Heritage Railway Magazine 260 - 25 October 2019 Edizione posteriore

CHAMPAGNE corks are popping not just in the Staffordshire Moorlands but across the entire heritage railway sector, after the Churnet Valley not only laid the first section of its long-awaited extension into Leek within 48 hours, but then rana steam-hauled passenger train over it. We are celebrating the fact that not only is another of our heritage lines joining the growing set of those with a town centre presence–and therefore a‘somewhere to somewhere’ purpose–but also the excellent support that is being given by the local district council, and which can never be praised highly enough.

The opening of the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway’s extension into Broadway reinforced the message loud and clear that such schemes generate benefits that are a big win-win for all–not just us railway enthusiasts but also local traders, shopkeepers, hoteliers and council tax payers. The south-western side of the WhitePeak is indeed a beautiful landscape, and the completion of the Leek extension cannot but reinforce its position as a major tourist draw, not only in the summer months but all the year round.