Virtual Railfan Tour UK - National Railway Museum at Shildon

Locomotion at Shildon is an outpost of the National Railway Museum at York.  It is reached from the branch line by the puddle jumper from Darlington to Bishops Auckland. I have visited here twice - in 2014 and 2019
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Railway_Museum_Shildon
 
Imagine my surprise last November when the first locomotive I saw was this Beattie 0-4-2 well tank, class 0298 built in 1874. In later days there were only three of these left, all at Wadebridge in the far south west. On Monday 29 August 1960 I made a visit here, with a shed permit, specially to see them. I only saw one but these were the pictures I took that day




Here is my diary entry for that visit:
The Beattie well tanks are still going strong.  They have all just been through the works and have at least 36 months left to work.  No. 30586 was shunting in and around the station.  I saw it propelling three trucks, it tried to pull up quickly but the momentum of the wagons pulled it along for some way.  The driver told me that this was the most powerful of the three.  At times they have been substituted on the Bodmin Road trains and have reached 50 m.p.h. but at this speed they are decidedly rough, understandably so for an 86 year old engine.  Of the other two engines, No. 30585 was in the shops, presumably at Eastleigh, while 30587 was on the Wenford Mineral line.  Although I didn't see No. 30587, I was told that it was in very good condition because it had been used during the centenary celebrations at Exeter Central on July 19th. 
The Great Northern Railway single alongside the LNW Hardwicke


I loved to work on these GWR pannier tank locomotives, although this is painted a weird color, possibly for London Transport?

One of the competitors on the Rainhill Trials of 1832 - the Sans Pareil. Original on the right, replica on the left

The high gloss on this Battle of Britain class 4-6-2 made photography difficult. This is 34051 "Sir Winston Chuirchill" which hauled Sir Winston Churchill's funeral train.

In my train spotting days I saw a lot of 4-sub electrics

A fireless locomotive

North Eastern electric locomotive

A Deltic diesel locomotive
But Shildon is not just the hall of Locomotion, it has an amazing industrial history being the centre of the Stockton and Darlington Railway. Many of the early buildings are still standing, the original locomotive works and Stephensons offices.
Coal staithes

Locomotive works?





Shildon is well worth a visit.  It will be especially important in September 2025 - the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Stockton and Darlngton Railway




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