On the outskirts of Telford, the sound of steam whistles once again echoes across a landscape that helped forge the modern world. The Telford Steam Railway, operated entirely by volunteers since 1976, has spent nearly half a century piecing back together a railway that closed to passengers in 1962 and to freight in 1983. What began as a small group of enthusiasts in a disused loco shed has become a heritage attraction welcoming over 25,000 visitors annually, with ambitions to reconnect a line all the way to the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
From Ironworks to Heritage Line
The railway occupies a fragment of the Wellington and Severn Junction Railway, which opened in 1859 to carry coal and iron from the Coalbrookdale Company works. The Horsehay blast furnace had been in operation since 1755, and in 1769 the company introduced one of the first cast iron plateway systems to move materials between its forges. The plateway connected to the main line at Spring Village, where a goods transhipment shed built in 1860 now serves as the railway's engine shed.
British Rail closed the line to passengers in July 1962. Freight traffic continued until 1983, when the final section from Lightmoor Junction to Lawley was shut. The Telford Horsehay Steam Trust formed in 1976, purchasing a GWR 5600 Class locomotive from Barry scrapyard with support from the Telford Development Corporation. By 1984, after eight years of restoration work, the railway opened to the public from Spring Village station.
A Volunteer-Powered Operation
Today the railway runs entirely on volunteer labour. The trust, registered as Charity No. 1003150 and Company No. 01970570, recruits people of all ages and backgrounds. Some volunteers are university students; others are retired. Some take annual leave to work on the line.
No experience is required to join. Roles range from operating services and maintaining rolling stock to track laying, retail, catering, and gardening. The trust also seeks specific skills: bricklaying, carpentry, plumbing, fund raising, and CAD design. The organisation lists over a dozen specialist roles on its website, from electricians and civil engineers to store managers and administrators.
Running the Railway
The line currently stretches one mile between three stations: Spring Village, Horsehay & Dawley, and Lawley Village, which opened in 2015 after restoration of the Grade II listed Heath Hill Tunnel. A round trip takes 50 minutes. Trains run on Sundays and Bank Holiday Mondays from Easter to the end of September, with services operating between 10:30 and 16:30.
The fleet includes GWR 5600 Class No. 5619, built in 1925 and the only ex-mainline steam locomotive to reside at Telford. Peckett 0-4-0ST "Rocket" (1926) and "Ironbridge No. 3" (1940) are undergoing overhaul. Diesel traction includes BR Class 08 No. 08757 "EAGLE" (1961) and a 1954 North British 0-4-0DH named "Tom". The railway also operates a 2-foot narrow gauge line around Horsehay Pool using a steam tram, and hosts the Phoenix Model Engineering Society's 5-inch miniature railway.
The Polar Express Effect
Since 2016, the railway has run The Polar Express Train Ride, a licensed Christmas event based on the film and book. The experience has become the railway's flagship event and its financial engine. In 2018, the trust announced a Β£400,000 track extension funded entirely by Polar Express profits. This represents the first phase of a Β£1.5 million plan to extend the line toward Ironbridge.
The extension would reconnect the railway to the Ironbridge Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the symbolic birthplace of the Industrial Revolution. The proposal includes stations at Doseley, Lightmoor, Coalbrookdale, and Buildwas, with a potential connection to the national network at Madeley Junction. A fabricated steel bridge donated by Network Rail arrived at Spring Village in 2010; another bridge for crossing the A4169 road has been acquired.
Restoration and Rebuilding
Recent years have seen significant infrastructure work. The track between Horsehay and Doseley level crossing was removed in 2019 ahead of relaying to passenger standards. In 2024, the trust began rebuilding the Horsehay & Dawley signal box, one of several projects to restore the line's operational heritage. The Lightmoor Junction Signal Box was badly damaged by vandals in the same year.
The railway's 1907 GWR Autocoach No. 38, the oldest in preservation, operates alongside the steam fleet. The Furnace Cafe at Spring Village serves breakfast and hot meals, and the site includes a model railway depicting Stafford station in OO gauge.
Visitor Information
The railway is located at The Old Loco Shed, Bridge Road, Horsehay, Telford, TF4 2NF. Day tickets for 2026 cost Β£10 for adults, Β£7 for children, and Β£28 for families. Season tickets are available at Β£40 for adults and Β£112 for families. The railway operates a "pay once, ride all day" system.
Special events throughout the season include the Exotic Express, Cream Tea and Fish & Chip specials, a 1940s Weekend, and driver experience courses. The Polar Express runs in December with tickets starting at Β£30.99.
The Telford Steam Railway shows what volunteer commitment can achieve. From a closed industrial branch to a working heritage line with renewed purpose, it stands as a physical connection to the town's industrial past and an ambitious project for its future.
