Derbyshire railway volunteers save the day after natural disasters - so Santa can return as special guest

The volunteers at Steeple Grange Light Railway have been toiling away to repair the line following a series of natural disasters over the past three years, and they have now made enough progress to welcome back their special guest from the far north.

The Santa Special, running on Saturday and Sunday, December 10-11, is a great way get younger members of the family – and the young at heart – into the festive spirit.

Volunteer John Morrissey said: “Generations of children have been thrilled to meet Santa at Steeple Grange. They are brought by parents who were often brought by their own parents.

“Since 2019 there has been disappointment but this year Santa is coming again. As well as the ride to Santa’s Grotto to receive their present there are sausage rolls, mince pies, biscuits and a cuppa.”

Together with his colleagues, John has been in a race against time for the past two months to get the line operational again, in the latest phase of work to address the impact of a burst water main on which flooded the site.

John said: “We’ve been removing the old ballast and track and laying new rails, and we didn’t know whether we would be open again in time for Christmas.

“But all the volunteers have been very keen to get it done, and we’ve had a lot of help. It’s just so nice to see the children enjoying it. As a secondary thing, it often starts a lifelong interest in railways, so one day they might come back with their own children.”

Among the volunteer team there are decades of experience in the rail industry, and that allowed them to call on old contacts for reinforcements.

John said: “Balfour Beatty Rail encourage their staff to volunteer in community activities and we greatly benefitted from the help of eight of their signalling department who came from all over the country and who worked non-stop for a day during daylight hours.”

Other helping hands came from closer to home, with Longcliffe Quarries donating 50 tons of ballast through its community fund, and Wirksworth neighbours Millward bringing in some small diggers to help move the stone into place.

There is still work to complete on repairs from the flood and an earlier rock fall, but the hope is the railway will be fully operational again in early 2023.

John said: “It’s never finished. There is always work to do, improvements to make, new equipment to show off, but I think it will be in a satisfactory state by Easter.”

Santa Special rides will run at 12 minute intervals from 11am to 4pm. Tickets cost £9 and some services have already sold out, so early booking is advised via ticketlab.co.uk/events/sglr-santa-special#.

For more information on Steeple Grange and all the latest news updates, go to www.sglr.co.uk.

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