SWINDON and Cricklade Railway turns khaki when the annual Wartime Weekend pulls in to Blunsdon station.

Smart Alec the spiv will be hanging around looking shifty, Gloucestershire Regiment re-enactors will add a military air to the proceedings and DJ Dave Dawes will be playing the hits of the 1930s and 1940s.

More than 30 living history groups have been lined up for the weekend, covering all the ages from the American Civil War to present day.

Military vehicles, a vintage fun fair, trade stands and even a travelling sweet shop are planned along with a beer tent, live music from Memory Lane and a 1940s salon offering hair and beauty treatments.

Passengers will be also able to watch battle re-enactments from the platform or visit the tiny wartime museum.

But a familiar face will be absent from the event for the first time. Garfield, the much-loved railway cat, died last week while undergoing treatment at the vet.

Plans are being made for him to be given a traditional railwayman’s send off with his ashes placed in the firebox of a steam engine as it travels the line.

The friends of the railway are also looking at creating a collage of photos of Garfield in the engine shed where he made his home and trustees are discussing the idea of a memorial plaque for the platform at Hayes Knoll where he greeted passengers.

The weekend events run between 10am and 5pm on Saturday and until 4pm on Sunday. Advance tickets are available online at swindon-cricklade-railway.org