Head of Steam facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Head of Steam

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Established	1975
Location	Darlington, County Durham, England
Type	Railway museum

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. In 2022, plans were submitted to expand the museum as part of the Railway Heritage Quarter. 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.

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. 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.
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.
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.

Model railway

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