over Apedale Road and into the adjacent Apedale Country Park. Initially the 8.5-acre site adjacent to the Apedale Heritage Centre was to be bought by the local council, but difficulties were encountered, leading to a decision for MRT and AHC to jointly purchase the land. which was completed on 13 April 2006. Site development Early access to the site before the sale completion was granted by the seller, and work to convert the corrugated iron shed (known as the Red Shed) which had formerly housed the coal bagging plant commenced on Friday 6 April. There was some urgency for this work since the Cadeby railway group had been asked to relocate before the end of May 2006 – a task which was accomplished on time. A period of adapting the former mine buildings took place from April 2006, and planning permission was applied for to both construct the mile-long railway, convert the buildings to a new use, and to construct a locomotive storage building (the Aurora North building) which would be 140 ft long and 25 ft wide (42.6m x 7.6m). The permission also included outline consent for a water tower in the Silverdale Station area, as well as a museum of 29m x 12m (120 feet x 40 feet) adjacent to the running line and situated to the north of the Silverdale Station building. An application to modify the route of a footpath which crossed the site was also applied for, although the process ultimately took four years to complete. By early 2007, the existing former mines buildings were functional, with running water and power in place, and the workshop building had undergone some conversion work to adapt it to its new use, and thoughts turned to construction of the railway. Groundwork was carried out in front of the Silverdale station (still a floor slab only at this stage) and a section of ballast, suitable for a double track loop, was prepared for about 150m. In early March, the first section of track was laid – the release points and headshunt at the Heritage Centre end of the railway. Over the following weeks, this was extended to the Red Shed, where a connection was finally made, and the first loco was able to run from the Red Shed up to the Heritage Centre. The main line was continued down past the Red Shed and into the yard area north