It's the ultimate gift for train enthusiasts - the chance to ride the rails on their very own steam train.

The narrow-gauge steam-operated Perrygrove Railway in the Forest of Dean has been put up for sale - just in time for Christmas.

Michael and Frances Crofts have put the three-quarters-of-a-mile track, and a locomotives, on the market after six years of running it as a tourist attraction.

Set in 22 acres of land, the 15 inch gauge railway, complete with steam engine, diesel engine and carriages, also comes with a house, a cafe, a children's play area and car park.

Dream railway

Mrs Crofts said the railway, near Coleford, Gloucestershire, had been a dream come true for her husband.

"Something my husband had always wanted to do was build his own railway - he was particularly interested in narrow gauge.

"It started as a hobby and has grown now into a business which is bigger than we can cope with at the moment due to time pressure."

The couple built the track - on former farmland - themselves, and the half-size engine came from a specialist company.

Mrs Crofts said the site, which also has a two-storey barn with planning permission for residential use, was being sold as a going concern, aimed at families.

The railway is being marketed by Wilkins Chartered Surveyors in Worcester with a guide price of �850,000.