TUGS: The Exhibition

TUGS: The Exhibition (also known as the Star Tugs Company Ltd. or the Star Tugs Trust) is a nonprofit organisation formed in 2013, with the intention of preserving the props from the original TUGS series.

## History

### Prior

Online forms, including one for TUGS, date back as far as the 1990s. Though people like Chris Tulloch were around on a fansite then, people were prevented from talking to him by the admins. In the 2000s, gathering new information for TUGS was difficult outside of crew members being interviewed by the fansite for Thomas & Friends, Sodor Island Fansite.

In 2011, Richard had been restoring the models since the builder saved many of them from being thrown away. In mid-2012, the sight of the TUGS assets on eBay (beginning with facemasks and eventually most of the tugs themselves) was huge amongst fans alike!

Members of the Sodor Island Fansite made a fundraiser to purchase the models. The fundraiser was successful and so the models would be put in their hands. An unpleasant history (including the temporary move to Toronto in 1999 and how the models were thrown away in 2011) had left their marks on what assets of TUGS were known to be left in existence. Richard made sure the tugs were in presentable condition when the new owners received them.

### The Star Tugs Company (2013-2019)

The official handover of the models took place at a hotel in January 2013. Four months later, on 7th May, "The Star Tugs Trust" was officially launched. Plans and intentions for the models' well-being, as well as the Trust's aims, were thoroughly discussed. Later that year, the original name "The Star Tugs Trust" was changed to "The Star Tugs Company Ltd." for copyright reasons.

Although O.J. was the first model to be on public display on the 22nd May 2013, the first official outing for the company was on the 8th-9th March 2014 at the Battlefield Railway. From 17th January to 16th February 2014, The Star Tugs Company ran a "KickStarter" campaign to raise money, in order to refurbish the eighteen TUGS models. The Midland Railway Centre let them have use of a British Railways MK1 railway coach, No.80590, to set up a permanent exhibition at the railway. At its first 25th anniversary event at Battlefield Railway in March 2014, The Star Tugs Company had succeeded in raising funds of £11,350 with 79 people who had helped along the way.

Crew members have also visited the Exhibition, often denoting assets of TUGS. Donated assets come from the likes of Jeremy King, Chris Tulloch and Joan Ferris; the widowed wife of David Mitton. In 2015, a hundred pictures including concept art and photos of the production were donated at a single event and havn’t been publicly presented since.

The coach has been through several updates and changes: it was originally painted green on one side, and had isolated electrical power for different functions. In 2016, the interior was renovated with specially-built cabinets with perspex glass (for the models to sit behind), UV protection and temperature control and security features. In 2019, the entire coach was completely overhauled in time for the TUGS' 30th anniversary celebrations, receiving a new "Midland Red" livery, new interior paint, LED lighting and additional display cabinets.

## TUGS: The Exhibition (2020-present)

On 15th March 2020, the Trust confirmed the exhibition had undergone a complete rebrand, officially changing the name to TUGS: The Exhibition to bring more prominence and exposure to the TV series that the models were from.

On 22nd June 2020, it was announced that the static exhibition for the group would remain closed for the remainder of 2020 due to the lack of financial and practical support that resulted from the global COVID-19 pandemic. However, the company assured that the exhibition would continue operating and that touring events would resume in 2021.

On 28th June 2020, the group held their first-ever Q&A session via their Facebook page to answer questions relating to the Exhibition and about their future plans. A few weeks later, the Q&A was deleted for unknown reasons.