Wickham trolley relocated to new home

A Wickham Type 17 Trolley, works No. 590 has seen its long-term future secured. On January 29, the Trolley moved from Cheddleton to the Tanat Valley Light Railway, near Oswestry to join The Rail Trolley Trust – Shropshire Collection. The Trust is to refurbish the Trolley, an ideal goal being completion ahead of its 90th Birthday this July.

The early Trolley was shipped from Ware on July 12, 1932 to the LNER at York, where it became No. 185, with running No. DE950021. Originally fitted with a JAP 1100 V-twin engine (Number LTZ/H 27326), this like the majority of those used in Type 17 & 17A trolleys in the UK, was later replaced by a JAP 1323 V-twin engine.

Withdrawn by BR (ER) in November 1972, the trolley was originally preserved at the Dinting Railway Centre (DRC) in 1979. When the DRC closed in 1990, it moved to the Bahamas Locomotive Society’s (BLS) site at Ingrow on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Later it was sold by BLS to the North Staffordshire Railway Company (NSRC) and moved to the Churnet Valley Railway in late 2008.

The Trust is interested in photographs of the Trolley, while it was at Dinting. Meanwhile, the arrival of the trolley at the TVLR has highlighted a lack of covered storage, especially for its more historic vehicles. The Trust is aiming to launch a significant public fundraising appeal, in part to fund the urgent purchase of suitable storage accommodation for some of its older historic vehicles and industrial equipment that are based at TVLR. For now, the Trolley will be stored under a heavy-duty tarpaulin.

The Trust would like to thank the Directors of NSRC (1978) Ltd for gifting the Trolley to the Trust and Adam Jeffrey, for moving the Trolley from the CVR to the TVLR.