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Miniature steam railway to return to resort

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A miniature railway ran at Severn Beach until 1976

It has been 50 years since steam trains trundled along a miniature railway at Severn Beach. But soon, a new track will be opened – thanks to the son of a man who built a miniature train for the tourist resort in South Gloucestershire in the 1960s.

Joe Nemeth will build and run the 0.25 mile (350m) Severn Beach Miniature Railway next to the seafront promenade and expects it to be open by Easter. "People are thrilled it's coming back," he said. "Severn Beach has become really popular since the pandemic and now is the time to build something for people living there."

From the 1920s to the 1970s, Severn Beach was a thriving tourist hotspot, with an outdoor swimming pool, boating lake, and a miniature railway, which ran from 1936 to 1939, and 1955 to 1976.

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Joe Nemeth has been a fan of railways since he was a small boy

Mr Nemeth plans to run vintage steam engines on the line, some of which are now 90 years old. "It all starts as a kid when you have your first train set, you either play with it again or leave it, but I was hooked," he said. "I remember the [miniature] railway with a great passion."

The attraction will open in three stages, with plans for a pond, a bridge and gardens along the route. It will be staffed by volunteers.

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Work has already started on clearing ground for the railway

Local business owners are enthusiastic about the railway's return.

Miriam Street, who runs Just As You Are Tea Cottage next to where the railway will run, told the BBC she was "delighted" with the plans. "It'll be such a boom for local businesses, it'll bring people from all across Bristol to visit and we'll see that in our business as well," she said.