Replica of the first steam railway locomotive back in action at Blists Hill Victorian Town

Volunteers at Blists Hill Victorian Town have completed a project to return to working order a replica of the world’s first steam railway locomotive.  

The Coalbrookdale Company began building the world’s first steam railway locomotive in 1802. It was based on the designs of Richard Trevithick, an inventor and client of the company. The Coalbrookdale Company had already delivered a series of railway-related innovations, including the casting of the first iron wheels and rails in 1729 and 1767 respectively. While it is not known if Trevithick’s engine was ever run, it nonetheless played a significant role in the development of portable steam powered engines, coming in 1803, 26 years before Stephenson’s Rocket.

Nearly 200 years later, between 1989 and 1990, employees of GKN Sankey in Telford used historic and contemporary evidence to build a full-scale working replica of the engine. The engine ran at Blists Hill Victorian Town until July 2024, when essential repairs were needed.

The Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, the heritage conservation and education charity that manages the museum, called on volunteers to help repair the replica. Corporate volunteers from Network Rail, SYSTRA, Severn Partnership and the Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport, co-ordinated by the Permanent Way Institute (PWI) and Railway 200, repaired the track to help get the engine rolling again. In total, volunteers have dedicated nearly 500 hours to complete the project. Generous gift-in-kind support was also received from London Rock and Freemans of Telford.

Trevor Barraclough, a steam engine expert, contractor and volunteer at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, said: “After 12 months off the track at Blists Hill undergoing extensive repairs, re tubing the boiler, lifting and relaying the plateway. Trevithick is now back on the tracks. We look forward now to many years of happy steaming.”

Emma Roberts, Programme Manager for Railway 200, said: “We were delighted to support and help to co-ordinate this amazing achievement as part of the bicentenary celebrations. Congratulations to the Museum Trust and its volunteers on restoring and repairing this important contribution to rail’s rich heritage. We hope it attracts lots of deserving interest.”

The replica of the engine, know as “the Trevithick” will run at the museum for visitors to see on Wednesday 5, Thursday 6 and Saturday 8 November 2025.