Locomotion is the National Railway Museums sister site at Shildon. Shildon is the site of the former wagon works and Timothy Hackworths Soho works, which still stands on the site. It acts as an annex to the York museum, and exhibits are almost constantly being swapped around to try and keep things fresh.
Getting there
Shildon is easy to get to and can be done in a day trip from most of the UK, particularly if you live near the east coast main line. High speed services run to Darlington and you can pick up the connection to Shildon from there. The service to Shildon currently runs every hour.
If you are driving, there is ample parking onsite as well as an overflow car park for busy events.
The site
Walking from the car park or the station, you are presented with the apron. Some stock is often kept out the front. There is a short running line that as of writing is not in use. This is due to ongoing works to repair the coal stages and further work repairing some of the original buildings.
The site consists of the main building, a play area, short running line and some of the original Hackwork buildings. Walking away from the building and under the bridge brings you to the original coal stage.
Further up, there is the original goods shed and Soho Works. The goods shed contains the remains of Royal George, which is an early 0-6-0 locomotive. There is also currently an assortment of wagons. Most of the above area is currently cordoned off for work and the sheds are currently inaccessible.
Timothy Hackworth is most well known for Sans Pareil, both the original and the 1975 built replica are on display here.
The main building
The main building consists of multiple parrallel tracks which run through the length of the building. This is where the core of the displays are. Amongst the displays are key locomotives and rolling stock from the national collection, but there is also a significant display of models, both vintage and current alongside artifacts from local railway history. As much as Shildon is an outpost of the York museum, it also has its own story to tell.
Not only was it the location of Hackworths locomotive works, but it was also the location of the wagon works, which closed in 1984. Local history, stories and artifacts are on display, to try and tell the tales from those times.
Key displays at the time of writing are, amongst others:
- Deltic
- Prototype HST 41001
- APT-E
- 4771 Green Arrow
- 34051 Sir Winston Churchill
Facilities
Locomotion is a thoroughly modern building, with good disabled access, ample toilet facilities and a decent cafe. In fact, the cafe has some old Eurostar seating set up, so you can sit in comfort while enjoying a snack. Staff are very pleasant and chatty. Its kept very clean and tidy, and that can only be attributed to very attentive staff.
There is a decent gift shop with a variety of stock. Locomotion is also the base for Locomotion Models (http://www.locomotionmodels.com), so there is a wide variety of model railway paraphenalia on sale as well as a range of exclusive models.
Costs
As with most of the Science Museum buildings, entry is free with optional donation. Onsite parking is free too, so the only real spending you'll do is in the gift shop or the cafe. The cafe prices seem fair compares to other similar sites.
Conclusion
Since Locomotion came under the unbrella of the Science Museum and is a sister of the York museum, don't be fooled into thinking its merely an annex of the latter site. Locomotion has some fantastic displays and an enormous outside space. It has the other buildings to explore as well as stock on the front apron. It also has the advantage of the running line, so engines are also used for brake van rides on some days.
I really do recommend a trip to Shildon, it is worth the journey to have a look around.
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