IT'S full steam ahead for a Greenock family who have launched an online fundraiser to help get their remarkable garden railway back on track.

The Atkinsons found fame last month when rail enthusiasts on Twitter discovered the broken funicular railway that sits in the front lawn of their Lyle Road home.

They are hoping that this will help them fix the defunct line.

The unusual contraption, which has been suggested as Scotland's smallest railway line, has been lying in a state of disrepair for almost a decade.

After featuring in the Tele late last year, homeowner Ali Atkinson says that she has been inundated with requests from national media outlets wanting to talk to her about the funicular.

She said: "Since it was in the Greenock Telegraph a couple of news agencies have been in touch and I also got a call asking if I would go on This Morning to talk about it.

"The BBC have reached out and I also appeared on GB News.

"The response has been brilliant - the original homeowner's son even got in touch with me to tell me a bit more about the railway's history.

"He helped his dad build the railway in his later years when he could no longer carry items up the steep incline to the front door of the house.

"The project was a real labour of love for his father, Jim Morrison, who was a very talented man.

"It would be so good to have it restored.

"Jim sadly passed away over 20 years ago and it would be lovely to see the railway he worked so hard on returned to its former glory."

If the railway can be restored the family plan on opening it to the public for one day each year and allowing people to pay to ride on it, with the proceeds going to charity.

But getting the railway restored is proving a tough task for Ali - in addition to costing thousands of pounds, its unique design means that there are very few engineers with the skills to undertake the repairs.

Ali added: "I've started a fundraiser to see if we can get £2,500 for its restoration.

"This figure might change when I get a hold of someone who can properly assess the work required, but if we raise more than what we need I'll donate the excess to the National Railway Museum."

*To donate to Ali's fundraiser visit https://bit.ly/3rQNea0