Retired train carriages dumped in a scrapyard are being converted into a restaurant and bar to create a “one-in-a-million venue”.

The three forgotten cars were hauled hundreds of miles from south Wales to Eythorne, near Dover, in January last year, after a fan contacted the East Kent Railway Trust.

They have since undergone a major transformation, with the project costing about £50,000.

Cash generated from the “Jubilee Carriages” will be put back into the trust, which runs a four-mile scenic train journey between Shepherdswell and Eythorne.

Matthew Plews, general manager at the tourist site, said: “It started in January last year when we recovered the unit from a scrapyard in south Wales.

“We were approached by an enthusiast who knew they were going to become available and we talked to the leasing company who were scrapping them.

“It had been towed to be cut up and we managed to acquire it so we road-hauled it back to Kent and put it back together.

“It is going to be called the Jubilee Carriages at Eythrone which is a nod to our late Queen as she was recorded as saying these trains were far more comfortable and she used to travel to Sandringham on them.”

The team is now two months away from an official opening in October, having completed one of the carriages, which is only open at weekends.

They have worked tirelessly – completing electrical work, removing seats and installing a kitchen.

The restaurant will be open Thursday to Sunday, and available for private hire as well.

Mr Plews said: “It is a one-in-a-million venue. Our nearest competitor is a Boeing 747 off the M4 you can hire – but there is nothing else like this in our area.

“It will be a typically English restaurant with themed nights throughout the year, such as Mexican and Italian.”

The East Kent Railway was constructed between 1911 and 1917 to serve the growth of the Kent Coalfield, developing in the east of the county.

The first passengers were carried in 1916 but when the railways were nationalised, the line became part of the British Railways Southern Region and all passenger services were withdrawn in 1948.

However, the route from Shepherdswell to Tilmanstone Colliery remained operational until the 1984-85 miners’ strike.

The East Kent Railway Society was formed in 1985 and regular passenger trains were allowed to run on the line by 1993.

In 2003, the East Kent Railway became a charitable trust, now boasting a visitor centre and woodland walks.