STEAM rail enthusiasts in Wallingford are investing £10,000 in a new visitor centre to bring in more tourists.

Volunteers at the Cholsey and Wallingford Railway Preservation Society have been running steam and diesel trains on the five-mile round trip since 1985.

But facilities for visitors to the society’s base off Hithercroft Road need revamping and managers are fundraising to replace two 25-year-old portable buildings with a new one.

Once the new temporary building is in place it will be able to house a museum, shop and café, instead of the existing crew room and shop.

The revamp will mark the completion of the first phase of a plan to build a replica of the old Wallingford station, demolished in 1969.

Society chairman Mike Kidley, 71, said: “A decent brick building, a replica of the old Wallingford railway station, is our aspiration. But that is a long-term aim and something we hope to achieve within the next five to 10 years.”