TV HISTORIAN Dan Snow has helped a popular railway in the New Forest steam into a new era.

Dan opened the new £50,000 extension to the narrow gauge railway line at Exbury Gardens, near Beaulieu.

He became the latest VIP to enjoy a ride on the Exbury Gardens Railway, which has been welcoming passengers since the line opened in 2001.

Dan, 38, cited the importance of railways in the economic history of the world – and said his two children would love to have an Exbury-style train in their garden.

Owned by the Rothschild family, the award-winning gardens have been open to the public since the 1950s. The railway was the inspiration of the late Leopold de Rothschild, who loved trains and always wanted to build one for visitors to the 200-acre site.

An Exbury spokesman said: “Trevor Stirland, who runs Exmoor Steam Railway, acted as a consultant for the project and also built three steam locomotives

“Exbury Gardens Railway proved extremely popular and in 2015 the railway manager, Ian Wilson, had the idea of lengthening the track. The extension opens up an area of the gardens that the public have never seen before, including a dragonfly pond.”

The line includes a new station – Dragonfly Halt.

In 2008 passengers were joined by The Queen, who rode in the cab of a steam locomotive after naming it in a private ceremony. Three years later it was the turn of Prince Charles and his wife, the Duchess of Cornwall, to board the “Exbury Express”. Award-winning actresses Dame Judi Dench and Dame Maggie Smith have also travelled on the line.

Plans to build a quarter-mile extension to the track were approved by the New Forest National Park Authority (NPA) in September last year.

A report to NPA members said: “The proposal is to extend the miniature railway so that it circles an existing pond and then rejoins the main track.

“New Forest District Council and the NPA’s tourism officer support the proposal, saying it would provide a greater opportunity for visitors to enjoy the special qualities of the National Park.”

The report says the site is well screened by trees and shrubs and is also well away from Exbury House, a Grade II listed building.