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Managed by specialist teams from Locomotion and the National Railway Museum, the shunt saw 46 vehicles (and one road vehicle) move carefully inside the newly constructed £8m New Hall. Locomotion is a partnership between the Science Museum Group and Durham County Council, with the latter having provided significant funding towards New Hall. Situated opposite the museum’s existing collection building, New Hall is scheduled to open to the public on 24 May 2024. Before then, the hall needed to be filled with collection rail vehicles in a complex shunt that took more than four weeks to complete. The last vehicles moved into position on Monday 22 April including the Q7 locomotive and the historic Hetton Colliery locomotive. With a crane, two snow ploughs, a pair of track inspection velocipedes, historic steam locomotives, numerous freight wagons and even a tracked Bren Gun Carrier, the lineup is sure to include something to complete every train set. When added to the vehicles already at Locomotion, there will be 99 rail vehicles - creating the largest undercover display of historic rail vehicles in Europe. New Hall will celebrate the museum’s 20th anniversary in September this year. The museum is also built close to the site of Shildon Works – once home to a thriving railway workshop, employing thousands, which closed in June 1984. To mark this important link, the new building and the vehicle display will recognise the important role of railways in shaping communities in Shildon and across the North East, as well as the development of the railways across the UK. The interpretation will also tell new stories of the significance of coal in the development of the railways along with related stories of industry and freight transportation. Sarah Price, Head of Locomotion, said: “I would like to thank all our partners involved in creating the magnificent New Hall, especially Nationwide Engineering and Durham County Council. New Hall effectively doubles the size of Locomotion and gives us much needed covered display space to help conserve the collection, as well as giving visitors the chance to find out more about the railways and the North East’s railway heritage.
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