LAUNCESTON Amateur Dramatic Society (LADS) is inviting people to step back in time and relive the days of the British Railway with their latest production, The Titfield Thunderbolt.

With performances taking place from next Thursday, August 25, to Saturday, August 27 at 7.30pm in Launceston Town Hall, director Chris Theobald said audience members can expect the whole hall to ‘come to life’, as every single member of LADS will be involved in the production.

The moment the audience walks into the town hall, they will be transported back to the 1950s.

The Titfield Thunderbolt tells the story of a group of villagers wanting to keep their branch railway line open after it is announced it will be closed, and seeing if they can run it locally, while facing the opposition of others who want to take passengers by omnibus.

The residents of the village of Titfield rely on the railway branch line to commute to work and transport their produce to market, so they are shocked when the government announces that the line is to be closed.

The local vicar, a passionate railway enthusiast, sets to, along with Lady Edna, run the line locally.

He and Lady Edna persuade a wealthy local to provide the financial backing by telling her they can legally operate a bar while the train is running, so they will not have to wait for the local pub to open.

The comedy, by T E B Clark, features the ‘Ferroequinol­ogists Lament’, a ballad about those lost railways stations of a generation, now long past, that were dotted all over the country. Included in those countless numbers were stations at Launceston and Egloskerry.

Set in 1952 this is a wry and whimsical look back at a bygone era and links neatly with the 50th anniversary of the closure of Launceston’s own passenger service, 50 years ago.

Charming and full of characters you might remember from your childhood, the TitfieldThunderbolt is a new production with a stage that doubles as a station platform in the middle of the audience and tasks, such as ‘passing water’ in a number of receptacles, to keep the engine running, are delegated to the audience.

Chris, who said he is really looking forward to his directorial debut, jokingly told the Post: “I’m normally a dame, but I don’t get to wear a bra for this one unfortunately!

“I’m really, really looking forward to this one. Everyone in LADS is involved. Everyone has got a part, be it large or small, and even front of house. As a show it has brought the whole company together.”

The play is an adaptation from the film of the same name that was produced under the ‘Ealing Comedy’ banner, and originally starred the likes of Stanley Holloway, Sid James and a very young John Gregson.

Chris added: “There’s lots of laughs in it, and serious points. It’s a story of the village coming together and making it happen.”

Thanks have been expressed to Launceston Steam Railway, which is providing many props in support of the production.