Progress has been made on a push to restore the Raglan railway station to a consolidated state, with a draft strategic plan now in place for restorative works.
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The draft plan outlines a series of works required to restore the station to the state it was in at its 1988 closure, including a roof repaint, the rejuvenation of windows and doors and a clean out of the building.
Bathurst Heritage Action Network convenor Sandy Bathgate said the works will aim to keep the history of the station alive for future generations.
"The station was in danger of disintegrating within 10 years, but John Holland Rail [the station's owners] stepped in to stabilise the building, which has bought us some time," Mr Bathgate said.
"We're now in the process of liaising with John Holland Rail to put this strategic plan into place and if it's accepted, the station will be restored within the first half of the decade.
"The three main goals are to restore the station, interpret its history, and promote the landmark's unique heritage to the wider community."
Mr Bathgate said the big challenge facing the restoration effort is the station's island platform design, with the only crossing across open tracks.
"There's active rail lines on both sides with trains charging past at high speeds," he said.
"As a result, it's unrealistic at the present to expect the station to be reused as a physical public asset."
However, with the recent opening of the Bathurst Rail Museum, Mr Bathgate said it could open up new possibilities for the station from a historical standpoint.
"Drone flyovers and virtual reality tours are certainly a possibility and with the rail museum up and running, it could be the ideal location to facilitate such a project," he said.
"It won't be a huge task to reinvigorate the building, and Bathurst Regional Council have offered to back us should we succeed in getting John Holland Rail on board."
Mr Bathgate said there's a growing interest among smaller communities between Lithgow and Blayney wishing to fix up their train stations.
"There's interest to restore the stations at Georges Plains and Newbridge, and we've seen the second Bathurst Bullet service bring attention back to Tarana and Rydal," he said.
"Bathurst has a rather loyal group of rail buffs and if we're successful in ensuring the survival of the Raglan station, it could open up further avenues for tourism."
Mr Bathgate runs the 'Please Save the Raglan Railway Station' Facebook page, which has over 300 members.
