Head of Steam
Head of Steam is located in County Durham
Head of Steam
 Head of Steam shown within County Durham
Established1975[1]
LocationDarlington, County Durham, England
Coordinates54°32′10″N 1°33′18″W / 54.536°N 1.555°W / 54.536; -1.555
TypeRailway museum
CuratorLeona White-Hannant[2]
Websitehttps://www.head-of-steam.co.uk

Head of Steam, formerly known as the Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, is a railway museum located on the 1825 route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which was the world's first steam-powered passenger railway. It is based inside the station building at the North Road railway station. Its exhibits are devoted to the area formerly served by the North Eastern Railway with a particular focus on the Stockton & Darlington Railway and the railway industry of Darlington.[3][4] In 2022, plans were submitted to expand the museum as part of the Railway Heritage Quarter.[5] In December 2023, the museum temporarily closed its doors to undergo a £35 million redevelopment.

In October 2023, Darlington's Rail Heritage Quarter was renamed Hopetown Darlington, celebrating the rich rail heritage of this area of Darlington which is known as Hopetown due to the location of the historic Hopetown Carriage Works and Hope Town Foundry.[6]

Hopetown Darlington is a 7.5 acre site encompassing the former Head of Steam (now renamed North Road Station Museum), an exhibition hall for blockbuster exhibitions, a 4D virtual reality time travel ride, an adventure playpark, a café, shop, and events field for festivals and events, as well as onsite partners including the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust, NELPG, and Darlington Railway Preservation Society. Hopetown Darlington opens to the public in summer 2024.

Locomotives

Prior to 2021, the museum currently had five locomotives on display. Two were owned by the museum, while three were on long-term loan from the National Railway Museum. In 2021, Locomotion No. 1 moved to Locomotion Museum in Shildon.

Number & Name Year Description Livery History Image
Locomotion No. 1 1975 Replica S&DR 0-4-0 N/A Locomotion No. 1 was built by George Stephenson for the world's first public steam-worked passenger railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway. It was responsible for hauling the first train on the line on 27 September 1825. The original was displayed in the museum between 1975 and 2021. It was moved to Shildon in that year.[7] A 1975-built replica, previously based at Beamish Museum, has now replaced it in the museum and it is intended for this replica to be restored to working order in time for the 200th anniversary of the S&DR in 2025.[8][9]
No. 25 Derwent 1845 S&DR 0-6-0 Green No. 25 Derwent was designed by Timothy Hackworth and built by William and Alfred Kitching for use on the Stockton and Darlington Railway. It spent many years on display with Locomotion No. 1 at Darlington Bank Top station before being put on display in the museum.[10]
No. 1463 1885 NER 1463 (LNER E5) 2-4-0 NER Apple Green This engine was designed by Henry Tennant and Thomas W. Worsdell for use on express trains. It spent a large portion of its preserved career on display in the original York Railway Museum.
No. 901 1919 NER T3 (LNER Q7) 0-8-0 LNER Black Designed by Sir Vincent Raven for use on heavy freight trains.

In the 1980s, it was loaned to the North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group which restored it to working order. It then spent several years working on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway before its withdrawal. It was put on display in the museum during its refurbishment in 2008.

No. D6898 1964 BR Class 37 Co-Co BR Green No. D6898 (TOPS 37198) was designed by English Electric and built at their Robert Stephenson and Hawthorns works in Darlington. It was the final locomotive built at the works before its closure. It was withdrawn from service in 1999 and preserved before being resold to Network Rail in 2008. After being used as a spares donor for other class members, it was donated to the museum in August 2021.[11]

Model railway

The museum holds a large model of the Stockton & Darlington Railway which can be seen in the images below.

References

  1. ^ "Head of Steam - Darlington Railway Museum | Culture24". www.culture24.org.uk.
  2. ^ "Keeping in mind railmen who gave lives to support war effort | The North-East At War".
  3. ^ "- Home Page". Head of Steam Railway Museum. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  4. ^ "Our Collections". Head of Steam Railway Museum. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  5. ^ Barnard, Ashley (26 March 2022). "Plans updated for ambitious Darlington Head of Steam Museum". The Northern Echo. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Why is Darlington's £35m railway centre being renamed Hopetown?". Darlington and Stockton Times. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
  7. ^ "Shildon's Locomotion museum: New £5.9m building to house 45 attractions". BBC News. 15 January 2022.
  8. ^ Lloyd, Chris (11 March 2021). "Darlington to have replica Locomotion No 1 on display". The Northern Echo. Newsquest Media Group. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Decision - Locomotion No 1 and Replica". Darlington Borough Council. 17 April 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2021.
  10. ^ "Head of Steam Darlington Railway Museum – ERIH".
  11. ^ Edgar, Bill (12 August 2021). "Historic Class 37 locomotive rolls back into Darlington". The Northern Echo. Newsquest. Archived from the original on 13 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Head of Steam museum.


Heritage railways, museums and preservation societies in England
Categories