A railway vehicle thought to be the oldest of its kind in the country has been unveiled at Suffolk’s only working heritage railway.

The Mid-Suffolk Light Railway’s volunteers in the carriage and wagon department have spent several years restoring a horsebox originally built for the Great Eastern Railway in 1869.

The 145-year-old vehicle had not run in the preservation era and spent many years exposed to the elements before being brought to the MSLR’s Brockford Station base for restoration.

And on Monday, with the railway open to the public for one of its steaming days, the horsebox was recommissioned in front of volunteers and members of the public.

The vehicle spent the afternoon as part of the MSLR’s vintage train with two coaches of a similar age, also restored on site.