crossing keepers hut and visitor facilities.

The original Colne Valley and Halstead Railway was built in the 1850’s and funded by public subscription led by local industries. Halstead was a textile production base with the line providing transport to Colchester Docks, and the line was also used by the local brick making industry. The line was closed in the 1960’s and fell into disrepair before being bought by a rail enthusiast in 1972, and the Colne Valley Railway Co Ltd. subsequently set up.

Robyn Llewellyn, HLF’s Manager in the East of England comments; ‘Railways and steam engines in particular form a hugely popular connection to the past. We were thrilled to help secure the future of the Colne Valley Railway for the thousands of people, across Essex and beyond, who grew up wanting to be train drivers, as well as their children and grandchildren.’

The railway has developed a good reputation as a local visitor attraction known for its education work and the Trust will now be able to build on that success. Of the 40,000 annual visitors 10% are railway enthusiasts and the remainder families or organised parties. Some 7,500 school children visiting on school trips are involved in the education programme. The railway has a good track record of education and outreach events, and the Trust will continue to develop these and the broader facilities at the railway.

Jeremy Dunn from the Colne Valley & Halstead Railway Trust adds; ‘The announcement of this award is the culmination of 18 months of hard work to secure the Colne Valley Railway for future generations. The volunteers have put in many tens of thousands of hours over some thirty years to re-construct today’s Colne Valley Railway from a green field site. It would have been unthinkable to have lost all that has been achieved had we been unable to secure this award and we are very grateful to the Heritage Lottery Fund for recognising the importance of the railway to both the local and wider communities.’

In 2004 the railway operated for 110 days and was open to the public on a further 13 days. Visitors have unlimited access on the trains when they are operating (steam trains currently run on 47 days each year, and diesel trains 38 days). There is also a visitor centre which tells the story of the railway through interpretation material and an electronic archive with historical data and photographs. Volunteers will be on hand to help visitors and answer questions.

Volunteers can learn new skills and develop existing ones, including locomotive firing and driving, and acting as train guards. There will also continue to be driver experience courses, where (non-volunteering) members of the public can learn how to fire and drive a steam locomotive for the day.