MODERN know-how combined with a vintage crane saw a Victorian bridge over the Dean Forest Railway (DFR) safely negotiate the first part of a restoration journey.

Lydney-based Mabey is undertaking the vital repair and restoration work on the St Mary’s footbridge, the last existing piece of infrastructure of the former Severn and Wye Railway.

It took the experts — using a 60-year-old crane — some seven hours to dismantle the wrought-iron treasure with the footbridge first being gently lowered onto a waiting train followed by the steps on either side.

The eight-wheel diesel crane was built by Joseph Booth Rodley in 1958, and has been undergoing restoration at the Dean Forest Railway over the last five years.

Dean Forest Railway operational manager Roger Phelps said: “It went smoothly and the old crane was more than up to the job.

“It’s proving a valuable asset to the railway in helping make light work of track and locomotive restoration but until now it has never lifted a bridge.

The bridge was built more than 125 years ago by one of the era’s leading engineering companies based in Glasgow.

It was closed in 2007 for safety reasons but it is expected to be re-opened in September after its stint at the Mabey workshops in Lydney and Cardiff, which will restore it to its former splendour.

Local people have contributed generously to the appeal to have the work done with a donations bucket for spare change at Tesco in Lydney raising more than £400.

Forest of Dean Ramblers also made a donation.

There has also been support from Lydney Town Council, the Forest Council, St Mary’s parish church, Watts Group of Lydney, the Forest of Dean Local History Society, the Wye Valley and Forest of Dean Tourism Association and the Dean Academy.

Mabey Bridge chief executive Michael Treacy said: “While we build and maintain bridges across the world, there is something special about restoring a bridge that is so well-loved by the local community and our employees alike.

The project has also been funded by the Rural Development Programme for England, Rural Tourism Infrastructure Growth Programme Funding and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development.