Your support for Ayrshire Railway Preservation Group (ARPG) who operate Doon Valley Railway (DVR) located in East Ayrshire, Scotland needs your immediate support and assistance.

It has been announced (February 2023) by the owner of the buildings which Doon Valley Railway lease, that the owner now intend to place the buildings up for sale within the next six months in order to sell them off.

The buildings and areas ARPG face losing are: Ticket Office, Gift Shop, Customer Toilets, Exhibition and Artefacts Room, Volunteer Rest Room, Signal Box Cafe, Museum, Joiners & Metal Shop and the associated grounds surrounding this area.

The sale of these buildings and land will put the ARPG at serious risk due to lack of other storage on site. Many of these areas and buildings are utilised frequently (daily/weekly) by our committed volunteers and during Open Days and other special events by our amazing customers and visitors who support us nationwide.

The Gift Shop, Ticket Office and Signal Box Cafe bring a significant amount of much needed funds and donations in order for ARPG to maintain, preserve and restore the whole site and operation of DVR including its buildings, Permanent Way (Track), locomotives, wagons, coaches and smaller assets, not forgetting our narrow gauge stock.

ARPG are in communications with the owner who has expressed they wish ARPG to purchase and take on ownship of these buildings in order for our brand 'Doon Valley Railway' to continue to grow, so all is not lost but we must receive your help for us to survive!

ARPG offers a wide range of opportuities to those aged 16-80 years. We maybe smaller than most heritage railways but are fully committed to our local and wider community which now stretches the length and width of the UK. We want to continue to preserve, restore and maintain Doon Valley and Scotland's railway heritage for many years to come. We also hold various other railway memorabilia from around the UK which people travel great distance to see and appreciate.

So what does ARPG / Doon Valley Railway need?

ARPG operators of DVR look to raise a total of £250,000 by Monday 31st July 2023 in order to purchase the buildings critical to our operation which are: Gift Shop, Ticket Office, Exhibition and Artifacts Building, Customer Toilets, Volunteer Rest Room, Signal Box Cafe, and associated grounds surrounding these areas.

Failure to raise the required amount for the purchase of the buildings critical to Doon Valley Railway will likely result in an uncertain and limited future. It will effect those current opportunities provided to our volunteers, local and wider community and those that visit for the love of trains, stunning buildings, enthusiasts or for educational reasons such as school visits, all this is at risk of being lost.

We have until Monday 31st July 2023 to raise the required amount. Please please Please donate today and we thank you for your donation and support.