In 2011 there was a proposal to send the railway to Sierra Leone for its railway museum. This museum was set up and mentored by Steve Davies, then Director of the National Railway Museum in York and Shildon.
Steve visited the site with Anthony Coulls, who was Senior Curator at the National Railway Museum with responsibility for Rail Vehicle Collections. Anthony realised it was the former Whorlton Lido Railway, intact but overgrown.
Rather than relocating the railway to Sierra Leone, Anthony instead decided to save it for the region and restore it to its former glory. The site owner accepted Anthony’s business plan and potential supporters were contacted for an inaugural meeting and tour of the line in February 2012.
The railway would now be known as the Thorpe Light Railway, run by a Friends of Thorpe Light Railway group under an agreement with the site owner.
Work began in earnest that April. Amongst the tasks to be done were clearing 5 trees which had fallen across the line, draining water from a flooded section, and clearing mud across the track at the start of the eastern loop.
Further work involved dismantling the unsafe tunnel roof, cutting back overhanging trees, removing nettles three to five feet high from the station platform and digging out grass from half of the line.
“Wendy” and the WLR carriages were sent away for repair and refurbishment. On loan diesel “Bessie” helped during this work. With the long-term loan of three carriages, visiting steam locomotive “Smokey Joe” plus “Bessie” reopened the railway in June 2013.
The Friends group has continued to maintain the railway: track, water channels and vegetation, while tackling a backlog of maintenance. This has included replacement of many sleepers with more to come, building a new bridge over the water channel, and the construction of a new tunnel roof.
Open days have now settled to 6 per year, running monthly April to September, with additional private visits by prior arrangement.
Since 2016 “Bessie” has been used largely on works trains, helping move people and materials during maintenance. Passenger trains are usually worked by a Severn Lamb “Rio Grande” steam-outline diesel, which used to work in Ireland, with three carriages on the railway.
Each summer visiting steam locomotives share train services with the diesels. Visiting locomotives have included Heywood “Effie”, a new-build Baldwin type “Soony” and “Cagney No. 44”.
