Telford Town Tramway at the Telford Steam Railway will be officially reopened by Tim Dunn, historian and television presenter, on Sunday 24th August during the railway’s 1940s Weekend. The 2 foot gauge tramway – operated by a steam tram loco and carriage – has been out of action since 2019 but after a major restoration of the loco it is now ready to operate once again.
The Telford Steam Tram locomotive was built in 1979 by Alan Keef Ltd and was initially run on a section of line in Telford Town Park, with it being officially named “Thomas” by the Rev W Awdry in 1980. However, a legal dispute saw the line fall out of use until the Telford Steam Railway rescued it in 1992 and started operating it on a dedicated 2 foot gauge line.
It continued operating until 2019 at which point its boiler was condemned leading to its withdrawal. A subsequent fundraising campaign for the restoration of both loco and carriage saw the public donate money allowing work to commence on getting it back in service. This has happened over the past couple of years and after extensive testing it is now time for it to be officially relaunched. Both loco and carriage have had a full rebuilt and repaint, and there have also been improvements to the 300 yard line.
It is due to operate during the 1940s Weekend event at the Telford Steam Railway on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th August, with the second day set to see Tim Dunn appear to officially launch it and rename the locomotive once more. This naming ceremony will take place at approximately 1300 on Sunday 25th August.
For further information and tickets visit https://www.telfordsteamrailway.co.uk/
Now repainted and fully operational the loco and carriage are seen here in two images on the line. (Both Photographs courtesy of Telford Steam Railway)