A cute miniature railway station close to Greater Manchester has been a popular attraction amongst families for the past 40 years — and its station manager is a TV star.

Brookside Miniature Railway in Poynton now looks even better after a team of volunteers saved it from risk of closure five years ago — giving it the TLC it deserves and a much needed glow-up. A team of railway enthusiasts look after the mini station, tending to the steam trains and tracks, paint it and keep it looking picture perfect for when it opens to welcome visitors every week.

The Cheshire-based attraction is open to the public every Thursday to Sunday and costs just £2.50 to take a ride on the tiny train. The little loco heads out to do its half mile loop of the Brookside Garden Centre where it takes in scenic river views along its route, weaving through tunnels and even passes an original 100-year-old signal box.

The owners have created a fairy garden and kingdom through the woodland to add some extra magic and imagination to the journey, along with a colony of garden gnomes donated by local residents.

The train navigates its way across the Nory Brook as it goes along the Stockport and Cheshire border. And there’s even a local celebrity who is the station manager — band lead Andy Prior who had his own entertainment show on the BBC in the 1990s, called The Andy Prior Big Band.

Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, retired police officer Chris Mackenzie MBE and Lee Oxley joined forces as the directors of the railway back in 2018. Chris, 62, says: “I’ve always been a railway enthusiast so I always knew about it here, and when we had a young son he loved it, and of course we were there every weekend.

“When we heard it was closing down, there was a public outcry. We decided it was too good to close down, so we formed a local company, a lot of us got together and here’s where we are now a few years later.

“We didn’t realise how run down it was, so a lot of work has gone into it and without the volunteers we wouldn’t be where we are now.”

During lockdown the team took the opportunity to repaint it all, while the garden centre, now owned by Klondyke & Strikes, helped in providing materials too. Chris said: “The general community here have been brilliant. It’s how to run a railway, with a lot of volunteers and not much money and a community behind you.

“One of the things we created to make it interesting all the way around was a magical fairy wood. People donated gnomes, we got a load of fairies and spent a lot of time making it. Wives will come along and ‘donate’ their husbands to help out!

“Only a couple of months ago a widow donated a shed to us, so we transformed that into a signal box and painted it in red and cream it looks lovely now.” Dozens of volunteers help out to maintain the railway and man the trains and generally make it a lovely time for all involved.”

Local celebrity and station manager, Andy Prior, gamely dresses up for the themed events at the railway, which include special Santa trains at Christmas and an Easter egg hunt over Easter.

He told The Manchester Evening News: “People ask us what we sell at Brookside and I say we sell smiles. It’s aimed at families and that’s why we have the fairy wood and pirates and that sort of thing, just to make it that bit more magical.

“It was in a pretty derelict state when we took it on, I’ve always been involved in railways and trains all my life. A lot of kids know me as Andy the train manager now. I train all the drivers. Sometimes I’ll be driving, sometimes I’m train guard taking the platform tickets — I’m pretty hands on.”

The sit-in carriages are each named after volunteer’s family members and even Chris’ beloved pet dog that sadly died called Daisy. They’ve also just invested in a new loco called Graeme — for which the naming ceremony is set to take place in the next few weeks.

The station also features a gift shop, which includes a range of Thomas the Tank Engine toys and ice creams. There’s also an original signal box that came from Aughton Road near Southport. Staff have worked hard to repair and restore the historic building, although little of the signal works in the top floor survives. 

The railway is open weekly from Thursday to Sunday, and also on bank holidays. Opening times are 10.30am to 4pm.

Tickets are £2.50 for adults and children aged over two. You can also buy 10 rides for £25.00 and get an extra two rides for free. You can find out more on the Brookside Miniature Railway website.