Rail carriage for rich and famous restored at Foxfield Railway

A carriage once one of the most prestigious coaches on Britain's railways has been brought back to life.

Built in 1884, the Midland Railway company carriage was designed for the rich and famous, Foxfield Railway in Staffordshire said.

The coach, one of only 10 built at the time, has been out of service since the 1930s and at one stage became a home.

The carriage returns to public service at the Blythe Bridge site on Friday.

Only two of the Derby-built coaches had remained intact until the restoration of this one in Staffordshire.

One of the volunteers at the Staffordshire heritage railway, Mark Smith, said it was one of the most luxurious carriages that the Midland Railway company had made.

He added: "It's one step down from a royal carriage and it was designed for the rich and the famous to travel in comfort and privacy.

"This represents something many people over a couple of generations of volunteers here have wanted to see restored."

Mr Smith added it became "somebody's home and they built a fireplace in it and lived in it for over 40 years" before the carriage came to the heritage railway in 1976.

"It's taken up to this point to actually get it back on some wheels and get it restored back to passenger service, so that people can enjoy it again."

Keiron Rigby, who is responsible for wagons at the railway, said: "After all these years, there's definitely been a love for being able to get the older carriages going.

"When it's back up to its absolute hundred percent authenticity, it's definitely, definitely stunning, but there's a lot of work to do."

Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: [email protected]