Statfold Barn Railway and Museum

Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow-gauge line near Tamworth, running through farmland and alongside a lake. It began as a private garden railway built by engineer Graham Lee and his wife Carol around their home. After Lee’s company acquired the Hunslet Engine Company, he recovered historic steam locomotives from Indonesian sugar mills. The railway now operates dual-gauge tracks, including a main line and a shorter garden loop. A large workshop restores and builds locomotives on site. The site also hosts a miniature railway and a narrow-gauge tram track. The collection includes over a hundred locomotives from Europe and Asia, many restored to working order. Among them is the last steam locomotive built in Britain for industrial use, brought back from Indonesia. A Darjeeling Himalayan Railway engine, the only one outside India, also operates here. The museum displays locomotives in different gauges, from 18 inches to standard. Passenger stock includes coaches from theme parks and heritage railways. The railway’s workshops continue to produce new steam locomotives under the Hunslet name. Visitors follow the main line’s 1.5-mile loop past Oak Tree Halt and the Grain Store roundhouse. The garden railway circles a landscaped lake with ornamental bridges. A passing loop allows trains to meet, and sidings lead to storage sheds. The miniature railway offers shorter rides for families. The site’s tram track runs alongside the main line, and the workshop is open to view. The surroundings mix open fields with industrial heritage, framed by the restored locomotives.