NOSTALGIA for the 1940s is expected to break out over the weekend when the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway commemorates Wartime in the Cotswolds.

Once again the railway has joined forces with Winchcombe, with a classic bus service linking the town with the nearest railway station at Greet on Saturday and Sunday.

John Rodgers, one of the organisers, said: "There's so much going on it's hard to know where to star. But you can expect plenty of cameos performed by re-enactors from all over the country at all of the stations as well as on trains.

"You might even find yourself caught up in a 1940s wedding or, on Sunday, a special remembrance service."

Attractions at Toddington include a Spitfire replica, a 1940s beauty salon and a realistic RAF Plotting Room, as well military and period vehicles and hardware, and music from the Glenn Miller-style Kalamazoo Dance Band.

At Greet station, there will be an air-raid shelter experience, the Worcestershire Home Guard and a Dig for Victory display as well as a field hospital.

At Gotherington, there is a range of displays as well as musical entertainment and a NAAFI canteen.

And the wartime atmosphere at Winchcombe will be completed by visits from both King George VI and Field Marshal Montgomery to rouse townsfolk to put their all into the war effort.

Gay Fryer of the Sue Ryder shop in Winchcombe, who has been co-ordinating the town's effort, said: "I'm so thrilled that the town has entered into the spirit of the occasion.

"Shops are putting on themed displays and staff will be wearing period clothing - and many will have their windows taped and sandbagged just in case there is an air raid."

The Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway is on track to become one of the best in the country, after receiving £1.25 million to extend its services to Broadway.

The railway's head of finance Chris Bristow said the work will restore an important part of Britain's railway heritage and provide a vital boost to the area's tourism economy.

"Extending the track will enable the line to become one of the best in the country for steam services," he said.

"It's hard to think of another heritage line that has the same kind of opportunities for future growth and development."