by Greig Watson BBC News Online, East Midlands

Old and the new; Wirksworth station before and after restoration

But a group of local enthusiasts hopes the Whitehall mandarins will learn a thing or two about getting the trains running on time from a few miles of track in Derbyshire.

Ecclesbourne Valley Railway has just been given permission to carry passengers along part of its restored line.

But taking the route from derelict to budding commercial enterprise has taken years of planning, hard work and paperwork.

The 8.5 mile (13.7km) line, which runs from Wirksworth to Duffield, meeting the main line near Derby, was closed to passengers in 1947 and shut completely in 1989.

Dedicated Team These weren't all 'chuffer nutters' either, just people who wanted to be involved in a local project, to make a difference Neil Ferguson-Lee

Neil Ferguson-Lee, one of the people behind the project, said that while negotiations had gone on since the early 1990s, it took until 1999 for teams to start work on the ground.

He said: "It took 18 months to clear the line and it was all done by hand, by volunteers. All it needed was hard graft.

"We think it took about 60-70,000 man hours, which just on minimum wage is �300,000 worth of labour and on skilled workers wages it would probably be closer to �1m.

"These weren't all 'chuffer nutters' either, just people who wanted to be involved in a local project, to make a difference."

He explained why they felt able to take on something abandoned by others.

"The advantage an operation like this has over being run centrally is our focus and commitment. It is very difficult to reconcile local innovation with a national scheme.

"The bosses at headquarters will have much more pressure on them to get the main routes running. So while they are trying to sort out the trains round Birmingham, the Matlock branch say, will get ignored.

Potential Energy Duffield to Wirksworth has 8.5 miles of single track Five stations Two level crossings Extensive sidings Branch to Middlepeak quarry Possible link to National Stone Centre

"But to us, this little bit of line is the sun and moon and stars."

The line is to be operated on a sound commercial basis, running some commuter trains, tourist services and being hired out as a testing track for various types of equipment.

"We also will offer training facilities for those that work on the railways, so people can get used to how to behave on a rail line, and how to operate safely," said Mr Ferguson-Lee.

"The hardest thing about getting this up and running has been the bureaucracy, the mind numbing bureaucracy.

"We have wasted a lot of time waiting for someone to sign a piece of paper. You just have to keep banging away."

George Watson, a public transport consultant, is also part of the Wyvern team.

He said: "The vision for the line is a whole vision. It's not just a line for steam trains but something that will serve the community and its needs.

Big future

"A minimum for the next 10 years is to have a fully open, flexible line... with facilities to service and maintain the stock.

"It would be nice to have the Duffield junction restored to link us to the main line so others could run their trains along the line, but that is in other people's hands."

A spokesman for the department of Transport said: "There is a recognised issue that many rural routes are underused.

"Local rail partnerships, where the community becomes more involved in the running of nearby lines, could have a big part to play in getting more use out of these regional routes and securing their future.