Telford Steam Railway

Using previously unpublished photographs, Dave Angell tells the interesting story of Telford Steam Railway.

Telford Steam Railways is based on part of the ex-Great Western Railway line from Wellington to Craven Arms via Ironbridge, which was completed in 1867 and closed to passengers by 1962. By good fortune the line to Horsehay was kept open for irregular transportation of bridge parts. Telford Steam Railway can be traced back to the purchase of ex-GWR loco No. 5619 in the mid-1970s by Telford Development Corporation, initially intended as a static exhibit.Since those early days the group of volunteers have transformed the railway into a major local tourist attraction. Regular trains operate, initially only from Horsehay to Heath Hill Tunnel, but with grit and determination an extension was opened back into Lawley, involving the movement of 50,000 tons of spoil and extensive ground works. The operating Trust now have grand plans to extend the railway back in to the World Heritage Site of the Ironbridge Gorge, providing an added tourist attraction along with an alternative solution to traffic congestion.Extensive use of members photographs is made to detail the history of the original line, the story of Telford Steam Railway and the plans to complete their journey to Ironbridge.