Darlington Railway Centre and Museum

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum
Darlington Railway Centre and Museum  Darlington Railway Centre and Museum shown within County Durham
OS grid reference	NZ288157
List of places: UK • England • County Durham

Darlington Railway Centre and Museum, also known as Head of Steam, is located on the 1825 route of the Stockton and Darlington Railway which was the world's first steam powered passenger railway. Run by Darlington Borough Council the museum is located in the northern suburbs of Darlington in the ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The site encompasses three significant Stockton and Darlington Railway buildings of the 1830s: North Road railway station, the goods shed and Hopetown Carriage Works.

Exhibits include George Stephenson's Locomotion No 1, built for the opening of the Stockton & Darlington Railway, and Derwent, the earliest surviving Darlington built locomotive, on loan from The National Railway Museum collection. Locomotion No 1 is one of the oldest surviving steam engines in the world and the first ever steam train to carry fare paying passengers.

In April 2008, it was re-branded as Head of Steam, following a £1.7m refurbishment project.

Facilities

Bagnall fireless locomotive (works no. 2898), built 1948
(The purpose of the 'chimney' at the front is unknown.)

• Onsite parking.
• Railway cafe, open 11am to 3pm Monday to Sunday.
• Wheelchair access to most parts of the museum.
• Baby changing facilities within the museum main building.
• Gift shop selling souvenirs and memorabilia.

Locomotives

• Stockton and Darlington Railway Locomotion No 1
• Stockton and Darlington Railway Derwent
• NER 1463 Class (LNER Class E5) 2-4-0 no. 1463
• NER Class T3 (LNER Class Q7) 0-8-0 No. 901 (BR No. 63460) - Owned by NRM

External links

• Museum website