Following its closure in 1966, Shillingstone station fell into disrepair but, in 2005, a group of locals took on the lease and began restoring it.
Working in their spare time, volunteers repaired the platforms, re-laid the tracks and restored the dilapidated station building.
The old signal box, which had been demolished, was completely rebuilt, and by the late 2010s, stock began to arrive – wagons from Somerset and Dorset Railway Trust and, more recently, steam locomotives built in eastern Europe.
There are now 120 volunteers offering their time and expertise – doing everything from running the busy cafe to restoring the growing collection of heritage wagons.