Shillingstone station given green light to become operational heritage railway
Shillingstone station is on track to become operational again after Dorset Council approved plans to turn it into a working railway
Plans to transform Shillingstone station into a fully operational heritage railway and museum have cleared their final hurdle after Dorset Council approved proposals from the North Dorset Railway group.
The decision paves the way for the group to run regular steam and diesel passenger services from the restored Victorian station, marking the culmination of a two-decade-long project.
The 2.3-hectare site will now officially change use to an operational railway base and museum.
Shillingstone, which first opened in 1863 on the Somerset and Dorset line, closed in 1966 as part of widespread cuts to Britain’s railways.
Since then, volunteers have gradually rebuilt the station and re-laid track, with work in 2021 seeing the reinstatement of a section of track bed and 780 metres of new track.
Under the approved plans, passenger trains will run eastwards from the station platform across the bridge before looping back.
Initially, services will be operated by a small steam locomotive, built in 1960, alongside a 1959 diesel engine.
At present, the railway opens just three days a week, with occasional bank holiday events and limited locomotive movements.
The North Dorset Railway group said the change of use would secure the site’s future as both a visitor destination and a community hub.
A spokesperson said: “Over the last 20 years it has become more than just a heritage railway and museum.
“It is now a community-based hub in the heart of North Dorset which provides a place for young and old to meet and share interests.
“The proposed change of use would allow greater social, educational and training opportunities for all.”
The project is expected to boost visitor numbers to the on-site café and shop, helping fund further improvements.
However, some residents have objected to the prospect of regular services, citing concerns over noise, air pollution and traffic around the recently completed 50-space car park.
Planning officers concluded that any disturbance would be “transitory and infrequent.”