The Shed Wymondham was approached by the late Keith Benjafield to discuss the possible renovation of a large Thomas the Tank Engine structure at the Wymondham Railway Station.

The Thomas structure was built in 1988 by Douglas & Co, a civil engineering company. It was then purchased by David Turner in 1990 and in 1995 it was restored and sited at the railway station. Between 1995 and 2019 it was continually displayed at the station until being taken over by Brendan Grey when he purchased the Station Bistro restaurant.

We visited Thomas and looked at the work that would be involved to return it to its former glory. One of our Shed members, Dave Gilham, was happy to project manage the renovation and put together a plan of repairing and the necessary materials that would be needed.

Keith Benjafield donated money from his personal funds, and along with the kind donation The Station Bistro was able to offer, we were able to purchase good quality materials to ensure Thomas will be around for many more years to come.

Dave Gilham assembled a work group, and this would be The Shed’s first community project involving both men and women members – a milestone in the history of The Shed after recently setting up our women’s group.

The process of rubbing back the structure to its original wood began and the necessary repairs also took place. It then became a “ghost train” as it was covered in white primer!

It finally started to come to life again as the “Thomas” blue paint was applied and along with fitting of the red bumpers and the gold whistle. Once the Thomas face was fitted, he looked as good as new.

A big thank you to all The Shed members who worked on the project and special thanks go to Dave, Jules, Mike and Amy for all their hard work.

Unfortunately, Keith Benjafield passed away during the renovation and was unable to see the finished Thomas. We felt it fitting that Keith’s wife Janet Benjafield unveiled the rejuvenated Thomas and on Friday 9th June we held an opening event with many Shed members, Wymondham in Bloom volunteers, the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and general public attending.

Janet’s words at the opening: "My late husband Keith was a Station Adopter for Wymondham Railway Station along with Brendan (Gray) from the Station Bistro. He had a vision that Thomas could be brought back to life and thought of the talented people from The Shed. With funding from himself and Brendan and The Shed’s skills we are stood here today to welcome Thomas back. Alas, Keith passed away in November 2021 but I am sure he is smiling down on us today. Thank you also to the Wymondham in Bloom team for their work in brightening up the station once again with flowers."

The Shed Wymondham often gets involved in community projects in the Wymondham and surrounding villages. Its members come from all walks of life and with an abundance of crafting skills they are always happy to impart their knowledge to other members. The original premise of The Shed ethos remains - Helping combat social isolation, improving health and wellbeing whilst learning new skills.

If you would like any more information about what The Shed could offer you then please contact us at info@theshedwymondham.org.uk or follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/theshedwym