THE spirit of the Forties will be recaptured at the weekend, when hundreds of history enthusiasts converge on a heritage railway for two days of nostalgia.

The Wensleydale Railway, which runs from Leeming Bar to Redmire, in North Yorkshire, is hosting the event.

Weather permitting, the event will include a fly-past by and RAF Dakota, on Sunday, at 3.45pm.

A full programme of activities along the line will recall the sights, sounds - and humour - of wartime days that hold bitter-sweet memories for many people.

The first train on both Saturday and Sunday will depart from Leeming Bar station at 9.50am.

Event organiser Mike Sheehan said: "Each station will offer a different view of life in the Forties, particularly the 1939-45 period, with some 300 participants wearing uniforms and civvy clothes of the period.

"Last year many of our visitors joined in the fun by donning costumes from the same date."

A Spitfire engine will be operating at Leeming Bar on Saturday, on services departing at 9.45am, 1.35pm and 3.15pm.

Mr Sheehan said: "Bedale station will be a sub-headquarters for Combined Operations and at Leyburn a forward HQ can be inspected.

"Redmire station will be a recently recaptured area, with a group of re-enactors from the North-East.

"They mount British and American displays and vehicles and will have an Auster Spotter aircraft on display there.

"Leyburn will be celebrating its recent liberation with a station that is still servicing troop trains heading for the battlefront."

There will also be a WVS buffet, soup and field kitchens, a military canteen and refreshments on all trains.

Return tickets for the steam train cost £15 including admission to all railway sites, with concessions for children up to age 15 (£7.50) and families of two adults and three children (£37.50).

For more information, including a full programme of events, visit wensleydalerailway.com, or call 08454-50-54-74.