THERE was a surprise visitor to the Dean Forest Railway on Tuesday – train enthusiast and TV presenter Michael Portillo dropped in with a television crew.
The Great British Railway Journeys kingpin arrived complete with trademark stripy jacket to film a snippet for a new railway series going to air on BBC2 next January.
In the series Mr Portillo, former Conservative MP and Cabinet Minister, apparently travels from Oxford all the way to Milford Haven, though we are assured DFR has no plans to extend it line there in the near future!
"He was very good – he knew just what he wanted and it all went very well," said a railway spokesman.
The great man arrived at the mainline halt and after boarding DFR's Collett 0-4-2 Tank engine push-pull autocoach he was taken to Parkend and back, at times
riding on the footplate.