A TRUSTEE at Dean Forest Railway (DFR) says he feels like “a kid in a sweetshop” after the charity received a welcome donation of new road rail vehicle, which will help them replace sleepers that have been in place since World War Two.

But the society has also paid tribute to its “main link“ to Network clients and “skilled” society member Roger Phelps, who suddenly passed away shortly after the donation was received.

The charity recently reached out to rail tech solutions company Quatro to ask for their “expert” help in maintaining the line, with previous renewal works having been carried out by hand by volunteers.

And the company were “more than happy” to help by donating the RRV and offering training to the volunteers on how to use it.

A statement from DFR following the donation said that long-standing member Roger (pictured with the RRV, standing third from the left) will be missed greatly by the society.

“The Dean Forest Railway is sad to report that their main link with Network clients, longstanding Society member Roger Phelps who was skilled in all aspects of operating the railway died suddenly, shortly after the RRV was donated by Quattro. We will miss him greatly”, the statement read.

As well as operating as a heritage railway for passengers, DFR’s mainline connection at Lydney means the line it is also used to train technicians from Network Rail on their track maintenance machinery, and a “good relationship” has been established between the volunteer workforce and their mainline counterparts as a result.

The society says that relationship has taken a “significant step forward” with the donation of the RRV, which will help to mechanise much of the “lifting and shifting” of materials usually achieved through the manual labour of volunteers.

On the work to be carried out with the RRV, Trustee Adam Williams said: “Some of the concrete sleepers we have on the line were manufactured as early as World War Two, with many from not long afterwards.

“We felt it was time to get a bit of expert mechanical help on the line and reached out to Quattro, who immediately stepped in with a generous donation of a Road Rail Vehicle which will help us with our track renewal and replacement works.”

“We have a trailer and are now looking for attachments for the new RRV that will be the most effective at getting our jobs done.

“We will be ready to start working with it very soon.”

Trevor Hartnett, Regional Rail Director for Quattro, said: “We’re very familiar with the DFR and are always testing machines in that area.

“The Society does important work in giving people the experience of a heritage railway and we’re more than happy to help them preserve and maintain it with the donation of this RRV.

“There’s something incredibly special about being in the vintage carriages, just like you’re travelling through the 1950s.

“It’s simply a lovely little railway, a popular tourist destination and a real step back in time with its historic locomotives.”

Adam added: “It’s difficult not to feel like a kid in a sweet shop.

“I’ve seen the RRV, got the key for the RRV, but haven’t actually climbed in the RRV! I’ll leave that feeling for the training.”