THOUSANDS of pounds’ worth of precious tools, handed down through generations of railways workers, have been lost in a fire at Swindon and Cricklade Railway.

The accidental fire, which destroyed a timber shed containing the equipment at Blunsdon station last week, caused an estimated £8,000 worth of damage.

Volunteers at the railway are devastated at the loss of the items on Wednesday.

Vice-chairman Dave Peace said: “This is an accumulation of items that have been passed down the generations from the original railways, or donated by members of the community, so we are gutted.

“Originally I thought it would be about £4,000 worth of tools, but it is looking more like £8,000 now.

“We had tools, strimmers, everything, it’s all gone and now there is the possibility that the land is contaminated and the land will have to be cleared.”

The fire is believed to have started after workers had been dismantling a hydraulic crane near the shed.

“We think a spark must have lit up and the whole thing just went up in flames, it was a complete accident,” said Dave.”

The incident is the second blow for the railway. Last month, vandals caused hundreds of pounds’ worth of damage just hours before organisers had planned to host the first of the Halloween Ghost Trains.

The engine shed had been broken in to, cabinets trashed and the buffet cart at Hayes Knoll had been ransacked, with tools and equipment thrown around.

But the show went on despite the damage and organisers are adamant that Wednesday’s fire will not affect the Santa Specials which started yesterday.

“Everything will go ahead as planned,” said Dave.