AN ILLUSTRATED talk on the trials and tribulations of building a Great Western Railway (GWR) replica station is set to take place in Berkeley.

Hosted by the Vale of Berkeley Railway, Joe Rosen from the Gloucestershire and Warwickshire Railway will discuss the project, which was carried out entirely by volunteer labour.

The station - Broadway - is an exact copy of a standard GWR ‘new’ lines station, and almost identical to the original, which was built when the line from Cheltenham to Stratford-on-Avon opened in the early 1900s. It was later demolished when the line closed to stopping passenger trains in the 1960s.

It now forms the northern terminus of the heritage Gloucestershire & Warwickshire Railway, which operates vintage steam trains from Cheltenham Racecourse and is largely run by volunteers.

Broadway is not the final northern destination for this ambitious attraction - the aim is to extend, at least, as far as Honeybourne, where it will link with the main line railway from Oxford to Worcester.

This illustrated talk will chronicle the six year project. It is taking place at the Berkeley Arms Hotel, Berkeley, on Thursday, December 20, at 7.30pm and is free and open to all.