Tom Varley was a collector of steam-powered vehicles, known for the Tom Varley Collection, a steam museum mostly of steam wagons, "a lasting legacy of which [British steam road enthusiasts] can be proud".His business was in running Todber Caravan Park at Gisburn, in the high Pennines of Lancashire. The steam museum was housed in a barn alongside the caravans. The collection was best known from its frequent appearances at steam rallies through the 1970s and '80s.