Statfold Barn Railway

The Statfold Barn Railway is a narrow gauge railway based near Tamworth, Staffordshire and partially in Warwickshire, England. Founded by engineering entrepreneur Graham Lee and his wife Carol at their farm-based home, they originally designed what is still termed the garden railway, in which Graham could run his trains and Carol could design an extensive English country garden around a lake.
Graham Lee chaired the family-owned LH Group, with its main focus on railway engineering services. After LH Group acquired what remained of the Hunslet Engine Company in 2005, Graham pursued the opportunity to acquire the last steam locomotive built by Hunslet. Commissioned in 1971, it had been ordered by Leeds-based Robert Hudson & Co Ltd, who supplied and installed a complete railway system for the Trangkil sugar mill estate in Indonesia. As he pursued the Hunslet, Graham noticed a number of other interesting but defunct steam locomotives of European origin in Indonesia, and set about recovering these as well.
After Wabtec acquired LH Group in 2012, Graham retained the rights to produce steam locomotives under the Hunslet name. He had produced the first new steam powered Hunslet in 2006, and also restored several locomotives in the collection. In 2017, Graham and Carol Lee gave the collection of over 100 locomotives and associated vehicles, equipment and ephemera to the newly formed Statfold Narrow Gauge Museum Trust, to ensure the collection was retained and maintained at its current site.
Today the railway has an extensive workshop where locomotives are built and restored. The railway is open to the public.

History

Having acquired Statfold Farm near Tamworth, Staffordshire as their family home, engineer Graham Lee – who had worked his way up through family owned LH Group, and eventually became chairman – persuaded his wife Carol to build a narrow gauge railway around their garden and lake.
Happy with the garden railway, it was not until LH Group acquired what remained of the Hunslet Engine Company in 2005, that Graham pursued the opportunity to acquire the last steam locomotive built by Hunslet. Commissioned in 1971 to an original Kerr Stuart design, it had been ordered by Leeds-based Robert Hudson & Co, who supplied and installed a complete railway system for the Trangkil sugar mill estate in Indonesia. Negotiations were conducted via Hunslet's agent in Jakarta, and after visiting the site during negotiations and to supervise the loading of Trangkil No.4, Graham noticed a number of other interesting but defunct steam locomotives of European origin in Indonesia, and set about recovering these as well. Pakis Baru and Sragi sugar mills had interesting locomotive fleets and two examples from German manufacturers were acquired from each.
As Indonesia's state environmental laws do not allow the export of scrap-metal, Trangkil No.4 together with five other locomotives Graham proposed to export back to the UK had to be shown in steam and moving. Whilst Trangkil No.4 was still 2 ft gauge, the other five locomotives were built to the more common European 2 ft 6inches gauge. Graham hence built with friends what is now term the mainline – in dual 2 ft and gauge – which runs around the outside in a basic oval shape of the original garden railway. Thus was formed the Statfold Barn Railway, and its core collection.
After Wabtec acquired LH Group in 2012, Graham retained the rights to produce steam locomotives under the Hunslet name. He had produced the first new steam powered Hunslet in 2006, and used the same facilities to restore items in the collection. In March 2010 some 51 locomotives were based on the Statfold Barn Railway, either operable or waiting for restoration or rebuild.
In 2017, Graham and Carol Lee gave the collection of over 100 locomotives and associated vehicles, equipment and ephemera to the newly formed Statfold Narrow Gauge Trust, to ensure the collection was retained and maintained at its current site. In 2025 Lee was awarded an MBE in the King's Birthday Honours List, in recognition of his work within the railway industry and his charitable works over several decades.
Today the railway has its own workshop where locomotives are restored and maintained. The 'Field Railway' is a gauge line approximately long with a "balloon loop" at one end with a station at the other end, originally with mixed gauge. There is a passing loop halfway along the line which has a single platform 'Oak Tree Halt' and a siding heading off to storage facilities in the 'Grain Store' roundhouse. There is also a separate loop line 'Garden Railway' of gauge round an ornamental lake. Alongside the core 2 ft and 2 ft 6 inch collection, the museum also displays locomotives of other gauges including, and, and other vehicles.
In July 2023 Darjeeling Himalayan Railway locomotive 778 was relocated to the Statfold Barn Railway. It is the only DHR locomotive outside of India, and has the oldest currently working steam boiler in the world.
For the 2017 season, a narrow gauge tram track was laid in concrete parallel to the level section of the Field Railway incorporating an mixed gauge rail line. The running shed had a triple gauge line leading down into the standard gauge storage sidings and then across the Field Railway where a short stub led into a field.
March 2023 saw the opening of a new miniature railway, the gauge 'Mease Valley Light Railway'.
Statfold Engineering Ltd is a separate company operating on the same site operated by Graham Lee's grandson, Nick Noon. Established in 2017, it undertakes work for outside customers, mainly in the railway industry.

