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Fundraising is ongoing for phase one of the railway line restoration. One of the volunteers major goals was to tackle a damaged culvert, just north of South Meadow Lane, that was built more than 130 years ago. The culvert had become unsafe over time. The supporting wall was severely cracked and leaning, and the brick arch itself was also falling underneath. But it has now been excavated, replaced with a steel pipe, and the track bed re-levelled. Vice-chairman Allan Bott said: “We were lucky to secure a grant from local company The Hills Group, who helped us finance and completed this week. We also need to thank Community First – Wiltshire who helped facilitate the grant application.
THE Swindon and Cricklade Railway is planning some big events for the summer holidays and September. The Vintage Weekend returns on August 7 and 8 will bring traction engines, vintage vehicles, live music, and a beer tent to the site. September 12 marks 60 years since the closure of the Midland & South Western Junction Railway, upon which part of the SCR is built A military weekend with vehicles and soldiers setting up at the station will be held on September 25 and 26. And the usual train trips will continue every weekend. Volunteer Allan Bott said: We ve had a good response since reopening, people have been so generous, we can t thank them enough. It would be great to get some investment from a private company.
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Developer Wass Homes will now be able to convert the upper floors of a late Victorian shop at 19E Regent Street and the building next door into a dozen flats ADVER readers have expressed mixed views after the approval of a planning application in the town centre. Developer Wass Homes will now be able to convert the upper floors of a late Victorian shop at 19E Regent Street and the building next door into a dozen flats. The building features fake pillars, ornate fanlights and the legend WW Hunter spelled out in cream bricks against a red brick background.
THE team behind an historic Swindon railway celebrated starting the next stage of an ambitious project to re-connect the tracks to Cricklade. The plan to fulfil a 40-year ambition for the Swindon and Cricklade Railway is chugging along nicely with major de-vegetation and ground work being carried out throughout this week to prepare for boundary fencing to be set up and drainage work to be done. Then, the team of volunteers can arrange for ballast to be laid so that the railway track can be extended to Fairfield Lane. The current heritage railway line ends just over a mile away from the outskirts of Cricklade, so this work is part of a series of recovery efforts, refurbishments, repairs and new additions to help the two towns link together again at last.