Locomotion’s New Hall opens to visitors on Friday 24 May – and we are delighted to invite residents of Shildon to join us on the day, with exclusive late-night opening until 7pm so you can be the among the first to experience our brand-new building, writes the museum’s Communications Coordinator, Kitty Bartlett.
With a design inspired by an engine shed, New Hall tells the story of the North East’s role in early railway development, with six themed roads of railway vehicles.
Across these six roads are 47 vehicles which, in addition to vehicles already housed in Main Hall, brings Locomotion’s total to 99, making the museum Europe’s largest undercover collection of historic railway vehicles.
Featuring a crane, two snow ploughs, a pair of track inspection velocipedes, historic steam locomotives, numerous freight wagons and even a Bren Gun Carrier, the lineup is sure to include something to interest everyone.
Locomotion’s New Hall is also built close to the site of Shildon Works, once home to a thriving railway workshop, employing thousands, which closed in June 1984.
To mark this important link, the new building and vehicle display recognises the valuable and significant role Shildon played in developing the role of railways across the rest of the North East, the UK, and ultimately the world. The interpretation tells new stories about coal’s significance in railway development and stories of local and national industry and freight transportation.
Locomotion is a partnership between the Science Museum Group and Durham County Council, with the latter having provided significant funding towards New Hall.
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
