Building work has begun on the New Hall at Locomotion in Shildon, with the aim to open the new building in November 2023.
The New Hall will significantly expand the museum and create one of the world’s largest collection of railway vehicles.
Coming in at 2000m2, New Hall will be home to an additional 46 vehicles from the national collection.
Planning permission was approved back in June 2022 and representatives from Locomotion, Durham County Council and Nationwide Engineering took a look around the site yesterday as work got underway.
Building work is set to be finished in October 2023 before a number of rail moves take place to move the vehicles into their new home.
The exact layout of the vehicles is still be announced, but will include vehicles from the existing collection as well as new arrivals from other locations as well as the National Railway Museum in York.
The current site at Locomotion will remain open throughout the work.
Dr Sarah Price, Head of Locomotion, said: “After a lot of thought and effort spent at the planning and design stages, I’m delighted to mark the start of building work on our New Hall. We’re investing in the museum to create a better experience for our visitors and to tell the exciting and inspirational role played by Shildon and the North-East in the global railway story. I look forward to welcoming people through our doors later this year.”
Cllr Elizabeth Scott, the council’s Cabinet member for economy and partnerships, said: “We’re really excited to see work getting underway on the New Hall development and at the prospect of having one of the world’s largest collections of historic railway vehicles right here in County Durham.
“We were really pleased to be able to put some of the Levelling Up funding we received towards Locomotion and this new attraction will undoubtedly draw more visitors to both the museum and the wider county, in turn boosting our economy. We’re also very much looking forward to New Hall and the whole Locomotion site playing a key role in the celebrations of the Stockton and Darlington Railway’s bicentenary in 2025.”
Responses
Locomotion.
As a local man and having visited the Museum 750 times since its opening I’m looking forward to experiencing the New Hall and especially its relationship to Shildon Wagon Works. I worked there for 22 years and that’s one of the main reasons why I have been a guest at Locomotion for the past 19 years. The tea is good too.
Keith Foster.
Visited Locomotion while visiting my son. A really good day out. Delighted to see it’s expansion is underway. Look forward to a repeat visit once completed!