TICKETS have gone on sale for the annual Forties Weekend festival on the West Somerset Railway (WSR), where people will recreate the sights and sounds of the 1940s at many of the stations along the 20-mile heritage line.

The autumn event will be held on Saturday and Sunday, September 20 and 21, featuring musical performances, costumed performers, and a range of events to bring back a flavour of wartime Britain of 80 years ago.

The festival of 1940s nostalgia, which has been running since 2018, allows enthusiasts to dress up in clothes and uniforms from the ‘Dad’s Army’ era and turn out vintage cars and military vehicles.

Previous years have seen attendance by celebrity lookalikes of the period, including King George VI, Prime Minister Winston Churchill, English and French Generals Bernard Montgomery and Charles de Gaulle, and entertainers Laurel and Hardy.

All station platforms on the line will be free to access except for during daytime in Minehead, where there will be a £2.50 charge, although accompanying children will not have to pay.

A WSR spokesperson said: “Annual passes are valid for travel on our services over this weekend as this is a standard fare event.

“Our popular Saturday night platform dance will be back and taking place at Minehead Station.

“There will be several musical acts performing at the dance, details of these will be released shortly, so prepare to dress up in your best 1940s outfit and get those dancing shoes on.

“A separate ticket is required for the dance.

“This year, we have introduced a two-day ticket to cover the full event at a discounted rate if you buy your Saturday and Sunday ticket together, and is only available online and in advance of travel.”

Tickets can be booked on the WSR website.