Look inside train carriages as farmer Michael Sly plans to bring unique Airbnb stays to Thorney

It may seem unlikely but the residents of Thorney are getting used to seeing trains again.

Michael Sly, 54, has purchased eight classic railway carriages and set them – for the time being, at least – on the outskirts of the village.

It is quite possibly the first time any passenger train carriages have been spotted in this neck of the woods since the old Peterborough, Wisbech & Sutton Bridge branch line closed in 1959.

Speaking to the Peterborough Telegraph, the owner of Park Farm outlined the reasoning behind his purchase: “Most men of a certain age have a mid-life crisis and buy a motorbike - I bought a train set!”

“In all seriousness, a friend of a friend bought two carriages of these Mark III stock and I thought ‘I’d be really interested’. Low and behold, there was an opportunity to buy a heritage set of seven coaches.”

Mr Sly bought his ‘train set’ from Potters in Ely, where surplus railway carriages are stored before being sold on or scrapped.

He then had them transported by road to a storage area on his farm in Thorney.

Michael’s set is a mix of London North-East Railway (LNER) and Great Western Railway (GWR) InterCity carriages.

Seven of the eight carriages were used as part of LNER’s farewell ‘Let’s Go Round Again’ tour before the company’s new Azuma trains entered service.

So, what is a farmer to do with eight 35-tonne passenger train carriages?

Mr Sly, who is chair of both the English Mustard Growers and the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Sugar Board, has some interesting ideas in mind.

“We are looking to do pre-enquiries with the city council about probably creating two or three [carriages] as glamping or Airbnb places out here in The Fens. It would be quite unusual, quite different”.

Michael’s operations director, David Heron, anticipates the carriages, each of which is 600 square-feet in size, will complement the guest accommodation to be proffered at the nearby Rose & Crown pub.

Another of Mr Sly’s recent acquisitions, the pub is due to be completely refurbished before reopening with guest rooms in 2024.

David, 36, explained: “The pub will have eight double rooms upstairs. So, if there’s a large party of people looking to stay – and these [carriages] are Airbnb or glamping – then we can offer more accommodation”

But it’s not just accommodation that’s on Michael’s radar:

”Longer term”, he noted, “we could see what opportunities there are for the restaurant buffet cars to be used as eateries, or indeed anything else. Maybe even business pods for people working from home”.

Michael (54) has been farming for over 30 years, running Park Farm in Thorney with the help of his loyal team.

He is an active member of the community and was awarded an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for services to agriculture.