Helston Railway is to appear on national television this week as part of a series featuring railway journeys around the coast of the UK.
Former politician turned TV presenter Michael Portillo, a lifelong train enthusiast, is continuing his Great Coastal Railway Journeys with series three starting on Monday this week.
The BBC2 series is a follow up to his Great British Railway Journeys, with spin-off series also visiting India, Asia, America, Canada and Australia.
This time he is back in the UK for the third series of coastal journeys and episode four, broadcasting this Thursday (April 11) at 6.30pm, will see him in Cornwall.
As part of the episode he stops off to visit Helston Railway at Prospidnick, near Sithney, where he chats with general manager Colin Savage and other volunteers, before taking a trip along the line to Truthall Halt.
He then takes a walk up the former branch line in the direction of Helston, to see the now overgrown viaduct, which one day the railway has ambitions of using again and eventually reaching Water-ma-Trout in Helston.
The railway has just launched a £350,000 fundraising campaign for more rails, ballast and infrastructure as it pushes ahead with its plan to lay track as far as Helston.
Read more about their plans here: Railway group step closer to connecting heritage tourist train to Helston
Future plans then include extending back towards Nancegollan, to build a new station and access road.
Sums of any amount can be donated via www.helstonrailway.co.uk/donate on Helston Railway’s newly designed website, and UK taxpayers are also able to give 25% gift aid on top at no extra cost.
The railway opened for the first time this year at Easter and enjoyed a busy weekend.
While a technical fault prevented the steam train from running as hoped, it has now made a full journey to Truthall Halt, with pictures of the first steam locomotive under Truthall Bridge in 60 years posted on the group’s Facebook page.
The railway can now take train ride bookings online via its website, www.helstonrailway.co.uk It is currently open on Thursdays and Sundays, with trains running at 10.30am, 11.30am, 1pm, 2pm and 3pm.
Entirely run and staffed by volunteers, the Helston Railway Preservation Society was the result of a vision of small number of enthusiasts, back in 2002, to re-open a section of the Helston branch line.
It now has 1,000 members and has transformed into a fully functioning standard gauge heritage railway attraction.
Also featured in Thursday’s episode of Great Coastal Railway Journeys is a stop off in St Mawes, where Mr Portillo takes to the waves in a 1938 racing yacht, and also joins a seaweed company on a harvesting.
The episode concludes with a trip to the end of the main line in Penzance, and from there on to Porthcurno and a visit to the Minack Theatre.
Here he meets local storyteller Mark Harandon, dressed in character as Billy Rawlings, who spent 40 years employed by Minack creator Rowena Cade as the theatre’s gardener and handyman.
Mark regularly plays Billy at the open-air theatre, telling visitors about the Minack and how it was created.
As well as appearing on TV this Thursday, the episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer now.
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