Description:The railway opened in 1953 and ran along a 700 yard long track between Alton Towers' Ingestre Station and Chinese Temple for over forty years until its closure in 1996. The locomotive in this postcard view is 'Altonia', built by Baguley Engineers Ltd. for Lilleshall Abbey Woodland Railway in 1929 as locomotive no. 1769. Denis Bagshaw bought it for Alton Towers in 1953, had it repainted in maroon and yellow and named it 'Altonia'. When the railway closed it was sold to a private purchase but now runs at Old Kiln Railway in Surrey.
The gardens at Alton Towers re-opened to the public after World War II in 1952. During the 1960s, under the management of Denis and Anthony Bagshaw, Alton Towers became an increasingly popular visitor attraction. In 1973 John Broome married Denis Bagshaw's daughter and soon after became the majority shareholder. In 1980 he began introducing the rides for which Alton Towers is now famous.