The Friends of Thorpe Light Railway volunteer group was established in 2012 to restore and operate the last 15″ gauge miniature pleasure railway in County Durham.
The Railway was formerly known as the Whorlton Lido Railway and now operating as the Thorpe Light Railway.
We became a registered charity in 2017 and are making good progress towards restoring the railway to its former glory.
The volunteers meet regularly to carry out maintenance and improvement works to the locomotives, rolling stock, railway infrastructure, station and grounds.
We open to the public once a month throughout the summer, where you can join us for a train ride through this scenic corner of Teesdale. You can help us by visiting on our open days or becoming a member.
Why not join our volunteer group? If you have skills such as engineering, mechanics, plumbing, electrics or grounds maintenance you will be more than welcome.
If you don’t have any of the above skills, we are just as keen to have volunteers to help with general maintenance, and if you can use a spade or a paintbrush we’d love to hear from you! Please Contact Us for more information.