Friends of the Rail is a recreational club which was started some 25 years ago by a group of railway enthusiasts. Today FOTR is a non-profit association which has publically open membership - anyone interested in furthering our aims can join.

FOTR restores, preserves and operates steam heritage trains in what can be described as a living museum. This provides a recreational outlet for FOTR's members whilst at the same time providing enjoyment and education for the public for whom we run regular steam train outings. These steam train outings form the bulk of the revenue flowing into the club. This revenue, after expenses, is ploughed directly back into the aims and objectives of the club. Most work carried out, including manning trains, is done on a completely voluntary basis by members without financial reward.

The aims of Friends of the Rail are:

* To acquire, restore, preserve and display of heritage rail equipment, including steam locomotives and veteren rolling stock.

* To utilise restored heritage steam locomotives and rolling stock to provide an opportunity for the public to experience the thrill of travelling by steam.

* To provide an environment where FOTR's own members and members of the public can experience and become involved in static and live Heritage Rail operations.

* To provide a contribution to tourism by creating affordable and interesting tourism activities, which can then act as a feeder into the local tourism economy.

* To acquire and share the technical and operational knowledge needed for its rail preservation operations.

* To provide platforms for the public dissemination of various aspects of railway knowledge and history appropriate to FOTR's environment.