Rolling stock

Steam locomotives

Diesel locomotives

Identity	Works number	Type	Gauge	Builder	Year built	Previous operator	Status	Notes	Image
	1891		regauged to	Plymouth Locomotive Works	1924	a quarry in Ohio	Unknown
	20777			Orenstein & Koppel	1936	ex Kriegsmarine, ex Norden Clay Works, Dorset, ex Durley Light Railway.	Operational
Sam	2019			Hunslet for Robert Hudson	1939	RNAD Broughton Moor	Unknown	Flameproof
Atlas	2463			Hunslet	1941	Ministry of Defence depot, Long Marston, Warwickshire, later to Abbey Light Railway	Unknown
	3621			Hunslet for Robert Hudson	1947		Under restoration as of 2017
Charley	9976			Motor Rail	1954	Somerset River Board	Operational
Brambridge Hall	5226			Motor Rail	1936	Hall & Co., Brambridge gravel pits, Colden Common	Operational	Donated by Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Society in 2019.
AGWI Pet	4724			Motor Rail	1939	Anglo Gulf West Indies Petroleum Corporation, Fawley Refinery	Operational	Donated by Hampshire Narrow Gauge Railway Society in 2019.
	5800		regauged to	Plymouth	1954	St Marys Cement Company, Ohio	Operational
	418776 or 418767			Ruston & Hornsby	1957	Canada	Unknown
	6137		regauged to	Plymouth	1958	St Marys Cement Company, Ohio	Operational
W114H	6720			Hunslet-Taylor	1965	Western Reefs Gold Mine, South Africa	Operational
N13H	7588			Hunslet-Taylor	1968	Vaal Reefs Gold Mine, South Africa	Unknown
Welsh Highland No. 5	6285		regauged to	Hunslet	1968	Millom Haematite Ore & Iron Co Ltd	Unknown	Returned to Welsh Highland Heritage Railway 2017
35	7010 6941			Hunslet, rebuilt by Andrew Barclay	1971	Eastriggs	Unknown
	40SD503			Motor Rail	1975	Minworth sewage treatment works	Operational
	8819		Originally, now	Hunslet	1979	Nantgarw Colliery	Unknown
Tom	D1447 8847			Hudswell Clarke post acquisition by Hunslet	1981	John Summers & Sons steelworks, Shotton, Flintshire	Unknown
A10	3782		regauged to	Baguley-Drewry	1984	RNAD Trecwn	Sold to Amerton Railway 2017
	9294			Hunslet	1991	British Coal, Stillingfleet Mine, Yorkshire	Unknown	Flameproof
	9351			Hunslet	1991	Hire to Balfour Beatty Amec Joint Venture for London Underground Jubilee Line Extension construction, later to Lower Lea Valley Cable Tunnels construction	Unknown
	9332			Hunslet	1994	Jan-Pan, Singapore	Operational
D4	1001			Funkey	Unknown		Unknown
D5	1033			Funkey	Unknown		Unknown
Carnegie	4524			Hunslet	1954	Royal Arsenal Railway, Woolwich	Operational	Delivered 2020.
4 Alistair	201970			Ruston & Hornsby	1940	Bierrum & Partners; Ffestiniog Railway; Hayling Seaside Railway	Operational	On site as of 2021.
	73			Alan Keef	2005	Private owner, north Devon	Operational