The team behind one of the most historic sites in Ayrshire remain upbeat despite a decision that could've put its future in jeopardy.
Doon Valley Railway (DVR), based at Dunaskin near Patna, were last year priced out of purchasing the buildings they have rented from their landlord for a number of years.
The group is run by the volunteers of the Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group, which was set up to keep the steam train world alive in Ayrshire.
Alex Wallace from DVR says the place is steeped in locomotive history.
He said: "The place is dripping with history of vehicles from years gone by and we're eager to keep that going as long as we can.
"We always get great turnouts at our open days, so that's why we're working to make sure we can keep entertaining and educating people here.
"It's a great thing to have in the area and it would be deeply sad if we lost it".
It was the owner's decision to sell off the buildings that DVR used as a museum, café, toilet and showroom.
Despite the best efforts to raise the £250,000 required to purchase the buildings, fundraising meant that the team could purchase nearby, smaller buildings and keep the steam business alive.
The site attracts thousands of visitors every year, with this year being its 50th anniversary celebrations.
Currently, the team owns the train and platform that draws people from all over to the site, as well as two buildings which will be used as a storage building and visitor site.
In spite of the challenges they have faced over the last few months, the team has sites on expanding the railway in the future, and building on the land they have.
Alex added: "We have what is effectively a five-year plan from now that would see us expand and create a new building that could properly house the vehicles.
"Our line currently runs for about one mile, but we want to increase that in the future.
"We're hoping that we can extend it as far as five miles and that way we can get more people into the site.
"Our aim is to make the place sustainable in other ways, so that we're not relying on other means of capital.
"There's a lot of work going on at the moment to empty the building that was the museum and move everything to our new building.
"There's a great team working hard, headed up by Chairman, Archie Thom. We're confident that what we want to happen can happen, but it will take some time.
"The main thing is we're able to keep this going in some capacity, which is a huge thing, given it's the 50th anniversary this year."
Further open days are being held on September 15 and 22, with an extra special day on September 29 to coincide with the anniversary.
This will include the likes of classic cars on show, motor bikes, vintage busses, local stalls and other attractions.
Previous events have included Christmas-themed journeys on the train, which is something that is being planned for this year again.
More information can be found on the Doon Valley Railway Facebook page or website.
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