NER ‘LONG BOILER’ FOR NEW LOCOMOTION BUILDING
Unique North Eastern Railway ‘1001’ 0-6-0 No. 1275 will be one of the locomotives displayed in the National Railway Museum’s new 43,000sq ft building at Locomotion, Shildon.
The 1875-built engine will be one of up to 40 vehicles, including George Stephenson’s 1825 Locomotion (see separate story) which will take up residence inside the new display building, which forms part of a £4.5 million plan to redevelop Shildon. Construction of the new building is expected to start in October 2021 and is scheduled for completion in September 2022.
NRM Head Curator & Assistant Director Andrew McLean told Steam Railway: “We are currently working on vehicle lists for the new building, although it is too early to provide exact details at present.
“The new building will enable us to display more of our collection, including new and forthcoming rail vehicle acquisitions. It will be a mix of locomotives (steam, diesel and electric), multiple units, carriages and wagons from the 19th century to the present day. It also offers us covered space for historically significant wagons currently stored outside.
“The new building also allows us to rethink our current museum building at Locomotion and display Locomotion alongside a mix of vehicles already based at Locomotion and some new arrivals. We cannot confirm the exact list at this point, but one of the locomotives to travel to Shildon will be
No. 1275 which has very strong Shildon associations.”
The project will also see the repair and refurbishment of Locomotion’s historic buildings, such as the former home of Timothy Hackworth, the first locomotive superintendent of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, as well as sheds and workers’ cottages. The £1.6m repair project started in January and all historic buildings are due to be repaired by the end of the year.