The Telford steam tram at the Telford Steam Railway of the Telford Horsehay Steam Trust, runs on a narrow gauge track. This follows a short circular route, part of which runs near to the lake known as Horsehay Pool.
The tram and 16-seat coach were built by Alan Keef Ltd for the Telford Development Corporation, first running on Saturday 8 September 1979.[1] The tram and coach originally ran in Telford Town Park alongside Randlay Pool, on about 300yd of the trackbed of the former Coalport Branch Line, on the Telford Town Tramway which was opened by the Reverend W. Awdry, who named the tram Thomas, on 9 April 1980[2] [3] but did not last very long there. The tram moved to its present site in 1988 and opened on the 27th September 1992 at Horsehay.
Steam trams were at one time a fairly familiar sight, as in the last years of the 19th century and the early years of the 20th century, they were used in several towns and cities in the UK. Most were eventually replaced by electric trams. The steam tram at the Telford Steam Railway, is one of the very few working examples, and quite possibly the only narrow gauge one in the UK.[4] It is 4-wheeled and Pontie Steam Plant Ltd of Peterborough built its vertical boiler and NaNinches x 10inches cylinder.