'Mission accomplished' at Tanat Valley Light Railway's awareness-raising 1940s event
A 1940s weekend event has been hailed a success by organisers who are keen to promote their lost railway in the remote north Shropshire hills.
The Tanat Valley Light Railway brought in entertainers, equipment, and songs and memories of the past to the site which sits in 28 acres at Nantmawr, near Oswestry.
Mark Hignett and Graham Hickman put on the weekend event, backed by a small army of volunteers. The railway route is linked to the old line to Shrewsbury Abbey, which was extensively used in the 1940s era to take munitions to local depots.
Mark said they did not want the focus to be exclusively on the 1939-45 war because of the tragic situation in Ukraine, but the period made some low key references to the Second World War inevitable.
"We wanted to raise awareness more than anything else," said Mark. "We are out in the middle of nowhere.
"In that aim we were hugely successful. We had people say they would like to hold other events here and we picked up two new volunteers."
Mark said numbers were down on last year's event and that could have been due to a number of factors, but he wasn't proposing to do a "post mortem" on that as awareness had been raised.
Among the attractions were a monorail and a host of entertainers who were recreating the music and culture of, among others, Bud Flanagan, crooners like Frank Sinatra, and silent movie film star Charlie Chaplin.
"We had a fantastic line up of entertainers," said Mark. "There was also a memorial service to remember all those who have gone before, a parade of Scouts in 1940s uniforms."
There was also radio vehicle with a 40ft aerial from the period, which was capable of receiving messages from the United States. It sparked an idea for a radio-themed event that is going to be discussed.
Mark said people came from Rhyl, Dorset, Slough, across Shropshire and Wolverhampton, so there is plenty of evidence that knowledge and awareness of Tanat Valley Light Railway is spreading far and wide.
The site includes the largest monorail complex in the country, plus the Nantmawr branch of the Potts standard gauge line running through it. A narrow gauge railway is also being laid.
It is promoted as a unique venue for military and civilian re-enacting groups with their vehicles and equipment.
