A retro train is due to wow Stopfordians in August as it proceeds through the borough.

The 'Retro Cestrian Bard', hauled by an English Electric Class 37 from the 1960s, will be calling at Stockport and Reddish South on Saturday 22 August.

The train will visit Stockport around 7.39am, on its way to Stratford-upon-Avon.

And unusually, the train will also pick up at Reddish South at 7.30am - a station which is normally only served by one train a week on Parliamentary Northern Rail service.

After Stockport, it will pick up at Altrincham, Knutsford, Northwich, and Chester, with an arrival in Stratford-on-Avon around midday. It will return in the evening.

There will be a full buffet service on the train serving hot and cold snacks. The train also features a real ale bar - the only one of its kind on the mainline rail network.

The English Electric Class 37 has been in the limelight recently thanks to online rail enthusiast Francis Bourgeois, who helped restore one of these locomotives.

They were built in the early 1960s as part of the British Rail Modernisation Plan, which aimed to boost speed and reliability on the mid-century rail network.

The locomotives were a regular sight on the rail network, particularly in East Anglia and Scotland.

Rail enthusiasts have nicknamed these locomotives 'tractors' due to the sound they make while operating.

Tickets for the Retro Cestrian Bard are £120 for an adult in standard class - find more ticket options here.

The train and ticket proceeds will be supporting the Forget me Not Children's Hospice.

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