THEY are getting up a full head of steam at Trinity AODS, with the impending arrival of The Ghost Train.

Performances are at Trinity Church Hall, Market Street, Farnworth, on Friday and Saturday.

Playwright Arnold Ridley found fame at the end of his career as the bumbling Private Godfrey in Dad's Army - the man whose contribution to the war effort was permanently handicapped by his need to find a toilet.

For years, though, he was a jobbing actor, touring the country appearing in weekly rep.

He spent many hours in the 1920s sitting at his local railway station waiting for the train to come and whisk him off to his next engagement.

It was during his long sojourns on station platforms that the germ of an idea formed for a play.

Set on a railway station, it combined mystery, comedy and a spy story.

The Ghost Train was first staged in 1925 and has become a much-loved classic in amateur and professional theatre.

Dircetor Terry Bowden said: "The play was writtn in seven days and it still retains its old fashioned fascination for today's audiences.

"It has all the ingredients that were uppermost in the public's mind just after the First World War with spies still the number one worry. Mix these with a remote railway station late at night and all sorts of things can be imagined."

The cast includes Robin Tompson, Graham Hughes, Ashley Baxter, Ian Hunter, Paul Walker, David Redman, Jean Hughes, Christine Fields, Carmela Horne, and Andrea Baines.

Mr Bowden said: "It's a perfect comedy-chiller."

Tickets and information are available from 01204 578251 or 01204 63520.