The North Dorset Railway is a heritage standard-gauge railway based at Shillingstone Station, just off the A357, in the heart of rural Dorset. The station was part of the Somerset and Dorset Railway, which opened in 1862. It later became part of British Rail’s Southern Region before closing in 1966 as part of the 'Beeching' cuts. The track and infrastructure were removed, leaving the site abandoned—though, fortunately, the station building and platforms survived. Around 1997, restoration work was started by a group of dedicated volunteers and the North Dorset Railway Trust was formed as a charitable trust to restore this part of the railway as it was in the 1960s and to develop it as a ‘living museum’. Its aim is to bring the station back to life and the first section of track was re-laid in the station in 2008. Significant work has already been completed by the growing army of volunteers and it is now intended to extend the track, initially northwards towards Sturminster Newton, and to run trains on the length of track then available. We warmly welcome visitors to see the progress we have made and enjoy the facilities we offer. We will strive to help make your visit both informative and memorable and look forward to seeing you.