Telford Steam Railway's £20,000 appeal to make coach disabled-friendly
Railway fans have been asked to donate to help the Telford Steam Railway stay on track during the coronavirus crisis.
The railway will not run trains for the rest of the year and it announced earlier this summer that its annual sellout Polar Express journeys will not go ahead this year.
The lockdown has also impacted on the railway team's ongoing project to overhaul a brake standard open (BSO) coach to make it suitable for disabled people.
A statement said: "Unlike other heritage railways who can run longer trains to offset the loss of passengers, here at the Telford Steam Railway (TSR) we do not have that luxury.
"Whilst all funds have been diverted to keep us going until we can resume train services at Easter 2021 this means that our major projects have had to be put on hold. We are still able to undertake essential maintenance and the break from running services is allowing us to bring forward some planned track-works.
"Our biggest project, however, has had to be put on hold indefinitely. The TSR was fortunate to acquire a BSO coach no.9406 which we had started to convert not just to a coach with an onboard buffet, but most importantly a fully disabled-compliant coach.
Appealing for donations
"We have long wanted to be able to offer facilities and services to visitors from all walks of life, from the fully able-bodied to the disabled so that all can enjoy our heritage services."
Seats need to be installed, the exterior of the coach needs to be sanded and repainted, and interior walls need to be installed.
"We calculate that £20,000 should allow us a coach to be proud of. With your help, we can still press ahead and have this much-needed vehicle added to the coaching fleet in time for the resumption of services next Easter.
"It is for this reason that we are asking for donations, to allow for projects at TSR to continue as they normally would during our running season to make your experiences in future years even better and more enjoyable. Any additional donations raised will go towards other projects at the railway to improve our visitor experience.
"We would like to thank anyone who donates to us and we can’t wait to hopefully see you again next Easter! Thank you all and stay safe, from all of the team at the TSR."
Visit gofundme.com/f/tsr-funding to learn more and to donate.
