VolkerRail puts Trolleybus Museum’s expansion on the right track

Founded in 1969, the Museum is built on a former wartime RAF station, previously used to house and restore trolleybuses at a time when their use on British streets was in decline, and is run by volunteers; relying on donations to help maintain and develop its attractions.

The museum is currently undergoing rapid change to expand its facilities and exhibitions, which currently boasts a play area, cinema, replica prefabricated home, and a toy museum, along with the world’s largest collection of preserved trolleybuses.

The new railway forms part of the museum’s expansion plan, which also includes an engine shed and railway station.

Over two days, volunteers helped to manually install the new railway alongside the museums inherited Blackpool tram, which is also being converted into a play tram for visiting children.

The team firstly constructed the track bed before laying down ballast and hardcore, and installed membrane to suppress weeds and extend the life of the track. As well as laying 40 metres of track, volunteers also installed three point ends.

Commenting, VolkerRail’s senior project engineer, Simon Marshall, said: “The team worked extremely hard, in a coordinated effort. Splitting into two teams allowed us to concentrate on digging out the track bed and laying the ballast at the same time as laying track.

“It was a great opportunity to give back, and very rewarding to see how much progress we had made in such as short amount of time. I am excited to see the launch of the new railway and look forward to further volunteering opportunities with the museum.”

Commenting, the museum said: “We are very grateful to VolkerRail and their employees, for all their hard work.”