Shildon Locomotion Museum Information & Shildon Locomotion Museum Links at HealthHaven.com

Shildon Locomotion Museum
	; The exterior of the main exhibition hall at Locomotion Museum, Shildon
Established	September 2004
Location	Shildon, County Durham
Type	Railway museum ; Transport museum ; Collection Museum ; Children's museum ; Open-air museum
Visitor figures	94,000 (in the first six months of opening)
President	Dr George Muirhead
Public transit access	Shildon railway station
Website	Locomotion Official Website

Coordinates: 54°37′27″N 1°37′50″W / 54.6243°N 1.6306°W / 54.6243; -1.6306

Shildon Locomotion Museum is a railway museum in Shildon, County Durham, England. The museum is a branch of the National Railway Museum (NRM), which is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI). Shildon acts as an annex, with the most important exhibits on display in the NRM's headquarters at York, though exhibits are regularly rotated.

[edit] Overview

The museum was built during 2004 at a cost of £11.3 million, and is based on the former "Timothy Hackworth Victorian Railway Museum". The museum was expected to bring 60,000 visitors a year to the small County Durham town. However, during its first six months, the museum attracted 94,000 visitors. It was shortlisted as one of the final five contenders in The Gulbenkian Prize which is "the largest arts prize in the United Kingdom".

[edit] Museum Landmarks

[edit] 1: Welcome

The welcome building is the building starting the trail up to 'Collection'. It contains a small shop only containing a small number of items a drink and food machine and a interactive TV. It also has toilets and information of the museum. The original Sans Pareil is on display here. Timothy Hackworth's house is the next building in the museum.

[edit] 2: Hackworth

This building is Timothy Hackworth's house. It contains a old TV and several activities about the history of Shildon. The building contains a garden. Soho is the next building in the museum.

[edit] 3: Soho

The small building contains old and partially broken trains. If you go further along to the grassy area in the background, you will no longer be in the museum. Find a path that leads you back to the museum. Goods will be the next building.

[edit] 4.1: Goods

This building contains where the coal was built up. It contains a wheelchair access, but the wheelchair will go where no other public could go in. The Eco Bus first leaves here at 10.30am. Parcel Office will be the next building.

[edit] 4.2: Parcel Office

This building was the parcel office at the train station. Junction is the next area in the museum

[edit] 5: Junction

Shildon Station can be reached from here and you just need to walk across the track when no trains are coming. Easy access from the station to the museum. The next area of the museum is Coal Drops.

[edit] 6: Coal Drops

The next area of the museum is the Light Engine.

[edit] L: Light Engine

The light engine is a interactive pole that displays colours. You can change the name of the pole if you text in. Play is the next area.

[edit] 7: Play

A playground for the children and a separate area for picnics and with rest benches. Collection is the next and last building.

[edit] 8: Collection

The final building in the locomotive museum. It contains interactive games, a cafe and a shop. It contains old trains and disabled access. The Eco Bus first leaves here at 10.45am.

[edit] Eco Bus

The eco bus is a coach that runs from 10.30am, and from Goods to Collection and leaves the buildings every 15 minutes. It stops and leaves Collection at 4.30pm (summer) and 3.30pm (winter).

[edit] Locomotives

London and South Western Railway Class T3 No. 563 preserved in the museum

It is home to several locomotives from the National Collection, including a replica of Timothy Hackworth's Sans Pareil. The original engine was built to compete in the Rainhill Trials, and is also at Shildon. These trials were to decide which engine was used to operate the intercity passenger railway between Liverpool and Manchester. After 175 years of absence from the town, residents were delighted at her return. Sans Pareil now sits proudly at the entrance of Locomotion. It is the first locomotive visitors see.

The main building is home to the majority of the collection and includes the sole examples of the prototype APT-E and Deltic units. The museum has a wind turbine which also provides power to the National Grid and an on-site biodiesel bus for transporting visitors around the site without harming the environment.

[edit] Site

The Locomotion Museum is sited near Timothy Hackworth's Soho Works on the Stockton and Darlington Railway (opened on September 27, 1825 with a train hauled by Locomotion No 1 which took 2 hours to complete the 12 mile journey from Shildon to Darlington).

Shildon railway station, on the Darlington to Bishop Auckland Tees Valley Line was rebuilt and modernised as part of the museum's construction and is actually situated partway through the museum itself. It is served by all services on the line, operated by Northern Rail.

[edit] References

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Shildon Locomotion Museum

Shildon Locomotion Museum website
The official National Railway Museum print website containing many vintage posters and prints from the museum's collections