Railway staff say they feel sickened after vandals wrecked a carriage on an historic steam train.

In an overnight attack, yobs descended on Kent & East Sussex railway’s Tenterden station, where the heritage 1926 Pullman car Theodora was berthed.

They damaged two doors, leaving a trail of splintered wood and shattered glass.

Once inside the yobs made off with a small amount of alcohol and a float consisting of small change, but bosses say the repair bill they have been left with will run into thousands.

The railway, a registered charity, relies on an small army of volunteers to keep its steam trains and carriages in pristine condition for the enjoyment of thousands of visitors from home and abroad who travel on the picturesque line to Bodiam.

General manager Shaun Dewey said: “Everyone at the railway feels sickened by what has happened.

"It’s horrendous that a historic carriage has been so badly damaged. “The Pullman is our most prestigious car and words cannot describe what has happened.

"How can anyone justify doing all that damage for so little gain.”

Mr Dewey has pledged the railway will work around the clock to carry out temporary repairs to put Theodora back in service for the weekend.

He added: “Pullman services are extremely popular for Saturday night dinner and Sunday lunch so we will do temporary repairs immediately.

“We won’t let our customers down.”

Railway commercial manager André Freeman added: “We are all mortified by the vandalism.

"Everybody gives up so much of their time to the railway and are passionate about it.”

Mr Freeman says the carriage came into the ownership of the railway in 1963 but was only brought back into active service in 2005, in a project costing £150,000 and involving thousands of hours of painstaking restoration by volunteers.

He said: “The carriage was a shell where rain had been pouring in for 40 years and it’s been transformed by volunteers to a fine dining area with plush seating and inlaid marquetry.

“We are very disappointed that there are people who have chosen to steal from a charity operated by volunteers for the benefit of our visitors - but we won’t be beaten.”

The Wealden Pullman facebook page has been flooded with supportive messages since Mr Freeman published the pictures after the break-in, which was discovered by a volunteer.

The vandals struck on Saturday night and anyone with information is urged to call police on 01843 222289, quoting reference ZY/037299/18.

• To support the railway visit www.preservation.kesr.org.uk/helping/fundraising/aries-appeal