A PIECE of railway history could be preserved for future generations as rail enthusiasts launch a £20,000 fundraising appeal to move Griffithstown station to the Forest of Dean.

The station became part of the Great Western Railway one year after its opened in 1879 and continued to operate until the 1960s.

Its goods shed housed Griffithstown Railway Museum from 2002 but it shut less than a decade later due to financial pressures in 2011.

Griffithstown has had a long association with the railways and was the birthplace of the Aslef train driver union in 1880.

Now, members of the Dean Forest Railway are planning to demolish the structure, transport it and reopen it as a station for the enjoyment of new generations across the border in Gloucestershire.

They estimate that £20,000 would be needed to complete the move and reopen it.

A DFR spokesman said: “The only remaining hurdle for us is to raise the funding needed to take the building down, label it and transport it the short distance to Gloucestershire.

“We would be extremely grateful for all donations, whether large or small, and any offer of help in rebuilding this valuable addition to the railway.”

The DFR currently operates 4.5 miles of the former Severn & Wye Railway between the mainline at Lydney Junction and the rural idyll of Parkend.

The Griffithstown building would become the station destination on the line extension in the beautiful and ancient woodlands of the Forest of Dean.

The DFR spokesman said Torfaen council had recognised the appeal and interest of the Griffithstown station building for railway preservationists and indicated it was keen to see it removed to an alternative site, rather than demolished.

Members of the DFR said they had declared their interest, highlighting that the building would be perfectly suited to the future northward extension of their railway line.

DFR added they had had positive early stage discussions with their landlord the Forestry Commission.

The spokesman added: “A GWR building is appropriate for the setting and, aesthetically, it will merge into the forest surroundings beautifully.

“In relocating the station to the Forest of Dean, we will be locating the building in a place with a similar industrial history to that of Griffithstown.”

Donors are urged to send cheques payable to the DFR marked as ‘Griffithstown Project’ on the reverse.

The address to send them to is: The Griffithstown Project, Dean Forest Railway, Forest Road, Norchard, Lydney, Gloucestershire, GL15 4ET.