Families are invited to hop aboard Carlisle's miniature railway line this weekend for a Halloween special. 

The Halloween Ghost Train special will run this Sunday, October 27 at Hammonds Pond from 1pm to 3pm, weather permitting, courtesy of the Carlisle and District Model Engineering Society.

The Model Engineering Society, which has maintained the railway since 1936, recently welcomed John Hodgson as the new chairperson - taking over from Stephanie Saville earlier this year. 

"On and off, I’ve been part of the group since I was a kid,” John said. 

"My dad, Ted Hodgson, was a founding member of the club so I’ve always had an interested in engines. I was a junior member of the club back then and I even started to build a locomotive for project at school - although I've never finished one," he said. 

Maintaining and operating the railway is no small task, requiring a dedicated team of five to six volunteers each time it runs.

The society faced significant challenges last year after track issues forced them to temporarily close.

Although a company initially offered to assist with repairs, it ultimately fell to the club and its members to do the work.

Fortunately, firm Graham Howe cast new pillars free of charge, and donations of paving slabs and sleepers from the community further supported the repair efforts.

This Halloween marks one of the final events of the season, and the Ghost Train promises an eerie adventure with costumed volunteers and a “haunted tunnel” crafted from gazebos.

"If possible, we’ll run as much as we can though going ahead – weather permitting," John said. 

"But we will have an event with Santa being transported around the track." 

The club has a donation box on-site, and all contributions go toward keeping this historic attraction alive.