New choo choo for Dudley Zoo

This red and white land train formally transported holiday makers across the seafront in Alicante.

But now the diesel locomotive has been given a new lease of life where it will carry visitors around Dudley Zoo.

It has replaced a previous train which was employed at the site for almost three decades.

The attraction has added a third carriage to the train to allow extra passengers to use the locomotive.

Bosses expect it will carry thousands of visitors around the attraction each year.

It will carry visitors from the entrance of the attraction, based at Castle Hill, around the site which is home to a variety of animals.

Zoo manager Matt Lewis said: “Our previous Dotto has transported families, buggies and wheelchair across the site for 29 years, but was showing its age.

“We are limited to the type of train we can have because of the steep and bendy gradient of the site and the sharp turn it has to do by the castle, so we are delighted to have sourced the same, newer model.

“And our visitors could have potentially used it before in Alicante as it was a popular tourist attraction.”

Zoo chiefs hope they can bring back the original steam engine run alongside the new one. This would ensure a steam train would run at the site at all times.

Matt added: “I know visitors were very fond of our land train, so we are looking into the compatibility of using the old engine with the new carriages, so there is every chance it will come back and we will use it as a back-up when this one has to go off for its annual inspections.”

Meanwhile the zoo recently opened a new farm barn which is home to a variety of small animals.

The heated and covered exhibit took three months to build and allows visitors to taker a closer look at animals such as pygmy hedgehogs, millipedes, African Giant land snails and a European mantis.

Zoo Manager Matt Lewis, added: “We opened the barn on Saturday, after demolishing the old one and replacing it with one double its original size.

"It is not complete yet and we will continue adding more exhibits and animals to it over the coming weeks, including rabbits, rats and guinea pigs, but visitors can see a range of critters, milk our popular model cow, Daisy, who is returned following a makeover, plus take part in arts and crafts"