THE Gloucestershire-Warwickshire Railway will be coming of age this weekend as it celebrates its 21st birthday.
The heritage steam line, which currently runs between Gotherington, Winchcombe and Toddington, began restoring the old Honeybourne Line in 1981 with the eventual ambition of creating a link between Cheltenham and Stratford.
Early next year a new station will be operating at Cheltenham Racecourse and volunteers have already set their sights on extending their track to Broadway.
Commercial director of GWR Ian Crowder said: "This truly is a remarkable occasion - our volunteers have achieved an enormous amount over the years. When we arrived at Toddington to rebuild the railway there was no track and very little of the infrastructure remaining. Now we operate trains between Toddington and Gotherington and from next year the extension to Cheltenham Racecourse will open."
The anniversary will be marked on Saturday and Sunday with a full programme of train services running between Toddington and Winchcombe.
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