THE NEXT time you’re at a railway station waiting for that elusive train, spare a thought for the Wimborne grandmother who waited 66 years for her steam engine to arrive.

Audrey Newman, who joined her son in the cab of a steam train at Swanage Railway, on Monday, finally realised an ambition she first had during wartime London.

Back then, when the capital was under attack from Doodlebugs and V2 rockets, Audrey was the only female ATS officer based at the Army Railways Unit headquarters.

And it was towards the end of the war that her commanding officer promised she’d get to drive a steam locomotive.

But this dream was put on hold, for more than six decades, when he was transferred and her new commander decided the cab of a steam train was no place for a woman.

So, as part of her 90th birthday celebrations, her eldest son, Brian, got in touch with volunteers at Swanage Railway, who were happy to let his mum ride on the foot plate of one of their engines.

Audrey said: “They looked after me so well, it really was worth the wait.

“I couldn’t believe how powerful the train was when you got up on the foot plate. The driver was driving and the stoker was working away. It was marvellous.”

Audrey, who also drove an ambulance in the war and taught girls to drive for the ATS, has held a driving licence for 73 years. She still drives today.

Of her wartime experiences, she said: “The Doodlebugs made you very selfish because you heard the engines stop and you said to yourself, ‘I pray that one goes on before it drops.’ “I will be writing to Swanage Railway thanking them for making my day so special.”

Audrey has two sons and three grandchildren.