OVER a century after it was first built the Epping to Ongar railway line is almost restored, and volunteers are needed for the final push to complete the project.
In 1865 Eastern Counties Railway opened up a track between Stratford, in east London, and Ongar, and in its heyday 50 trains a day would thunder down the line.
When the Central Line of the London Underground was extended to Epping in 1949, a shuttle service continued to run to Ongar, but with declining passenger numbers the service was closed down in 1994.
A limited service continued to run between Epping and Ongar until 2007, when a new group of volunteers vowed to restore the line to the glory of its Victorian heyday.
Now, after years of gruelling work restoring antique engines and repairing broken tracks, the end is finally in sight.
Organisers intend to reopen the line spring next year at the earliest, but need volunteers to help them complete the remaining work and ensure there are no delays.
Simon Hanney, who is secretary of the group responsible for the restoration work, said: “We are getting closer and closer to the end of the project.
“The railway is almost like a community all of its own. It is a really friendly environment. We have some incredible old engines and we need people to help bring them back to their original state."
He said that work had already been done to restore North Weald and Ongar stations to their former glory, with careful research establishing the exact colour and design of rooms in the stations as well as the carriages on the line.
“It feels great to have come so far, but we are certainly not getting complacent. A whole variety of things could happen to push back the opening date but the more people we have involved the faster we can move forward,” said Mr Hanney.
Once the work is completed, the group will run a regular Victorian steam train service between Epping and Ongar.
To volunteer to work on the Epping Ongar Railway visit www.eorailway.co.uk or call 01277 365 200.
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