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The North East is blessed with some exemplary sites of industrial interest. The 300-acre Beamish open-air museum in County Durham is an unsurpassed ‘real town’ recreation of a bygone era, while the Discovery Museum in Newcastle lays bare the region’s manufacturing heritage in flourishing style.
The National Railway Museum at Shildon is less well known, but of equal excellence. In 1825 Shildon in County Durham was the departure town of the world’s first ever steam-hauled passenger train – so it’s an apt location for a mega-museum that celebrates the nation’s railways. There are dozens of beautifully restored locomotives on show, along with plenty of interactive displays for young enquiring minds.
But where do you start when there’s so much to look at? Perhaps the pick of the bunch is the Great Northern Railway No 1 class Stirling Single – an ivy-green class of steam locomotive built for express passenger work. Designed by the Scottish railway engineer Patrick Stirling, 53 Singles were made at Doncaster and introduced in three series in 1870, 1884 and 1894. The locomotives were characterised by a single pair of huge driving wheels which led to the nickname “Eight footer”. Originally the locomotive was designed to carry up to 26 passenger carriages at an average speed of 47mph, but they were able to haul 275-tonne trains at an average of 50mph, with a top speed – on lighter trains – of 85mph. No 1 is a beautiful example of the class, and has been ‘in steam’ on track sections of the Grand Central Railway and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
There’s also a healthy representation of locomotives from across the pond. Most notable is the United States of America Transportation Corps S160 Class, a 2-8-0 consolidation steamer that was designed for heavy freight use in Europe during the Second World War. When America entered hostilities at the end of 1941, the corps needed a locomotive that would be able to travel on Europe’s wrecked railways, and have enough power to transport military hardware and civilian goods. Designed by Major J W Marsh, using methods which created efficient and fast construction speed, a total of 2,120 S160s were built, providing reliable transport at a testing time.
Shildon is not only about steam-powered locomotives, though. It does a good job of illustrating railway technology progression, as shown by the appearance of North Eastern Railway No 1 – one of two electric locomotives that were designed for electrified third-rail and overhead-line operation. North Eastern Railway was a keen believer in electric traction, having electrified the Shildon-to-Newport line in 1913 to demonstrate the viability of electric locomotives for heavy freight use. At the end of the First World War, the forward-thinking company also developed a prototype electric locomotive for what’s now known as the East Coast Mainline.
Shildon is also home to the Advanced Passenger Train-Experimental, the world’s first self-propelled tilting train. The APT-E was built as a concept vehicle in 1971 to solve the problem of running high-speed trains without laying new, straight tracks. It was a revolutionary vehicle that was powered by gas turbines. The unit was only intended for testing and was never used in public service.
Shildon makes great effort to keep visiting youngsters fully entertained. There are art and craft activities, with kids encouraged to express their drawing skills. And there’s a fantastic selection of toys and train sets. For children and adults, there are footplate experience sessions where visitors are allowed to climb into the cab.
Five things to see:
1. Trainspotters’ delight: Dozens of locomotives on show, from early steam units through to electric prototypes.
2. Surprise attraction: Guest locomotives on loan from Shildon’s sister museum, the National Railway Museum in York.
3. Steam power in action: Ride Shildon’s train service hauled by steam or diesel locomotives on special event days.
4. Presents for all: A well-stocked, spacious gift shop selling items such as souvenir photo-books and model railways.
5. Platform 7: Shildon’s on-site café which offers hot drinks and some particularly delicious cakes and pastries.
For more details, see the website: www.nrm.org.uk/PlanaVisit/VisitShildon