ELSECAR Heritage Railway is going full steam ahead to raise enough cash to finish the line to Cortonwood.

Only half of the two mile line is operational for passenger use. The tracks may be down from Tingle Bridge Lane to Cortonwood, but in their current state only engineering trains can run across them and the team still needs to complete the level crossing and add the ballast.

For the remaining mile of track to the end of the line, the team requires 2,300 tonnes of ballast at £10 a tonne. That’s £23,000 on top of the £20,000 needed to complete the level crossing.

The team is hoping to begin using their existing funds to start ballasting and fencing the rest of the line in March and they estimate it will take another year at least to get the whole line operational for passenger use.

Read more in this weeks Barnsley Chronicle